“Thanks Jake, I’m so excited”: State Farm releases new commercial with Curt Cignetti Just ahead of the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, IU football coach Curt Cignetti was asked about an article in which a former player said he’s never happy. “I mean, there’s a lot of times I am happy, I just don’t show I’m happy,” Cignetti responded. “If I’m going to ask my players to go play one to play 150 the same regardless of the competitive circumstances, then I can’t be seen on the sideline, right, high-fiving people and celebrating or what’s going to happen? What’s the effect going to be, right?” That response appears to have been the inspiration for a new State Farm commercial you’ll likely see plenty this fall during college football season. Interacting with Jake from State Farm, Cignetti’s stoic demeanor is highlighted as he learns about the company’s personal price plan. “Thanks Jake, I’m so excited. I can’t stop smiling about it,” a straight-faced Cignetti says in the spot. Shot in July and staged at his fictional home, Cignetti is seen on a motorcycle, an elliptical machine, and gardening, all with his hands on his hips, never changing his expression. It’s as if his Hoosiers are beating Purdue 52-0 in the fourth quarter, and the third string offense just had a pre-snap penalty.
Easton Bogard’s Banger Rescues Indiana University Men’s Soccer’s Result in Louisville Indiana men’s soccer (3-0-1, 0-0-0 B1G) remains unbeaten thanks to an Easton Bogard equalizing strike, as the Hoosiers drew with Louisville (3-0-1, 0-0-0 ACC), 1-1, Monday night at the Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Family Stadium. IU still has not conceded from open play this season, as a 58th-minute curling free kick was the lone Louisville chance that beat Indiana goalkeeper Michal Mroz Monday night. Easton Bogard responded with a splendid strike of his own, curling to the top corner from outside the box. The first half was a chess match with few dangerous chances, and the Cardinals held a 4-1 shots advantage going into the break. In the 58th minute the home team won a free kick about 25 yards out and took advantage. Andrés Escudero bended his right-footed shot to the top left corner just out of Mroz’s reach and gave UofL the advantage 1-0. Moments after the restart, the referee pointed to the spot at the other end after Clay Murador went down in the box. However, VAR overturned the call and took away the Indiana chance. In the 67th minute Indiana and Bogard came back with their own “moment of brilliance,” as the forward received Alex Barger’s pass on the left side of the box, cut inside, faked a shot, took a touch and bent his shot into the right top corner to tie the game 1-1. In the 85th Minute Josh Maher nearly won it with a header on goal from a corner, but his attempt went straight to the keeper.
Louisville’s goal in the 58th minute marked the first time Indiana has trailed this season. They trailed for nine minutes before grabbing the equalizer. Indiana’s lone concessions this season have come from a penalty versus Notre Dame (Aug. 20) and UofL’s free kick Monday night, meaning IU has not allowed a goal from open play through four matches (360 minutes). Bogard has scored three goals in four matches this season. When counting exhibition matches, the third-year forward has scored seven goals in six games. Barger recorded his second assist of the season, tying his career high. Indiana returns home to host the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers will welcome Cal Poly to Bloomington on Friday (Sept. 4) before taking on Denver one week from tonight (Sept. 7).
Indiana University Women’s Golf Ties for Ninth at Boilermaker Classic The Indiana Hoosiers women’s golf team tied for ninth at the Boilermaker Classic played at the Kampen-Cosler Golf Course in West Lafayette to open the season. IU shot a 903 (295-299-309; +39). Second-year Saia Rampersaud paced the Hoosier attack with a 225 (74-73-78; +9) to finish 28th overall. She provided five birdies to Indiana’s total count. Fresh off her return from the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, fourth-year Katie Poots turned in a 227 (76-81-70; +11). She converted a team-best 10 birdies, which included six in the final round of play. Her third-round 70 (-2) was the lowest score produced by a Hoosier in the event. Fourth-year Sheridan Clancy shot a 229 (72-77-80; +13) with six total birdies. Fourth-year Harriet Lockley, a transfer from Alabama, played a 230 (74-76-80; +14) in her Hoosier debut. She finished six total birdie opportunities, two in each round. Third-year Cara Heisterkamp compiled a three-round score of 231 (75-73-83; +15) with five birdies. First-year Zoe Arcus, who played as an individual, ended the week at 246 (88-81-77; +30). Her final round consisted of two birdies as she improved her score in each round. Indiana will return to competition at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational hosted by Kentucky from Sept. 21-22 at the Big Blue Course in Lexington.
Indiana University Track and Field Announces 2026-27 Recruiting Class Indiana University track and field head coach Ed Beathea announced the addition of 33 freshmen and two transfers to the 2026-27 track and field roster on Tuesday afternoon. “The staff did a great job of adding outstanding talent to our roster for the fall,” said head coach Ed Beathea. “This group will make us better on and off the track and I’m looking forward to getting started and seeing their development”. This group of athletes covers all event groups including a highly accomplished freshmen class coming into Bloomington next season.
The Sprints and Hurdles group adds a talented group including four state champions. Anna Wile comes to Bloomington after becoming the all-time hurdle record holder for all three contested hurdle events. She will join local talent, Evan Williams of Indianapolis, Ind. Williams is the current indoor state champion for the 60-meter hurdle and indoor 60-meter events, holding the 5thbest performance in the country in those events. Katy Zang looks to make an immediate impact for the distance and mid-distance group. Zang comes to Indiana with a decorated senior season at Teays Valley. In the indoor season, she competed at the New Balance High School National meet, winning the mile and two-mile events. She was also able to break the two-mile national record that had stood for over a decade.
The jumps group looks to retool this upcoming season, adding five freshmen to the Indiana roster. The group adds three international students, including Daisy Burton (Britain), Elisavet Anastasiadi (Greece), and Emmie Weldin (Sweden). The Hoosiers also add one pole vaulter to the roster. Annie McCracken of Granville, Ohio has a personal best mark of 4.27m through her high school career. The throws team makes one addition in Talia Phangura. The Britain native comes to Indiana throwing in both the shot put and hammer events. Indiana adds three freshmen to the combined events group. Ava Weiss joins as a former New York state champion in the 400-meter hurdles, along with Lexi Young who is a state champion in the high jump and long jump events. The full list of signings, accolades, and personal bests and thoughts from event coaches can be found below.
Sprint/Hurdles – Valerie Brown- “We are excited to welcome this group of young men and women to the Indiana Track & Field family. This group brings championship experience, national level performances, and tremendous versatility across the sprints and hurdles with the ability to make an immediate impact with our team.”
Phoenix Boyer-Indianapolis Ind.| Bishop Chatard H.S. 300mH: 36.79 400m: 47.39 60m hurdles: 8.08 Christine Huckins – Sprints -Boise, ID | Capital H.S. 60M – 7.58 100m -11.51 200m – 23.58 400m – 55.74 Miles King-Delaware, Ohio | Olentangy Berlin H.S. 60mH: 8.18 300mH: 36.68 Camran Mitchell-Charlestown IN | Charlestown H.S. Indiana State Champion [400m] 400M – 47.03 Andrew Smith-Chattanooga, Tenn. | McCallie School TN State Champion in the 200m Indoor & Outdoor, and the100m outdoor NO. 3 all-time Tenn. [100m] 100m – 10.25 [17th Nationally Outdoor] 200m – 21.10 [16th Nationally Indoor] 200m – 20.83 [Outdoor 20th Nationally Outdoor] Adriana Swanson – Hurdles South Bend, Ind. | Washington H.S. 60H – 8.51 100H – 13.81 300H – 43.19 Anna Wile – Hurdles Hilliard, Ohio | Hillard Davidson H.S. Ohio State Champion [60H,100H, and 300H] No. 1 Ohio All Time Hurdler in all three hurdles 2025-26 Gatorade Player of the Year [Ohio] 60H – 8.45 300H – 2nd National 40.70 100H – 4th National 13.24 Evan Williams – Sprints/Hurdles- Indianapolis, Ind. | Lawrence Central High IN State Champion [60H and 60M Indoor] NO. 5 all-time U.S. high-school performance, No. 1 Indiana all time 60m – 6.71 – 11th Nationally 60H – 7.57 – 2nd Nationally 100m – 10.48 200m – 21.54 110mH – 13.65 Robert Young-Westerville, Ohio | Wester Central 100M – 10.45 200M – 21.15 400M – 47.03
Distance/Mid-Distance – Eric Heins & Andrew Poore From Coach Heins: “We’re really excited about this incoming group of distance runners. Many of these runners have been competitive in their respective state championships, including state champions, runners up and a national record holder. They bring a tremendous amount of talent and competitive experience to our program. Just as importantly, they’re hard workers who are dedicated to getting better every day. We’re excited to welcome them to Indiana and continue to develop this group into valuable, contributing members of the team.”
Caden Cassada-Mt. Vernon, Ind. | Mt. Vernon HS 3rd Indiana State Championships [800m] 800m – 1:51.10 1600 – 4:14.49 Dominic Ellis-Cincinnati, Ohio | St. Xavier HS Ohio Cross Country state champion 3200 state champion 1600 state champion 3200 – 8:54.94 1600 – 4:10.37 Sadie Foley-Carmel, Ind. | Carmel HS 3rd at IHSAA State XC Meet 1600 – 4:46 3200 – 10:14 5k – 17:19 Jackson Gackenheimer-Warsaw, Ind. | Warsaw HS 7th Indiana Cross Country Championships 3200 – 9:05.18 1600 – 4:13.44 Zach Gantz-Indianapolis, Ind. | Bishop Chatard HS 5th Indiana State Championships [800m] 800m – 1:51.91 Heidi Harmeyer-Cincinnati, Ohio | Seton HS 5k XC – 18:02 2 Mile – 10:36 1600m – 4:52 Ceci Jackson-Indianapolis, Ind. | Bishop Chatard 1600-4:55 5k XC – 17:57 Kiera Jenke-Wheaton, Ill. | Benet Academy 800 – 2:12 3 mile XC – 17:13 Cameron “Gordy” Libby-Lake Zurich, Ill. | Lake Zurich HS 2nd Illinois Cross Country Championships 2nd Illinois State Championships 1600m 1600 – 4:10.14 Aurelia Martoglio-Bloomington, Ind. | Bloomington South 3200m – 10:34 5k – 17:58 Jasmine Martoglio-Bloomington, Ind. | Bloomington South 9th at 2026 IHSAA State XC Meet 3200-10:33 5k-17:40 Elroe Tafese-Indianapolis, IN | Avon HS 3200 – 9:06.91 Katy Zang-Ashville, Ohio | Teays Valley HS New Balance 2025 Indoor Champion [Mile & 2 Mile] National High School Indoor 2 Mile record holder 9th at 2026 OHSAA D1 State XC Meet Mile – 4:35 2 mile – 9:37 6k – 18:53
Jumps – Jake Jacoby- “I am very excited about the Indiana jumpers this year. We have two returning jumpers [Lee Martin & Josie Page] who both competed at the NCAA Regional Championships last season. This year, they will be working to take the next step — qualifying for the NCAA Championships and hopefully earning a spot on the podium. They will also be great leaders for the amazing new talent that has arrived in the lU Track and Field program. Every one of our freshmen showed up with a strong desire to improve, compete, and make an impact at the Big Ten Championships. There is a lot of talent, energy, and determination in this group, and I am excited to see what they can accomplish this.”
Callie Alston-Orleans, Ind. | Orleans H.S. HJ – 1.72m Elisavet Anastasiadi-Serres, Greece LJ – 6.12m Jackson Battistoni-Issaquah, Wash. | Issaquah H.S. HJ: 2.05m Daisy Burton-Great Britain 2x Midlands County Champion 2x Warwickshire Champion HJ – 1.76m Graham Murphy-Oklahoma City, Okla. | Heritage Hall HJ – 2.14m Emmie Weldin-Sollentuna, Sweden LJ – 5.65m TJ – 12.32m
Throws – Megan Tomei -“Excited to get this year started! We’re keeping our throws group a little smaller this season, with just one addition to the group. We’re incredibly excited to welcome her to Indiana and watch her represent the Hoosiers at the Big Ten and national levels, while also proudly representing her home country of Canada.”
Talia Phangura-British Columbia, Canada Shot Put – 14.65m Hammer – 52.62m
Pole Vault – Jake Wiseman Annie McCracken-Granville, Ohio | Granville H.S. PV – 4.27 m
Combined – Warren Bye- “We’re thrilled to welcome Ava, Lexi, and Trevor to Indiana. They each bring tremendous talent, competitiveness, and energy to our program. Adding them to our combined-events group gives us an exciting mix of abilities across multiple events. They’re dedicated athletes who understand what it takes to compete at a high level, and we believe they can make meaningful contributions for the Hoosiers at the Big Ten and NCAA levels. We’re excited to have them in Bloomington and look forward to seeing them represent Indiana with pride.”
Trevor Perkins-St. Leon, Ind. | East Central HS-60mH- 8.06 110mH- 13.66 300mH- 38.36 100m- 10.95 200m- 21.84 400m- 49.91 High Jump- 6’2’ Ava Weiss-East Greenbush, N.Y. | Columbia HS New York State Champion 400mH 60mH – 9.03 200m – 24.84 400m – 55.29 800m – 2:15.92 100mH – 14.73 400H – 59.94 Long Jump – 17’ 9.5” Lexi Young-Maysville, Ky. | Mason County HS Kentucky 2025 2A State Champion [High Jump] Kentucky 2026 2A State Champion [Long Jump] 100m- 12.33 200m- 25.45 High Jump- 5’8 Long Jump- 19’5.25 Triple Jump- 39’4.25 Shot Put- 32’3
Transfers Zach Paul – Sprints-Lee’s Summit, Mo. | Illinois State West Regional Qualifier [100M] 2x West Region Qualifier [4×4 Relay] 60M – 6.66 100M – 10.19 200M – 20.66 400M – 47.18 Lucinda Rourke – Distance/Mid-Distance-Melbourne, Australia | Haileybury Girls College | Florida | Louisville Mile: 4:36.85 800m: 2:06.25
Punter Rigoberto Sanchez signs contract extension with the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts have signed punter Rigoberto Sanchez to a contract extension, the team announced on Thursday. Sanchez has played all nine seasons of his career with the Colts, joining the team in 2017 as an undrafted free agent. Sanchez had one his best seasons last year, where he set the Colts franchise record in net punting average and ranked second-best in the NFL in that category, averaging 44.7 net yards per punt. He also owns the Colts franchise record in single-season gross punting average (49.7 yards), which he set in 2024. Throughout his career, Sanchez has 22,388 gross punt yards, averaging 46.5 gross yards per punt with a net punting average of 42.2 yards per punt. He has pinned 186 punts inside the 20 yard line in his career.
Comeback Bid Fades in Fourth for Taylor University Football in Season-Opener RV Taylor erased a 20-point first-half deficit to draw even after three quarters of play but could not finish off the comeback, as RV Olivet Nazarene closed out the evening with a 21-point fourth quarter to send the Trojans home with a 48-34 defeat. The host Tigers (1-0) controlled the trenches all night, rushing for 273 yards and averaging 8.0 yards per carry behind 180 yards and four touchdowns on 18 rushes from Aaron Bennett. ONU also stalled TU’s potent rushing attack, limiting last season’s second-ranked ground game to just 92 yards on 2.3 yards per attempt.
In addition to struggling on the line, Taylor had an uncharacteristic three turnovers that were each followed by Olivet Nazarene touchdowns on the ensuing possession. Two of those miscues came in the first quarter, as the hosts found the end zone on three of their first four possessions, fueled by a pair of early TU turnovers, to build a 21-7 lead in the first 12:17 of game action. The Taylor deficit grew to 27-7 midway through the second, before the Trojans stemmed the tide with a six-play scoring drive to draw within 27-14. Alex Amburgy connected with John Irwin on a 44-yard completion to put TU in striking distance and Evan Barker closed the drive with a three-yard touchdown burst.
A defensive stand out of the intermission and some special teams trickery allowed the Purple and Gray to draw closer in the early minutes of the second half. Punter Wade Jones rushed for 10 yards on a fourth-and-nine to keep an extended drive alive, before Amburgy dialed up 24 and 15-yard strikes to Aidan Zimmer and JJ Payne. Barker found pay dirt once again, capping the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to draw TU within a single score. Taylor’s next touch drew the Trojans even on the scoreboard for the first time, with Ethan Albert opening the possession with a 20-yard run and Amburgy hitting Zimmer for a 33-yard score to tie the game at 27-27 heading to the fourth.
It was all Olivet Nazarene in the final 15 minutes however, as the Tigers found the end zone on their next three possessions and capitalized on TU’s third turnover of the night to open a 48-27 lead they would not relinquish. Amburgy played well off the bench for Taylor with 13 completions for 240 yards, two touchdowns and zero turnovers. Irwin, Zimmer and Payne were his top targets, with Irwin catching three passes for 86 yards, Zimmer hauling in three passes for 63 yards and a touchdown and Payne grabbing four catches for 58 yards and one score. Jedidiah Galvin led the Trojans on the ground with 64 yards, with Barker ending with touchdowns on each of his three carries. Grady Stanley led Taylor’s defense with a team-best eight stops, while Owen Folta and Seth Tolliver each ended with six tackles. RV Taylor (0-1) will return to action on Saturday, September 5, when it hosts RV Saint Xavier (0-0) under the lights in a 7:00 pm start inside Turner Stadium.
Indianapolis Colts remove Wide Receiver Alec Pierce from Active/Physically Unable to Perform list The Indianapolis Colts on Thursday removed wide receiver Alec Pierce from the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list, clearing the way for the 26-year-old to begin practicing immediately. Head coach Shane Steichen said Tuesday Pierce will need a ramp-up period after being sidelined during OTAs and training camp following ankle surgery in March. But with over two weeks until the Colts open the 2026 regular season against the Baltimore Ravens, Pierce has a long runway to prepare for Week 1. Pierce in 2025 notched his first career 1,000-yard season and led the NFL in yards per reception (21.3) for the second consecutive year. Pierce also became the first receiver to total over 1,000 yards on fewer than 50 catches (he had 47) since former Philadelphia Eagles burner DeSean Jackson did so in 2010.