Author: Seth Tow

Oumar Ballo may be new to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, but he’s already familiar with Indiana’s fan base. The big man played against the Hoosiers with Arizona in December 2022 in a marquee non-conference matchup at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. IU was ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll, at the time, while the Wildcats sat at No. 10. Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis faced off with Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson in the paint, while Mike Woodson watched on from the sidelines during his second season coaching Indiana. Ballo joined forces with Woodson less than two years…

BLOOMINGTON — As Indiana football’s season rolls on, the games start to become increasingly important and more difficult. That part of the season begins this week, as IU (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) hosts Maryland (3-1, 0-1) at noon ET. The Terrapins have won three straight against the Hoosiers, but dropped their Big Ten opener this year against Michigan State. Head coach Curt Cignetti met with local media on Monday to preview that game and discuss his surging Hoosiers. Here are some key things he talked about. Big test coming Maryland and IU football spent the last decade in similar positions,…

BLOOMINGTON — A third of the way through the 2024 season, Indiana’s offense has been a merciless wrecking crew. The Hoosiers boast some of the top team offensive numbers in the Big Ten and the country through four games, and it’s difficult to find much fault with the unit so far. Indiana hasn’t been perfect, but that’s an impossibly high standard to set — and the offense still hasn’t been far off that mark. IU continued the domination on Saturday, with a 52-14 win over Charlotte at Memorial Stadium. The victory gives the Hoosiers their first 4-0 start since 2020, the…

BLOOMINGTON — Curt Cignetti has accomplished something no other Indiana head football coach has pulled off. With IU’s 52-14 win over Charlotte on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, Cignetti became the first Hoosiers head coach to start his tenure 4-0. It’s Indiana’s second 4-0 start, at all, since 1991, and the first since 2020. Terry Hoeppner (2005) and Bill Lynch (2007) were the last two coaches to start their IU careers 3-0. Before Hoeppner, no Indiana head coach even started 3-0 since James M. Sheldon in 1905. The strong start to this season gives IU more wins than it had all of…

At Big Ten Media Days in July, Curt Cignetti said Indiana’s trip to the Rose Bowl was simply about going to “an old stadium to kick somebody’s ass.” On Saturday, the Hoosiers made that vision a reality, with a statement 42-13 victory over UCLA. IU dominated the game from the very beginning, putting immediate pressure on the Bruins and capitalizing on their mistakes. It’s a win and a performance that could force many to readjust their expectations for Indiana this season. Plenty of Hoosiers turned in standout performances on Saturday. Here are three we’ve identified. Kurtis Rourke This should go…

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…