Author: Seth Tow

Indiana football’s first Big Ten game of the 2024 season presents some unusual circumstances for a conference opener. The Hoosiers (2-0) travel to California to take on UCLA (1-0) at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. It’s the first-ever Big Ten conference game for the Bruins, and IU’s first conference game against one of the new west coast Big Ten teams. It’s also the program’s first time playing at the Rose Bowl since the 1967 Rose Bowl game.  Additionally, this is Indiana’s first road game of the Curt Cignetti era. The Hoosiers took care of business at home in the first…

After Indiana set a program record for points and yards in a single game against Western Illinois, it’s difficult to narrow down a list of standout performances. Go through the entire stat sheet from Friday’s game at Memorial Stadium, and more than half of IU’s players could have real cases to be named a standout. So while these selections may not be a definitive three, by any means, they’re at least three players worth highlighting as the Hoosiers head into their first Big Ten game of the season. Here are our three standout performances from Indiana’s win over Western Illinois.…

Indiana football opened its 2024 season with two dominant victories over Florida International and Western Illinois. But the Hoosiers’ biggest stain in both games was similar. They allowed their opponents to drive downfield and record their only score of the game in the final minutes of the first half. After two straight weeks allowing subpar non-conference opponents to march downfield and score at the end of the second quarter, two-minute drill defense is one of IU football’s bigger issues early this season. “That was pretty bad, I’ll be completely honest. That was pretty bad. Cause the same thing happened last…

BLOOMINGTON — Last week, against Florida International, Indiana football felt like it wasted some opportunities. The Hoosiers put together three strong touchdown drives in the first half, but the offense stalled out for around half of the second quarter and most of the second half. And IU continued to attack the Golden Panthers, even with the game in hand, wanting to make up for the missed chances. Indiana left no such doubts on Friday against Western Illinois. By halftime, the Hoosiers racked up 42 points and 415 yards, as their FCS opponent provided little resistance. By the end of the…

Kurtis Rourke knows his performance in Indiana’s season-opener was just a starting point. Rourke played a solid game, overall, against Florida International. He completed 15 of 24 pass attempts for 180 yards with a touchdown, and gained three rushing yards on six attempts, including two sacks. He was far from perfect, as he’s readily admitted, as he felt he missed some reads and some throws that could’ve led to a more fruitful day for IU’s offense. And in reviewing tape from the game, he saw both things that he and Hoosiers did well and things to improve on. “It was…

Indiana’s 31-7 win over FIU wasn’t a perfect performance by the Hoosiers, but it set the table nicely for the rest of the season. These three standout performers from the game were a big reason why IU got off to a good start this year. Justice Ellison Ty Son Lawton led Indiana’s backfield with 16 carries to Ellison’s 10, and Lawton scored two touchdowns. And Elijah Green provided the biggest highlight play among the running backs, with his 51-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. So Ellison’s performance has slipped under the radar a bit. But he turned in a…

BLOOMINGTON — Curt Cignetti, beginning the day he first arrived at Indiana, spent the entire offseason talking the talk. He talked with a brash confidence that wasn’t often associated with IU football over the years, and deliberately inspired Hoosiers fans to think the same way. Cignetti always acknowledged that his players would have to back it up on the field and make the fans believe in them, but asserted that they would — he never suggested the possibility that Indiana wouldn’t back it up. Ultimately, it was nine months of talk, without any meaningful football on the field. Saturday’s game…

Four years before he committed to play defensive back at Indiana, Cedarius Doss feared he’d played his final down on a football field. The Birmingham, Ala. native was unranked by major recruiting sites coming out of Ramsay High, as his SAT score wasn’t high enough to play in Division I. So Doss, lacking a plethora of options, enrolled at Division II Tuskegee University. Doss redshirted in 2019 after appearing in just two games. He anticipated a better opportunity for playing time as a sophomore, and spent time after his redshirt year getting mentally and physically prepared for that. But in…

Some of Indiana’s biggest transfer portal losses from last season to this year came at safety. The Hoosiers had a group of three safeties who played in primary roles last season, and two of those players left. Curt Cignetti and new safeties coach Ola Adams brought in some others from the portal to fill those gaps, and along with IU’s returnees, those moves helped build a deep safety room that could be even better than last year’s group. Prior previews: Quarterbacks Wide receivers Running backs Tight ends Offensive line Linebackers Defensive line Cornerbacks Roster turnover — who’s gone Louis Moore (transfer…

Next up in our series of Indiana football position previews is the cornerbacks. The Hoosiers have a new voice in the cornerback room for the first time in a long time. Brandon Shelby joined IU’s staff as cornerbacks coach when Kevin Wilson was hired as head coach in 2011, and he stayed in Bloomington through Wilson’s five years leading the program as well as Tom Allen’s full seven-year tenure at the helm. But Curt Cignetti opted to go another direction and brought in Rod Ojong from Charlotte. IU lost several starters and contributors at cornerback from last year, but bring…