Indiana University Football heads to The Rose Bowl to Face UCLA
Indiana Head Football Coach Curt Cignetti was Six years old the last time that Indiana Played in the Rose Bowl, which was January 1, 1968, when they lost 14-3 to USC. On Saturday he will lead the Hoosiers into the iconic venue to take on the UCLA Bruins Saturday at 7:30 PM with the game televised on NBC. The game is historic for several reasons as this the first time that the Hoosiers and Bruins will meet on the gridiron and the first time that any IU team has played one of the four new teams in the Big Ten as the Conference officially welcomed UCLA USC, Oregon and Washington to the conference on August 2. This will be the Bruins first ever Big Ten Conference Game and the first conference game for both head coaches as DeShaun Foster is in his first season as UCLA Head Coach. Indiana is 2-0 with wins over Florida International 31-7 and 77-3 over Western Illinois last Friday Night at Memorial Stadium it’s the 43rd time in Program History that Hoosiers are 2-0 to start the season. The Hoosiers rushed for 335 yards and tied a school record with 7 rushing touchdowns against Western Illinois marking the first time since 2016 that Hoosiers rushed for over 300 yards in game since they ran for 414 yards against Maryland. The Hoosiers had 701 yards of total offense. Indiana passed for 378 yards making it the first time the Hoosiers have topped 300 rushing and passing in the same game since November 28, 2015, against Purdue.
Indiana brought in 29 transfers in the off-season and all 27 that are active have played this season. Andrew Depaepe who transferred from Michigan State and Nick Kidwell from James Madison are out of for season with injury. Coach Cignetti said that he did not expect many Freshmen to see the field this season, but 10 true Freshmen have seen the field this season with 6 of them making their debut against Western Illinois last week. The 77 Points was the most scored in a single game since 1901 when they beat Franklin College 76-0. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke is 30-41 passing for 448 yards with 3 touchdowns, no interceptions and been sacked twice. Tayven Jackson came in against Western Illinois to go 3-3 for 104 yards and a touchdown and Freshman Alberto Mendoza completed his only pass for 6 yards against the Leathernecks. Running Backs Justice Ellison, Ty Son Lawton and Elijah Green have 414 of the Hoosiers 557 yards and 7 of the 10 Touchdowns. Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt have combined for 325 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Nicolas Radicic has been perfect so far going 1-1 on field goals and 15-15 on extra point attempts including a school record 11 against Western Illinois. Aiden Fisher leads the Hoosier defense with 21 total tackles. The Hoosiers have 10 sacks, 3 interceptions, 1 forced fumble and one pick six and held the opponent to 10 points in the first two games.
UCLA is 1-0 on the season after 16-13 win at Hawaii in week 1. Quarterback Ethan Garbers went 19-38 for 272 passing yards with a touchdown, 2 Interceptions and a sack along 7 carries for 47 yards as the team’s leading rusher. Wide Receiver Rico Flores Jr. caught 3 passes for 102 yards and touchdown which was the only touchdown of the game for UCLA with 8:41 left in the third quarter after trailing 10 at halftime. The Bruins are 3-4 on field goals and 1-1 on extra point attempts. The Bruins had 5 sacks, 2 Interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery at Hawaii. The Bruins tailed 13-7 with 4:12 left in the third quarter when Mateen Bhaghani kicked three field goals including the game winner with 56 seconds remaining from 32 yards out to lead the Bruins to the come from behind victory. DeShaun Foster played at UCLA and was a Running Back from 1998-2001 and spent 7 seasons in the NFL from 2003-2007 with the Carolina Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers. Foster rushed for 3,570 yards and 11 touchdowns and had 1,129 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns in his career. He was a student assistant in 2013 before becoming a Graduate Assistant at UCLA form 2014-15. He went to Texas Tech as running backs coach for the 2016 season before coming back to his alma mater as the Running Backs Coach from 2017-23. The 44-Year-Old was hired to take over for Chip Kelly on February 12, 2024, signing a five-year deal. He takes over a team that went 8-5 a season ago and won the LA Bowl against Boise State 35-22. Kelly resigned February 9,2024 to take the offensive coordinator position at Ohio State. Foster leads the Bruins into a new era not only has a first time Head Coach but a brand-new conference that spans coast to coast. UCLA will travel the most miles of any Football Championship Subdivision Team this year going from Hawaii to LSU before heading to Penn State, Rutgers, Nebraska and Washington for Big Ten Play.
Rivalry Night in High School Football as Bloomington North-Bloomington South and Owen Valley-Edgewood faceoff for bragging rights
Week 4 of the High School Football Season is set aside for rivalries as Bloomington South will head crosstown to Bloomington North for the annual city battle while Owen Valley heads down State Road 46 to face Edgewood on the Red Carpet. Both kickoffs are set for 7pm this evening and both are key conference matchups as the Bloomington Schools faceoff in Conference Indiana Battle while the Mustangs open Western Indiana Conference play against their archrivals.
Bloomington South is 2-1 overall and 1-0 in Conference Indiana after a 37-20 home win over Terre Haute North last Friday. The Panthers average 33 points on offense and give up 22.3 points on defense. This will be Head Coach Gabe Johnson’s eight city battle against the Cougars with a 6-1 record. Bloomington North is 2-1 overall and 1-0 in Conference Indiana after a 41-29 home win over Terre Haute South last Friday. The Cougars come in with a 2-game winning streak after a week 1 loss at Mooresville. Bloomington North is averaging 37.7 points on offense and give up 19.7 points on defense. This is the first city battle as head coach for Anthony Lindsey, but he was a Quarterback at Bloomington North, and he knows the meaning of this game and how important it for both teams not only get bragging rights but to keep pace in the race for the Conference Indiana Championship. These kids have all grown up played with and against each other but when it comes to this game this message is simple to beat that school on the other side of town. Its 65th time that Bloomington North and Bloomington South have met on the gridiron with Bloomington South dominating the all-time series 49-15 and 10-2 in Sectional matchups since the series began in 1972. The Cougars beat the Panthers 25-24 in overtime in the Regular Season Matchup at Bloomington South last season, but the Panthers beat the Cougars 44-31 at Bloomington North in the Class 5A Sectional Semifinals to end the Cougars Season at 9-1 after going undefeated in the regular season for the first time in school history. Since 2014 Bloomington South has won 14 of the last 16 matchups. Bloomington North’s only other win came in 2019 when they beat the Panthers 38-27.
Edgewood is home for the third straight week, but the Mustangs have struggled to get points being outscored 64-3 by Washington 22-3 and 42-0 against Cascade last Friday. Edgewood beat Mitchell 41-6 in the season opener, but the Mustangs come into this matchup averaging 14.7 points on offense and allowing 23.3 points on defense. Second year Head Coach Scott Fischer would love for his team to turn it around this week and knock off their rivals that are just 10 miles down the road in Spencer. Owen Valley is 0-3 on the season and are coming off back-to-back shutout losses against Speedway 47-0 and Indian Creek 42-0. Owen Valley lost to Brown County 30-21, and this is first road game for the Patriots this season. Owen Valley is averaging 7 points on offense and allowing 39.7 on defense for first year Head coach Eric Crouch who would love nothing more than get is first win against its archrival. Edgewood and Owen Valley will meet for the 53rd time as Edgewood leads the all-time series 32-20 since it began in 1972. This will be the 30th time the two have battle for the Black and Blue Trophy which represents the primary color of each school Black for Edgewood and Blue for Owen Valley. Owen Valley leads the trophy part of the series 16-13 and Edgewood is looking to snap a three-game losing streak to the Patriots as the Mustangs last win in the series came on September 11, 2020, winning 10-7 at Edgewood. Owen Valley has outscored Edgewood 151-20 in the last three matchups.
Indiana University Men’s Soccer opens Big Ten play at Rutgers
Reigning Big Ten regular season co-champion Indiana men’s soccer (1-2-2) opens its 2024 conference slate tonight against Rutgers (3-3-0) on Yurcak Field in Piscataway, New Jersey. Kickoff is set for 7pm. and fans can watch the match on the B1G+ digital platform. IU opens Big Ten play with the team it closed conference play against last season. The Hoosiers recovered from a 0-1-2 start to the league slate and captured a share of the Big Ten regular season championship, clinched with a 4-1 victory over Rutgers. Besides the three points at stake, Friday is also an opportunity for Indiana to bounce back from a draw and a loss in its last two matches. IU’s conference slate includes an additional two games as UCLA and Washington joined the conference.
Rutgers sits at 3-3-0 coming into tonight’s match, looking to snap a two-game losing skid. The Scarlet Knights are led by sixth-year head coach Jim McElderry, who has compiled a 38-34-15 record and a 165-159-62 career mark in 22 seasons as a head coach. Senior midfielder Curt Calov leads Rutgers with four of the teams 10 goals. Indiana has won 12 of the 18 meetings between the Hoosiers and Scarlet Knights, owning a 12-4-2 record in the series.
The last two matchups have decided Big Ten titles. In 2023, Indiana captured a share of the regular season championship thanks to a 4-1 result and favorable final-day results. Rutgers won the 2022 conference tournament final, the last meeting it hosted in Piscataway. Four members of IU’s current roster have combined for six goals and two assists against Rutgers. Senior midfielder Patrick McDonald has scored in each of the last two meetings. Senior forward Samuel Sarver has 4 G/A in the last five meetings going back to the 2021 Big Ten Tournament.
Ohio State shuts out Indiana in the Big Ten Women’s Soccer Opener
The Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Indiana Hoosiers 3-0 Thursday Night at Bill Armstrong Stadium in the Big Ten Women’s Soccer opener for both teams. Ohio State is 5-1-1 on the season while Indiana drops to 5-1-1 and will have a week off to get ready for their next game hosting the UCLA Bruins next Thursday night at 7pm. Ohio State leads the all-time series with Indiana 18-13-3 as the Buckeyes are 4-0-1 against the Hoosiers dating back to October 13, 2019 when Indiana beat Ohio State 1-0 in Bloomington for their last win in the series as the Buckeyes have won 2 in a row in Bloomington after a 4-0 win on September 29, 2022.
The Buckeyes controlled the possession in the first half and put the Hoosiers on their heels early and at the 27:37-mark Kaylin Dudukovich scored her team leading 7th goal of the season going top right center past Indiana Goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg with Amanda Schulter getting her 4th assist of the season to put the Buckeyes up 1-0. Ohio State added the second goal when Schulter scored her 4th goal of the season going bottom left of goal to get it past Gerstenberg who came into the match only giving up 2 goals through six matches. Ava Bramblett and Ella Giannola got the assist and it was the first of the season for Bramblett and the second of the season for Giannola as the Buckeyes went to the halftime break up 2-0. The Buckeyes outshot the Hoosiers 8-3 and 6-1 shots on goal. Indiana Goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg made four first half saves which equals the highest amount of saves in match this season when she had four in the season opener against Tennessee. Ohio State Goalkeeper Molly Pritchard made one save. Ohio State committed six fouls and Indiana committed three. Both teams had 3 corner kicks apiece and neither team was called offsides.
In the second half Indiana Head Coach Erwin van Bennekom wanted a handball called in the box against Ohio State and after a video review the head referee said it was not a handball and van Bennekom was not happy with the call and arguing with the referee and as giving a yellow card at the 50:18 mark for unsporting. At the 64:09 mark there was another video review for a possible handball against Ohio State but the head referee determined there was no handball and the Hoosiers were awarded a corner kick that came up short. At the 81:06 mark the Buckeyes were called for handball as Elle Britt took the free kick outside the box and took the shot right at Ohio State Goalkeeper Molly Pritchard. Mirann Gacoich was given a yellow card for unsporting after the review. Kaylin Dudukovich scored her 8th goal of the season and second of the match after she converted a penalty kick at the 86:24 mar. Ohio State picked up a second yellow card in the second half at the 87:08 mark by Sydney Jones for unsporting.
Ohio State outshot the Hoosiers 19-7 and 12-3 in shots on goal. Jamie Gerstenberg made 9 saves for Indiana and Ohio State’s Molly Pritchard made 3 saves and recorded her second shutout of the season. Indiana committed 11 fouls and Ohio State committed 7. Both teams had six corner kicks each and neither team was called for offsides. “They were the better team” Indiana Head Coach Erwin van Bennekom said after the match. “Proud of the way we played in the second half, but we did not play well enough to win” van Bennekom added. The Hoosiers will have 10 Big Ten Matches coming up and each one is going to be a challenge. “It does not get any easier especially with UCLA next and what we have in the coming weeks” van Bennekom said. For Ohio State three points to start the Big Ten Season on the road is a huge start to what will be a gauntlet of a conference season.
Indiana Fever drops Home Game to the Las Vegas Aces Wednesday Night
To begin back-to-back home games against the Las Vegas Aces this week, the Indiana Fever (19-18) dropped the first matchup, 86-75, on Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Fever and Aces will meet again at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this evening at 7:30pm with the game televised on ION. Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell continued her streak of strong scoring performances on Wednesday with 24 points on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. Mitchell has now scored at least 20 points in 12 of her last 14 games. Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark added 16 points, six assists, three rebounds, and eclipsed the 700-point mark to become the first player in league history to record 700 points and 300 assists in a single season. Mitchell and Clark also became the first teammates in WNBA history to each record 100 made 3-point field goals in the same season. Fever guard Lexie Hull and forward NaLyssa Smith both added nine points in the loss as the two combined for 11 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals. Aliyah Boston finished with six points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Boston has pulled down at least 10 rebounds in three of her last four games and passed Victoria Vivians for 16th place on the Fever all-time points list with 1,099 on Wednesday. Off the bench, Fever guard Erica Wheeler added five points, and one rebound in just six minutes of play. Reserve center Temi Fagbenle contributed seven rebounds, six of which came from the final quarter alone, and six points in the loss. Former Indiana University standout Grace Berger did not play.
Indiana started the game off strong as Mitchell scored the first points of the night while Hull immediately followed with a made 3-point field goal, forcing Las Vegas to call a timeout 46 seconds into the game. The Aces’ first 10 points of the night were all scored by center A’ja Wilson on the way to a game-high 27 points to break the WNBA single-season scoring record. Wilson enters Friday night’s matchup with 956 points this season. Despite 11 of Mitchell’s 24 points coming from the second quarter, Las Vegas led 41-32 going into halftime. The second half began with a 16-6 run from the Fever and Indiana reduced the deficit to 49-48 with four minutes left in the third quarter. The Aces responded with a 15-5 run to end the game and outscored Indiana, 22-18, in the final quarter. Despite the loss, Indiana outscored Las Vegas in paint points, 40-24, and in the third quarter, 25-23. The Aces (23-13) bench outscored Indiana, 30-11, led by 14 points from Alysha Clark and 12 points from Tiffany Hayes. Clark and Hayes combined for nine rebounds and four assists in the win. Wilson also pulled down 12 rebounds, seven from the first quarter alone, to go along with three blocks and two steals. The only other Aces starter to score in double figures was guard Chelsea Gray’s 11 points and added four assists, two blocks and two steals.
Taylor University Women’s Soccer racks up a school record 17 Goals in a win over Defiance
Taylor racked up the goals and set a new program record on Wednesday night, finding the back of the net 17 times in a commanding victory over Defiance (0-6-0). The 17 goals surpassed the 14 scored in the 2012 season-opener against Virginia Intermont College in the first soccer match in Turner Stadium. A pair of Trojans scored hat tricks off the bench, with Gabriela Gonzales and Faith Sena both scoring a trio of goals in the second half. Gonzales made her presence known right away after coming on after the break, scoring her first goal less than a minute into the action. Sena followed her lead in the 49th minute, scoring on a pass from Lydia Bailey, who tied a program record with three assists in the match. Bailey had company with Audrey Grimm teeing up a trio of goals in the first half. Grimm sent each of her assists to a different Trojan and found the back of the net herself shortly after her final assist of the night.
Taylor took the lead in the second minute of the match on the first goal from Morgan Fletemeyer and continued to pour numbers forward throughout the first half, scoring ten goals before halftime. Eleven players scored for TU, and eight provided at least one assist, with 13 total athletes contributing to a goal in an overwhelming match. Four Trojans scored their first collegiate goal: Gonzales, Sena, Ava Makedos, and Meskerem James, with James providing an assist as well. An astounding six separate Trojans notched a goal and an assist in the match, with Sena, Grimm, and James joined by Maegen Hill, Sydney Thompson, and Leah McQuade. The Trojans fired a mind-boggling 54 shots, with 34 on target in the match in addition to taking 13 corners in a dominant display. Taylor (2-2-2) closes out its non-league schedule with a matchup against undefeated Trinity Christian (2-0-4) on the road on Saturday with kick-off set for 3:00 pm.
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