#8 Indiana University Football holds off Michigan for its ever 10 Win Season in Program History The #8 Indiana Hoosiers had to battle for 60 minutes and held off the Michigan Wolverines 20-15 at a sold-out Memorial Stadium Saturday Afternoon to improve to 10-0 on the season and 7-0 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have never won 10 games in a season, or 7 Big Ten Wins in a season. Curt Cignetti is 10-0 and started 10-0 at James Madison a season ago before they dropped its only regular season game at home against Appalachian State. Indiana saw its 9-game streak of winning every game by double digits and scoring 31 or more points in every game snapped but the Hoosiers beat Michigan for just the third time since 1987 and all in Bloomington and last won in 2020 was only played in front of families due to the COVID-19 Pandemic so having a sold-out Memorial Stadium crowd that was loud from start to finish was huge and played a major factor in this game.
Michigan jumped out a 3-0 lead when Dominic Zvada hit a 39-yard field goal with 5:01 left in the first quarter and Indiana trailed for the second time this season after trailing 10-0 after the first quarter at Michigan State last week. Indiana responded with Kurtis Rourke finding Omar Cooper Jr. on a seven-yard touchdown pass with 1:17 left in the first quarter to make it 7-3. Rourke threw his second touchdown pass of the game with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt with 12:10 left in the second quarter to make it 14-3 Indiana. Rourke becomes the sixth player in IU History to throw 20 or more touchdowns on the season and tied with Nate Sudfeld who threw 21 in 2013 and is within striking distance of Kellen Lewis who set the single season record with 28 passing touchdowns in 2007. Indiana forced a Michigan fumble by Terry Jones Jr. and recovered by Mikhail Kamara that gave the Hoosiers the ball back and led to a 40-yard field goal by Nicolas Radicic with 2:20 left to play in the second quarter. Indiana went into the locker room up 17-3 at halftime and 228 yards of offense compared to 94 for Michigan in the first half. Both teams struggled in the running game as Indiana outgained Michigan 38-11. The Hoosiers lost defensive back Jamier Johnson to a targeting call late in the second quarter.
In the third quarter Indiana was backed up deep in their own territory as Kurtis Rourke was picked off by Zeke Berry but the Hoosier defense stood their ground and held the Wolverines to a 22-yard field goal by Dominic Zvada for his second of the game to make it 17-6 with 8:41 left in the third quarter. Zvada hit his third field goal of the game with 8 seconds left in the third quarter as he connected from 56 yards to make 17-9 Indiana going into the fourth quarter with Indiana only having 7 yards of offense all on the ground and did not have any passing yards as Rourke was held 0-4 in the third quarter and being held scoreless for the first time all season in the third quarter. Michigan had 66 yards of offense in the third quarter going 4-5 for 28 yards passing and 14 carries for 38 yards.
Michigan got within two points when Kalel Mullings scored a one-yard touchdown with 9:35 left in the fourth quarter but missed the two-point conversion as Davis Warren overthrew the receiver in the end zone as the Hoosiers led 17-15. Michigan had to punt on its next possession and Indiana used a 6 play 16-yard drive using up two minutes and forty-five seconds of clock as Nicolas Radicic kicked a 41-yard field goal with 2:34 left to give the Hoosiers a 20-15 lead. Michigan went for it on fourth down from their own 33-yard line and David Warren threw a 9-yard pass Peyton O’Leary and Aiden Fisher made the first down saving tackle as O’Leary was short of the first down marker and turned it over on downs. Indiana kept the ball on the ground and Kurtis Rourke ran the ball 9 yards and slid for the first down with 51 seconds left giving the Hoosiers a fresh set of downs and the Hoosiers lined up in victory formation twice and Indiana continues to make history and the sent the sold-out Memorial Stadium crowd home happy but their double-digit streak ends as well as scoring less than 31 points for the first time this season. The Hoosier defense held its ground forcing the Wolverines to punt 5 times, a fumble and turnover on downs. The Wolverines are 5-5 and 3-4 overall in the Big Ten and have Northwestern at home and travel to Ohio State to close out the regular season. Davis Warren finished 16-32 passing for 137 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions as 7 different players caught the ball and Colston Loveland led the way with 4 catches for 37 yards. Michigan ran the ball 34 times for 69 yards and one touchdown as Donovan Edwards had 15 carries for 46 yards.
Kurtis Rourke finished 17-28 passing for 206 yards and 2 touchdown passes and interception. Ke’Shawn Williams had 6 catches for 70 yards as the Hoosiers used seven different receivers. Ty’ Son Lawton rushed 12 times for 55 yards and Justice Ellison 9 times for 17 yards as Indiana ran the ball 28 times for 40 yards because Rourke had 5 carries for -28 yards. Indiana will travel to Ohio State in two weeks in game that will go a long way in deciding the Big Ten Championship race and then the regular season hosting Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket in three weeks.
Down by one point at Half #17 Indiana uses a 54-18 Second Half run to put away Eastern Illinois The #17 Indiana Hoosiers were down 37-36 at halftime and outscored the Eastern Illinois Panthers 54-18 in the second half to win 90-55 Sunday Afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Indiana is 2-0 on the season and will host the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday Afternoon at 3 pm. Eastern Illinois is 1-2 on the season after losing the season opener at Illinois 112-67 and beating Earlham College from Richmond Indiana 97-61. This was the third all-time meeting between to the two teams as Indiana has won all-three meetings and improve to 27-0 all-time against current teams from the Ohio Valley Conference and 2-0 this season after taking down Southern Illinois Edwardsville in the season opener. Indiana beat Eastern Illinois 94-55 in the First Round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament in Boise, Idaho on March 19, and 88-49 on November 13, 2015, in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Mackenzie Mgbako led the Hoosiers for the second game in a row with 18 points after scoring a career high 31 points against SIU-Edwardsville in the season opener. “He’s really starting to extend his game a little bit. … It’s just nice to see his growth heading in the right direction. We just gotta keep him there.” Indiana Head Coach Mike Woodson said of Mackenzie Mgbako. Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo scored 17 points apiece and Ballo pulled down 9 rebounds. Freshman Bryson Tucker added 12 points off the bench. The Hoosiers finished 31-62 from the field for 61%, 6-18 from three-point range for 33% and 8-12 from the free throw line for 66%. Indiana pulled down 38 rebounds, dished out 26 assists, 11 steals, 6 blocks, 56 points in the paint, 27 bench points and committed 12 turnovers.
Senior Nakyel Shelton led the Panthers with 17 points, Zion Fruster added 13 points and Artese Stapleton added 12 points. Eastern Illinois finished 21-57 from the field for 36%, 7-20 from three-point range for 35% and 6-9 from the free throw line for 66%. The Panthers pulled down 26 rebounds, dished out 8 assists, 8 steals, 24 points in the paint, 5 points off the bench and committed 17 turnovers. Eastern Illinois did not score for the final four minutes and 14 seconds. Sellersburg Indiana native Kooper Jacobi scored 8 points. Jacobi played at Sliver Creek High School and started his career at Toledo before transferring to Eastern Illinois. Jacobi went 4-8 from the field and pulled down 6 rebounds. Senior Sekou Kalle who is from Sellersburg as well but played at DeSales High School in Louisville, Kentucky and started his career at the University of Evansville scored 2 points in 14 minutes. Eastern Illinois is coached by Marty Simmons who played for Bob Knight at IU from 1983-85 before transferring to the University of Evansville from 1986-88. Simmons has coached at Wartburg in Iowa, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Evansville and Eastern Illinois and has an overall record of 311-316.
The game featured 6 ties and 7 lead changes. Malik Reneau and Bryson Tucker talked about how no one expected Eastern Illinois to come out and shoot the ball well and go into the locker room with the halftime lead. “Nobody wants to be down at halftime” Freshman Bryson Tucker said after the game. “We came out with a whole new level of intensity. Malik Reneau said, “We did not expect to Eastern Illinois to come out and shoot the ball the way they did in the first half.” Indiana Head Coach Mike Woodson was asked after the game what said during at the half. “I am not going to say “Woodson said, and he was displeased with the defensive effort in the first half “I thought we were still in the bed asleep. It was awful.” Woodson added. The Hoosiers woke up and dominated the second half outscoring the Panthers 54-18. It’s Indiana’s first 20-plus point win in 57 games since Elon on December 20, 2022. The Hoosiers didn’t have a win by more than 20 points last season. It’s also Indiana’s first 30-plus point win in 63 games when they beat Jackson State on November 25, 2022.
Bloomington South wins their Fourth Sectional Football Championship beating Bloomington North 27-3 The Bloomington South Panthers beat the Bloomington North Cougars 27-3 Friday Night at Dennis O Martin Memorial Field on the Northside of Bloomington to win the Class 5A Sectional 15 Football Championship. It’s the Panthers fourth straight Sectional title and 19th overall. For Bloomington North it’s the fourth straight season that their season has ended by their crosstown rival. Bloomington South will host Castle Next Friday Night at 7:30 PM for the Regional Championship as Castle beat Evansville North 31-24 to win their 15th Sectional Title in program history.
The game was scoreless after the first quarter and Bloomington South struck first as Braylen Townsend scored on a 1-yard rushing touchdown with 8:06 left in the second quarter to make it 6-0 as the extra point was blocked. Joe Luther kicked a 26-yard field goal with 0.5 seconds left in the second quarter to make it 6-3 Panthers at halftime. The Cougars had 126 yards of offense in the first half with 102 of those yards on the ground and Bloomington South had 108 total yards.
In the second half Bloomington South took over as Braylen Townsend scored his second touchdown of the night with a 33-yard touchdown run as the Panthers were facing a 4th and 1 and went up 13-3 with 3:51 left in the 3rd quarter. The Panthers defense came up big when Ian Quick scooped up the fumble and ran it back 53 yards to make it 20-3 with 2:03 left in the third quarter. Bloomington South added a Duncan Combs a 9-yard touchdown run with 7:24 left in the fourth quarter to lift the sectional title for the fourth year in a row and the 10th time in 11 years as they improve to 7-4 on the season and the Cougars finish the season 8-3.
Braylen Townsend finished with 178 yards and 2 touchdowns on 31 carries as the Panthers ran the ball 52 times for 231 yards. Duncan Combs was 5-10 passing for 62 yards with 1 interception and had a rushing touchdown. The Panthers had 5 penalties for 45 yards. Bloomington North ran the ball 42 times for 178 yards. Luke Freel was 9-16 for 104 yards passing with 2 interceptions. Bloomington South leads the all-time series 50-16 and 11-2 in sectional matchups.
Indiana University Field Hockey falls in overtime to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals It was a battle from start to finish as No. 6 Indiana fell just short to No. 3 Michigan, 2-1, in overtime of the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday night at Maryland. With the loss, the Hoosiers have been eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan got on the board early in the first period when Kate McLaughlin scored in the 12th. After going nearly, the whole fourth quarter without a penalty corner, Indiana drew a one with 1:21 left in regulation. Sydney Keld would tie the game with a rocket of a shot in the circle on the penalty corner play. She was assisted by Lara Mortz and Inés Garcia Prado. Indiana’s defense fended off Michigan for much of the overtime period, with Sadie Canelli making three saves on five Michigan shots. Michigan’s Esmee de Willigen scored the game-winning goal in the 69th minute. Sadie Canelli had five saves in the game. Indiana outdrew Michigan on penalty corners, 7-6. Four of Indiana’s seven shots were on goal. Sofia Arrebola Garica and Inés Garcia Prado led the Hoosiers with two shots each. From here, IU will await to learn its postseason fate. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is on Sunday, November 10 at 10 pm.
Cailtin Clark to Join David Letterman for a Conversation at Ball State University on December 2nd Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark will be joining David Letterman for a conversation at Ball State University. Letterman will interview Clark on campus at Emens Auditorium on Monday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. This is part of the David Letterman Distinguished Professional Lecture and Workshop Series, which was established by the university in 2008. “David Letterman is our university’s most famous graduate. He is a native Hoosier and a national icon, and Caitlin Clark has quickly become a beloved Hoosier and national star,” said Ball State University President Geoffrey Mearns. “I anticipate their conversation will be very special. On behalf of Ball State, we are honored to host them.
Clark was named 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year following a historic first season with the Fever. She ended her first year in the WNBA setting multiple records, including most points scored (769), most assists (337) and most 3-pointers (122). Her assists were also a WNBA single-season record. Clark helped lead the Fever to a 20-20 record and the team’s first playoff appearance since 2016. Letterman is the former host of “Late Night with David Letterman,” which he hosted from 1982-1993 and “The Late Show with David Letterman,” which he hosted from 1993 until his retirement in 2015. University officials said he has generously given back to Ball State over the years, most notably through his lecture series. Previous guests of the series include Oprah Winfrey, Rachel Maddow and Biz Stone. Ticket information for his conversation with Clark will be announced at a later date.
Records Fall as Taylor University Football Scores 91 in Trouncing of Madonna Taylor scored a historic win on Saturday at Madonna, setting a new Taylor University and Mid-States Football Association single-game scoring record for points scored in a 91-28 rout of the host Crusaders. The win was also Taylor’s eighth of the year, making the 2024 squad just the fourth in TU program history to reach eight victories in a season. TU’s eight wins are the most since a program-best 10 victories in 1999 and match the 1998 and 1988 teams for the second-highest win total in program history. Taylor also set a school and MSFA single-game record with 13 touchdowns in the romp, scoring 70-unanswered points over a 35:20 stretch of game action. The outburst turned a 14-6 lead with 5:04 left in the first into an 84-6 laugher by the 14:44 mark of the fourth. MU (0-10, 0-4 MSFA) rallied for three touchdowns in the final quarter to snap the extended run from the Trojans and cut TU’s final margin of victory to 63 points.
TU dominated in all phases of the game, averaging 11.3 yards per snap en route to 576 total yards of offense. The Trojans picked up 191 yards through the air and 385 on the ground, ripping off 9.6 yards per carry. Taylor also racked up 238 return yards between special teams and defense, while adding four defensive takeaways and six sacks. Damon Hockett got things going with a five-for-five showing for 119 yards and three passing touchdowns from under-center, while Dakohta Sonnichsen had two carries that each found the end zone and resulted in a total of 114 rushing yards. Sonnichsen also had a 95-yard kickoff return for a score. Jameson Chesser found the end zone two more times for the Trojans, making a little history of his own along the way. Chesser carried the ball 10 times for 95 yards and surpassed 1,000 rushing yards on the season to become the sixth player in TU program history to rush for 1,000 in a season and the first since 2008. Kyle Turanchick shared the load with Chesser, taking the ball for 12 carries and 79 yards, with two rushing touchdowns, while Luke Etchison hauled in two passes for 68 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown reception. Yet another record fell in the contest as Lucas Shilts went 13-for-13 in point-after attempts, marking the most PATs made in a single game in MSFA history.
On the defensive side of the ball, Jeremiah Mansfield continued tormenting opposing quarterbacks, picking up three more sacks to move into the top spot in the NAIA with 12 sacks on the season. In addition to his three sacks, Mansfield posted seven total tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Aven Jones added his ninth double-figure tackling outing of the season, finishing with 10 to maintain a healthy lead on the top total in the NAIA with 121. Jones also picked up one sack to go with the 10 stops. Joining Jones and Mansfield in getting a sack were RJ Veldman and Parker Whitby, while Jacob Hockett and Wade Jones intercepted a pass, with Jones returning his 74 yards for a pick-six. Taylor (8-2, 3-1 MSFA) will close its regular season on Saturday, November 16 with a home clash against Concordia (5-5, 3-1 MSFA) with sole possession of second place in the MSFA Mideast League and a possible share of the league title on the line. Kickoff inside Turner Stadium is set for noon, with a Senior Day ceremony beginning at 11:40 am.