The game plan for the UCLA Bruins was simple: take away Indiana's star receivers, Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr., and make someone else beat them.
They dared the Hoosiers' third option, former Clemson four-star recruit E.J. Williams Jr., to win his one-on-one matchups. It was a catastrophic miscalculation.
"If you feel like you can handle me one-on-one, that's what you think of me," Williams said after the game. "So, we'll see what happens."
What happened was the most dominant performance of Williams' six-year college career. The former Tiger torched the Bruins' secondary for five catches, a career-high 109 yards, and his first-ever multi-touchdown game as No. 2 Indiana steamrolled UCLA 56-6 to remain undefeated.
While UCLA successfully bottled up Indiana's top duo—holding them to a combined four catches for just eight yards—Williams ran wild, validating the belief head coach Curt Cignetti has held in him since his arrival from Clemson.
"It's great to get big plays from E.J.," Cignetti said. "He's got a lot of talent. I've always been really high on him."
A Career Day, and a Scolding
Williams' highlight came in the third quarter on a play that perfectly encapsulated his day. On a 3rd-and-8, quarterback Fernando Mendoza scrambled right and launched a deep ball as a defender fell in coverage, leaving Williams wide open. He strolled untouched for a 62-yard touchdown.
"When I saw him through the corner and the DB fall, I knew that no matter what, that ball was going to get to EJ's hands," Mendoza said.
But the play also provided a glimpse into why the injury-plagued receiver chose to stick with Cignetti's tough-love coaching style. As he coasted into the end zone, Williams turned back and taunted the fallen defender, drawing the immediate ire of his head coach.
"He has to make sure when he's running in the end zone for a touchdown that he doesn't taunt the defender," Cignetti said bluntly postgame. "He got a Mulligan on that one... When the game is on the line, that's a spot foul. You have the ball on the 30-yard line and don't get the points."
From Clemson Disappointment to Indiana Star
For Williams, a highly-touted recruit whose career at Clemson from 2020-22 was derailed by injuries, that brand of harsh, public accountability is exactly what he signed up for.
"One of the main things of me coming back to IU was really Coach Cig and his coaching style," Williams said. "Like, really assertive, really in your face. 'I want this, and if you can't do it, you're getting out of here.' I wanted a guy that's going to be the best... that's really paying attention and really wants you to be really on detail, is going to help me in my career."
That career is now finally taking off. Williams' breakout performance didn't just pad his own stats; it completely opened up the offense. With the secondary focused on him, the Hoosiers' running backs gashed UCLA for 262 yards on the ground.
"As a running back, when you have receivers that go out there and make catches like he made today, it opens up the box for the running game," running back Roman Hemby said.
UCLA provided the rest of the Big Ten with a blueprint on how not to defend Indiana. They learned the hard way that the Hoosiers don't have a big two; they have a lethal big three. And the former Clemson Tiger, now fully healthy and thriving, is ready for anyone who thinks they can handle him one-on-one.