Indiana University Football 5-0 for the first time since 1967 with a 42-28 win over Maryland The Indiana Hoosiers are 5-0 for the first time since 1967 with a 42-28 win over the Maryland Terrapins Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium before an announced crowd of 48,323 and even though the weather played a factor with the remnants of Hurricane Helene hanging around Indiana the crowd hung around and was treated to a 28-point second half performance from the Hoosiers who should be in the top 25 when the latest poll is released. Head Coach Curt Cignetti is 5-0 as the Hoosier Head Coach and when the Hoosiers travel to Northwestern Next Saturday afternoon they have a chance to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2020. Maryland is 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten and the Hoosiers snap a three-game losing to skid to the Terrapins and Indiana leads the all-time series 8-5. Cignetti sent an email to the students before the game Friday asking them to show up and not leave early and be there until the clock hits zero. “Step in the right direction, but let’s sell it out. I thought it was good, but let’s make it great” Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti said after the game. Indiana has struggled with attendance for a long time and the weather did not help but if results keep going in the right direction there will be a packed Memorial Stadium and not because Michigan and Ohio State are playing, and their fans buy the tickets.
Kurtis Rourke got off to a rocky start throwing two interceptions during the first three possessions of the game. He bounced back and showed the poise and confidence going 22-33 for 359 yards and 3 touchdown passes. Rourke was sacked 3 times and fumbled the ball as the Hoosiers had 4 turnovers. Coming into the game Indiana along with Georgia and Louisville did not have offensive turnover. Elijah Sarratt caught 7 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown, Omar Cooper Jr had 4 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown along with 12-yard touchdown reception for Donaven McCulley. Rourke found 10 different targets on the day and the Hoosiers have scored 244 points through the first five games this season and this is the first time since 2000 that IU had scored 30 or more points in five straight games and they went 2-3 in that stretch. The Hoosiers’ running game was strong with 42 carries 151 yards and 3 touchdowns from Justice Ellison, Ty Son Lawton and Myles Price. The Hoosiers finished 510 yards of offense, 28 First downs, 7-13 on third down conversions. Indiana controlled the ball for 30 minutes and 38 seconds and had 4 penalties for 38 yards. Cignetti was not pleased with the turnovers and had Indiana not committed four of them he thinks the outcome would have been different. “We really could have cleaned their clock (without the turnovers)” Cignetti said after the game.
Maryland Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns completing 26 of his 41 passes. Roman Hemby had 10 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown but the Terrapins were held 112 total rushing yards on 30 carries thanks to Indiana’s defense sacking Edwards 5 times. Maryland did not commit a turnover but finished 401 yards of offense and broke the four-game streak of the Hoosiers defense holding opponents to under 300 yards. Maryland had 19 First downs, 5-15 on third down conversions and 0-3 on fourth downs. Maryland had possession for 29 minutes and 22 seconds but the Terps had 10 penalties for 93 yards and half of those called on Center Aliou Bah who had two snap infractions, holding penalties and a personal foul penalty. Kaiden Prather had 5 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown, Hemby was 5 for 48 with a touchdown and Dylan Wade had 3 catches for 15 yards and a touchdown. Billy Edwards Jr found eight different targets as Maryland’s top receiver Tai Felton had 5 catches for 38 yards and did not find the endzone.
After a scoreless first quarter Indiana scored first and never trailed in the game even though Maryland tied three different times. The Hoosiers led 14-7 going into the locker room when Rourke found Omar Cooper Jr on a 28-yard touchdown pass with 37 seconds left. Maryland tied 21-21 with 7:21 left in the third quarter when Roman Hemby ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage after Indiana had scored on the possession before. Indiana responded at the end of third quarter when Rourke found Elijah Sarratt on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds left in the third quarter. To make it 28-21. The Hoosiers made it 42-21 before Maryland scored with 2:55 left in the game when Edwards Jr found Hemby on a 12-yard touchdown pass.
The Indiana defense gave up 28 points which is the most allowed in a single game all season, but the Hoosiers have allowed 65 points in 5 games which 13 points per game and the offense is averaging 48.4 points per game. This is just the third time that Hoosiers have started a season 5-0 in 1910 the Hoosiers were 5-0 before losing to Illinois 3-0 on November 5 at Jordan Field to finish that season 6-1. In 1967 Indiana started 8-0 before losing at Minnesota 33-7 on November 18 before beating Purdue 19-14 the following week to send the Hoosiers to the Rose Bowl and fell to USC 14-3 on New Years Day 1968 to finish 9-2. The Hoosiers are trending in the right direction and continue to make noise not only in the Big Ten but around the nation are taking notice of this team who has struggled for years but with a new coach with that has shown that he can change programs around and his players and staff beveling that they can accomplish big things at Indiana University. The Curt Cignetti era at Indiana University has just begun but the future looks very bright.
Indiana University Women’s Soccer Defeats Big Ten Newcomer Oregon for its First Conference Win of the Season Indiana (6-3-1, 1-3 B1G) picked up their first conference win against Oregon (5-6-0, 1-3-0) Thursday evening at Pape Field, in a historic first-time meeting between the two schools. The Hoosiers led a balanced and calm offense to start off against Oregon, defending the goal against two shots on goal from the Ducks. In the 22nd minute off a free kick from freshman forward Layla Sirdah, arching in front of the net giving the header opportunity to graduate defender Avery Snead to knock in the first goal of the night and put IU up, 1-0. In the 40th minute senior midfielder Sydney Masur gave a strategic assist inside the box to Sophomore midfielder Elle Britt who was able to find the back of the net, giving Indiana the 2-0 lead to end the first half.
Oregon’s lone goal came quickly in the second half off a penalty kick in the 49th minute. Sirdah broke away from Oregon defenders in the 67th minute, charging down the field to score one-on-one against Oregon goalie Maddy Goldberg pushing the lead to 3-1. Indiana’s defense remained a wall for the final part of the game, holding Oregon’s offense to just one shot on goal following Sirdah’s goal. IU takes the first win in the all-time series against Oregon and its first win in Big Ten play in 2024. The Hoosiers dominated on offense, taking 22 shots, led by Britt with seven. All three Indiana goals were assisted, with Masur, Sirdah and Maggie Ledwith all credited with assists in the effort. The IU defense allowed just one shot on goal for the evening and five shots total in the win. They finished the night with 22 shots, six shots on goal and six corners.
Indiana University Men’s Soccer salvages a 2-2 Draw at #4 Ohio State Both Indiana men’s soccer (2-3-4, 1-1-1 B1G) and No. 4-ranked Ohio State (7-0-2, 2-0-1 B1G) could be compared to the rain Friday Night at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio: relentless, The undefeated Buckeyes with their 21 shots, the Hoosiers refusing to return home without a result – In the end, IU earned a point in the 2-2 tie thanks to Tommy Mihalic’s 80th-minute equalizer. Indiana came back from one-goal deficits twice in the match as senior forwards Samuel Sarver and Mihalic returned to the scoresheet. Senior goalkeeper JT Harms made six saves in the contest, and sophomore defender Alex Barger cleared a chance off the goal line in the 88th minute as IU held defensively.
In the 32nd minute OSU opened the scoring as senior midfielder Michael Adedokun cut in from the left wing, faked a shot and then finished at the near post. Nine minutes later Senior midfielder Patrick McDonald won a challenge in the midfield and quickly found Sarver on the right wing to start the break. Sarver found space and fired a low, searing shot past the diving keeper and into the far post. Six Minutes into the second half Graduate defender Siggi Magnusson gave OSU the lead again, heading home a cross just before Harms could get his fists to it. In the 80th minute Indiana stacked three corners on top of each other and finally converted the third. The initial cross leaked through the crowd and found its way to Sarver at the top of the box. Sarver took a shot that was deflected to Mihalic, and the senior pushed the rebound into the back of the net. Eight minutes later Indiana made two saves to hold the result in the final four minutes. Junior midfielder Luciano Pechota gained the ball in midfield, strode towards the box and fired a rocket towards goal, but Harms leaped to push the ball over the bar. Moments later, on a corner, the ball was headed to the near post before Barger stuck his leg out and directed it away from goal. Indiana snapped Ohio State’s seven-game winning streak and is the first team to score on the Buckeyes since Sept. 8. IU moved to 48-6-5 in the all-time series with Ohio State. Mihalic scored his fifth goal of the season. The senior has six G/A in nine games this season. Sarver tallied his second goal and third assist of the year. Big Ten play rolls on as Indiana travels to face No. 8-ranked Wisconsin Tomorrow night in Madison.
Bloomington South and Bloomington North win while Edgewood falls in Week 6 The remnants of Hurricane Helene hit Indiana on Friday and forced many High School Football games to be postponed and pushed back to Saturday. All Three Monroe County Teams played on Saturday with Bloomington South at Southport starting at 10am, New Albany at Bloomington North at 1pm and Indian Creek at 3pm. Bloomington South beat Southport 41-0, Bloomington North beat New Albany 52-7 and Indian Creek beat Edgewood 43-14 in Week 6 of High School Football.
Bloomington South gets their first shutout win since October 13, 2023, when they beat Seymour 47-0 at Bloomington South. The Panthers are 4-2 overall and 3-1 in Conference Indiana and will host 5-1 Columbus North on Friday Night. Bloomington South has outscored its opponents 190-132 and averages 31.7 points on offense and gives up 22 points on defense. Southport falls to 0-6 on the season and 0-2 in Conference Indiana. Bloomington North is on a five-game winning streak after dropping the season opener at Mooresville by three points. The Cougars have won all five games by 10 or more points and average 36.7 points on offense and give up 15.7 on defense. Bloomington North led 31-7 and shutout New Albany in the second half outscoring the Bulldogs 21-0. Bloomington North will hit the road Friday to battle 4-2 Columbus East. New Albany is 3-3 on the season and has dropped two in a row.
Edgewood lost to Indian Creek on the red carpet in Ellettsville as Mustangs are 2-4 on the season while Indian Creek improves to 2-4. Indian Creek led 19-0 after the first quarter and led 33-0 with 5:17 left before halftime. Edgewood got on the board when Sam Lawson picked up the ball on the Braxton Carpenter Kickoff and raced 70 yards for the touchdown to make it 33-7 with 4:59 left in the second quarter and the teams hit the locker room with that scoreline. Indian Creek scored a touchdown and field goal in the 3rd quarter to kick in the running clock up 43-7. Edgewood scored with 10:45 left when Michael Law found Noah Cosby on a 67-yard touchdown pass. Edgewood travels to 2-4 Sullivan on Friday.
Indiana University Volleyball drops a pair of road games against Washington and Oregon A collection of unforced errors and a tough night defensively was costly in the Big Ten opener on Friday night at the Alaska Airlines Arena on the campus of the University of Washington. The Hoosiers (7-4, 0-1 B1G) were blocked 10 times and committed 11 unforced attacking errors, falling to conference newcomers (RV) Washington in straight sets (25-18, 25-20, 25-18). IU got progressively better over the course of the match but was hurt by six-plus errors in each of the three sets. Sophomore middle blocker Ava Vickers was a highlight offensively, recording 10 kills on 18 errorless swings (.556, 10-0-18). Junior opposite hitter Avry Tatum also had 10 kills but was held to a .087 hitting percentage (10-8-23). Senior setter Camryn Haworth had 32 assists and seven digs. Sophomore libero Ramsey Gary helped anchor the back line with 16 digs in just three sets. Junior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles was the recipient of several tips, recording 11 kills. IU managed just one block, its lowest output in the category since a loss to Wisconsin last year (Nov. 19, 2023). Washington was efficient offensively throughout the evening, committing just seven attacking errors while hitting .337 (41 kills). Opposite hitter Emoni Bush had a match-high 11 kills (.310, 11-2-29).
A night after being swept by Washington, the Indiana Volleyball team (7-5. 0-2 B1G) played its most competitive road match of the year. The Hoosiers pushed No. 11 Oregon (10-1, 2-0 B1G) to the brink but fell in a tight four-set contest at Matthew Knight Arena. IU gave everything it had in the first two sets but fell victim to a pair of deuce games in Eugene. With its backs against the wall, the Hoosiers rattled off a big comeback to win set three. Head coach tev Aird’s team couldn’t quite muster the same resilience in game four as it fell to the No. 11 Ducks (24-26, 25-27, 25-21, 21-25). The Hoosiers were prolific defensively, keeping rallies alive with 61 digs in four sets. Graduate student defensive specialist Delaynie Maple had the best game of her indoor career with 15 digs and three aces. Sophomore libero Ramsey Gary dug 18 balls. Senior setter Camryn Haworth was her typical self, providing all-around numbers to keep IU in the match. She dished out 44 assists (11.0 per set) and racked up 11 digs, two blocks and a season-high five aces. Junior opposite hitter Avry Tatum did her best to take over the match, tallying 10 kills in game three alone. Those 10 kills were part of a 24-kill effort, the most in any four-set match of her career. Her output in Eugene was the second 20-kill match of her campaign. IU ends the road trip out west without a win but with answers to some defensive questions. The Hoosiers open their home slate in the Big Ten on Friday with a visit from Michigan State. Ohio State will come to Bloomington on Sunday.