Author: Jack Rizzo

No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza picked up right where he left off after leading Indiana to a national championship this past January.  The reigning Heisman Trophy winner showed a lot of positive signs in his preseason debut with the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night. Mendoza replaced Kirk Cousins after the veteran led the Raiders right down the field for a touchdown on the game’s opening drive. Across five drives, Mendoza finished 10-for-16 for 97 yards and a touchdown, highlighted by a 10-play, 79-yard drive in the second quarter. Mendoza’s best throw of the day came on the opening…

Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach a season ago. Despite that achievement, most of the attention around the national champion Hoosiers centered on Curt Cignetti and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. However, it was Indiana’s suffocating defense that was the unsung hero last season. In their 16 games, they only allowed more than 20 points in a game three times, while holding opponents out of the end zone in five contests. Indiana’s defense saved the day when the offense occasionally had its struggles. Indiana does not go 12-0 in the regular…

Six NFL teams have already reported for training camp, and every team will have done so by Tuesday, July 28. With the season just around the corner, now is a perfect time to take a look at former Hoosiers who are battling for roster spots.  As of Sunday morning there are 27 former IU players at NFL camps.  From now to the end of camp, roster sizes will be cut from 90 to 53 players. There is a very noticeable trend throughout the list. The majority of Hoosiers in the NFL are first or second-year players who played under Curt…