Indiana University Football looks to go 5-0 for the First Time Since 1967 Hosting Maryland The Indiana Hoosiers will look for their first 5-0 start since 1967 when the welcome the Maryland Terrapins to Memorial Stadium Saturday after for a noon kickoff on the Big Ten Network. The Big Ten Network Tailgate show will be on the Westside of Assembly Hall from 10 am-Noon before the game and fans can be a part of it with prizes and special guests before a huge Conference Matchup. Indiana leads the All-Time Series 7-5, and this will be the 11th consecutive meeting dating back to when Maryland joined the Big Ten in 2014 with both teams splitting the Big Ten matchups 5-5 as the Hoosiers beat Maryland in non-conference matchups in 1934 and 1935. Indiana won three straight from 2018-20 and Maryland has won the last three meetings including a 44-17 win in College Park a season ago. This will be the sixth trip to Bloomington for the Terrapins since 2014 and Maryland has won twice in Bloomington in 2014 and 2022.
Indiana has started the season 5-0 only twice in program history in 1910 and 1967. In 1910 the Hoosiers went 6-1 and 1967 Indiana went 9-1 before losing to the USC in the Rose Bowl to finish 9-2. Curt Cignetti is the first IU Coach to ever start 4-0 in his debut season, but he started 4-0 the last three seasons at James Madison and for 6 coaches and 13 players he brought with him to Indiana this is nothing new. ” We are used to being successful, this staff that I brought in, the players that are here” Cignetti Said in Media Availability this week. The Hoosiers have scored a School Record and FBS best 202 points through the first four games and have given up 37 points all season and a 3-1 Maryland team in town he expects nothing less from his team. “Success leads to confidence which leads to success” Cignetti Said. “They go hand in hand. But you still have to put the work in during the week because everything we do isn’t fun”.
The Hoosiers have been incredible in the red zone scoring on 22 of 24 opportunities inside the opponents 20-yard line which includes 20 Touchdowns and 2 Field Goals. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke has completed 71 of his 94 passes for 1,013 yards and 8 touchdowns and no Interceptions. Rourke has been impressive and commanding of the Hoosier Offense and has running attack that has carried the ball 157 teams for 902 yards and 18 touchdowns and has not had fumble which no turnovers through four games for Indiana Football is unheard of. Nicolas Radicic is 2-2 on field goals and 28-28 on extra point attempts. Justice Ellison leads the Running Backs with 290 yards and 4 touchdowns along 5 touchdowns from Ty Son Lawton and 4 from Elijah Green. Elijah Sarratt leads the receivers with 250 yards and a touchdown as Ke’Shawn Williams had caught 3 touchdown passes this season.
On Defense the Hoosiers have held their opponents to less than 300 total years which is the best since at least 1996. Aiden Fisher has 38 total tackles and 1 Sack. Jaylin Walker has 30 total tackles and Shawn Asbury II had 20 tackles. The Hoosier defense has 12 sacks, 4 interceptions, 1 returned for a touchdown, 3 forced fumbles and 5 fumble recoveries. Cignetti believes in his defensive that is led by defensive coordinator Bryant Haines. “We did meet Sunday after the Charlotte victory about a few things defensively, but I have total confidence in him and the defensive staff that they are going to put a great plan together, which gives the best chance of being successful” Cignetti Said. Indiana is giving up 9.3 points per game which is tied for 7th with Army among FBS Programs in fewest points allowed. The teams that are ahead of Indiana are Ole Miss, Texas, Ohio State, Tennessee and Alabama. Iowa State at 9.7 and Norte Dame at 9.9 points a game round out the top ten.
Maryland is 3-1 and their only loss came at home to Michigan State 27-24. Maryland averages 34.8 points on offense while giving up 16.8 on defense. The Terps has a balance offense that runs for 153.3 yards a game and throws for 308.8. Maryland like Indiana has a three headed monster in the backfield with Roman Hemby, Ray Nolan and Colby McDonald who have combined for 493 yards and 4 touchdowns. Tai Felton leads the receivers with 41 catches for 694 yards and 5 touchdowns and ranks in the top 4 or better in each of those categories. Felton has four straight games of 100 receiving yards or better which ties the program record. Felton is coming off a 14 catch 157 yard and touchdown performance against Villanova last week.
Maryland Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr has completed 75 percent of his passes for 1,155 yards, 8 touchdowns and 2 Interceptions. Edwards Jr. Has ran for two touchdowns Edwards completed 28 of his 32 passes for a career high 328 yards and 2 touchdowns against Villanova last week and the 87.5 percent completion percentage was a school record. Cignetti knows how good Edwards is because in Cignetti’s first year at James Madison he targeted Edwards to come play for him but Edwards who started at Wake Forest transferred to Maryland. “He was the guy we targeted; I sat with his dad in my office a couple times” Cignetti said.
Kaiden Prather is another big play receiver for the Terps and has 21 catches for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns. “They are very talented, well coached,” Cignetti Said ” They have a lot of good players, a lot of good athletes. Offensively, they have a dynamic receiving corps, good running backs, a good offensive line. They’re a little young, but big and talented. Cignetti knows that this will be the biggest challenge for the Hoosiers, and he has been focused on Maryland since he arrived in Bloomington. ” I always watch all three phases”, Cignetti said. “I watched all of Maryland’s games. I put a lot of time in the off-season to Maryland ” Cignetti said. Saturday will show if all the time that Coach Cignetti has poured into Maryland has paid off and if it does the excitement that has already showed through the first four games of the season will keep building and it will generate more and more attention to a program who is looking for its first bowl trip since 2020.
Indiana University Women’s Basketball picked to Finish Fifth in Big Ten Preseason Poll Indiana women’s basketball was picked to finish fifth in the annual preseason Big Ten polls, announced by the league on Thursday. The Hoosiers were selected to finish fifth by the media and coaches, the sixth-consecutive season it has been picked to finish in the upper half of the Big Ten. Indiana finished 26-6 overall and 15-3 in the Big Ten, advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the third time in four years. Highlighting the returners will be fifth-year guards Chloe Moore-McNeil and Sydney Parrish along with junior guard Yarden Garzon. Four new faces also join the roster this season in freshmen Sydney Fenn and Faith Wiseman and along with a pair of transfers in Shay Ciezki and Karoline Striplin. Head coach Teri More enters her 11th season at the helm of the program with six NCAA Tournament appearances under her belt including three trips to the Sweet Sixteen. She is the program’s all-time winningest coach with a 226-99 overall record at Indiana. Season tickets for the 2024-25 campaign are still on sale, with reserved and general admission seating available.
Indiana University Volleyball heads West to Face Washington and Oregon A 20-game, 10-week conference grind begins this week in the deepest and most talented volleyball league in the country. The Big Ten begins its conference slate on Wednesday evening with two national television contests. The remaining 14 teams will open play this evening. Four nationally relevant programs from the west coast highlight a new era of Big Ten volleyball. The Indiana Volleyball team (7-3, 0-0 B1G) will get an early welcome to two of those teams as it heads to the Pacific Northwest to play (RV) Washington tonight and #11 Oregon tomorrow. IU finished the non-conference slate with a 7-3 record, capping off the opening four weeks with a 3-1 win over Notre Dame at Wilkinson Hall. The Hoosiers are unblemished at home this year (5-0) and have combined to go 17-6 in the non-conference over the past two seasons. Each of those seasons has featured a win over an ACC program.
Junior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles had an outstanding weekend for IU against Notre Dame. She combined for 31 kills in two matches (4.43 per set) including a season best 17 kills on Friday in South Bend. The Spaniard was efficient in serve receive on Sunday. She was targeted 29 times and committed zero errors. The Hoosiers have enjoyed a great run of form in conference play over the past two seasons. Their 20 combined wins in 2022 and 2023 are the most in consecutive seasons this century. Senior setter Camryn Haworth has started all 40 conference games the last two years, winning half of them. IU played with as much intensity as it has all year in Sunday’s win against the Fighting Irish. The Hoosiers recorded 55 digs (second most this year) and matched a season best mark of 13 total team blocks. IU has blocked 10+ balls in three-consecutive games for the first time since 2021. Tonight’s game in Seattle will be the first trip to the campus of Washington for IU. The two teams played for the first time ever last year in Long Beach, with the Huskies sweeping a tight early-season matchup. IU has never played Oregon in women’s volleyball. Head coach Steve Aird has history in Seattle prior to his time with the Hoosiers. As a first-year head coach, he took his Maryland program to Seattle in 2014 to face No. 5 Washington. He also won a national title in Seattle with Penn State in 2013 against Wisconsin.
Bloomington North and Edgewood Home as Bloomington South hits the Road for Week 6 of High School Football Week 6 of High School Football has the New Albany Bulldogs coming to Bloomington North to take on the Cougars and the Indian Creek Braves will invade the Red Carpet in Ellettsville to take on the Edgewood Mustangs while the Bloomington South Panthers travel to the Southside of Indianapolis to take on the Southport Cardinals as all three games will kick off at 7pm tonight.
Bloomington North is on a four-game winning streak and steps out of Conference Indiana the next two games. The Cougars are 4-1 and 3-0 in Conference Indiana after a 24-14 road win at Terre Haute North last week. Bloomington North is averaging 33.6 points per game and giving up 17.4 on defense outscoring their opponents 168-87. New Albany comes to Bloomington with a 3-2 record after a 43-17 loss at home to Columbus East last week. The Bulldogs are averaging 21.2 points on offense and giving up 25.4 points on defense and been outscored by their opponents 127-106. Head Coach Steve Cooley is 36-41 in his 8th season and 158-156 in 30 seasons overall. Bloomington North has won the last five matchups with the Bulldogs dating back to 2018.
Edgewood is looking to bounce back after a 49-0 loss at South Putnam last week. The Mustangs are 2-3 on the season and have been outscored 113-3 in their losses and outscored the opponent 81-15 in their two wins this season. Indian Creek is 1-4 on the season after a 17-14 overtime loss at Greencastle last week. The Braves are averaging 24.2 points on offense and giving up the same on defense have scored 121 points and given up 121 this season. Max Goodin is in his first year in charge of Indian Creek and the Braves have not lost to Edgewood since the two teams began playing in the regular season in 2016.
Bloomington South is 3-2 and 2-1 in Conference Indiana after 36-34 win over Terre Haute South at home last week. Gabe Johnson’s Panthers are averaging 29.8 points on offense and giving up 26.4 points on defense outscoring their opponents 149-132. Southport is 0-5 on the season and 0-1 in Conference Indiana. The Cardinals are coming off a 44-34 loss at Heritage Christian last week and have been outscored 221-75. 4th year Head Coach Alex Bettag has only two games with Southport both coming last season after his first two seasons finished 0-10. Bloomington South has won the last three meetings, and a Southport would be the first since September 25, 2020, when the Cardinals beat the Panthers 40-14 at home.
Bloomington South and Edgewood’s Boston Chambers head to Franklin for the Girls Golf Regional Saturday The Bloomington South Panthers and Edgewood’s Boston Chambers will head to the Legends Golf Course in Franklin on Saturday Morning as Franklin Community High School host the IHSAA Girls Golf Regional starting at 8:30am. The Panthers finished second in Monday’s Bloomington North Sectional at Cascades Golf Course and Chambers finished third as an individual qualifier not on an advancing team to book her ticket to the Regional. The top three teams and the top three individuals that are not on advancing team will advance to the State Finals. Bloomington South will be joined by Martinsville, Columbus North, Batesville, East Central, Greensburg, Franklin, Center Grove, Southport, Floyd Central, Corydon Central, New Albany, Madison, Switzerland County and Scottsburg. Chambers will be joined by Lilly Van Ness of Brown County and Grace LeSell of Columbus East who advanced out of the Sectional on Monday at Cascades. Annie Hoff and Audrey Mears represent Franklin County, Riley Everrette of Shelbyville, Lilly Goeway of Franklin Central along with Roncalli’s Ava Wenzel and Izzy Huxley. Selby Peirce and Sofie White of Borden along with Lyric Hertweck of Providence. Lilly Fox of Southwestern Hanover, Teegan Thomas of Charlestown and Katherine Oden of Jennings County are the individuals competing in the Regional.
Indiana Fever’s 2024 Season comes to close with a Game 2 Playoff Loss at the Connecticut Sun The 2024 season came to a close for the Indiana Fever on Wednesday night in Game 2 of its first-round postseason series against the Connecticut Sun following a narrow, 87-81, loss at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Fever battled from an 11-point deficit to take the lead, 77-75, late in the fourth quarter, but Connecticut closed the door with a 12-4 run to decide the series. Three Fever players scored in double figures in the loss, led by rookie guard Caitlin Clark tying the most points ever scored by a rookie in any Game 2 of a playoff series with a game-high 25 points, per Elias Sports Bureau. Clark also ended with nine assists, six rebounds, one block and one steal. Fever center Aliyah Boston tallied 16 points on 7-of-12 field goal shooting, a career-best 19 rebounds, 11 of which came from the first half, three assists, two blocks and one steal. Boston’s 11 rebounds in the first half tied the franchise record for the most rebounds in a half in a playoff game. Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell followed with 17 points, three rebounds and three assists. Fever forward Temi Fagbenle earned her first career postseason start on Wednesday and nearly ended with a double-double, notching nine points, nine rebounds, three assists and one steal. In her second career postseason start, guard Lexie Hull finished with eight points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Former Indiana University star Grace Berger did not play.
Clark opened the night with a made 3-point field goal as Indiana went on a 14-6 run for more than six minutes in the first quarter and limited Connecticut to only 1-of-13 field goal shooting to begin the game. Indiana trailed by as much as 10 in the second quarter, but only trailed, 41-34, at halftime. Indiana went on a quick 7-0 run to open the second half and a made layup by Boston evened the score, 41-41. The Fever took a brief lead, 48-47, with five minutes left in the third quarter, but another Connecticut run to close the interval gave the Sun a 61-52 lead going into the last quarter. Indiana went on a 14-5 run and held a 77-75 lead with two minutes remaining in the game before Connecticut ultimately sealed the victory. Indiana outscored Connecticut in paint points, 48-40, fast break points, 19-9, and outrebounded the Sun, 43-29.
Connecticut’s win on Wednesday advances the Sun to the semifinal round and awaits the winner of the first round series between the Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury. Five Sun players scored in double figures on Wednesday, led by forward Alyssa Thomas’s 19-point, 13-assist double-double. Thomas owns the record for the most point and assist double-doubles in WNBA playoff history. Sun guard Marina Mabrey got her first postseason start with Connecticut on Wednesday in place of Tyasha Harris, who suffered an ankle injury in Game 1. Mabrey finished with 17 points, six assists, four of which came from the third quarter, two rebounds and two blocks. Sun forward DeWanna Bonner played her 82nd playoff game on Wednesday, tying her with Lindsay Whalen for first place on the WNBA’s all-time postseason games played list. Bonner capped her night with 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals, to pass Teresa Weatherspoon for 11th on the WNBA all-time playoffs assists list with 187. The Sun outscored the Fever in bench points, 18-6, aided by guard Veronica Burton’s 10 points.