Author: Seth Tow

As Fernando Mendoza’s stock continues rising, his performance is also elevating. Indiana’s quarterback is now the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, following the Hoosiers’ blowout win over Illinois and an injury to Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer. Mendoza’s played well for IU through four games. His 76.8 completion percentage is the second-best rate in the country, and he leads the country with 14 touchdown passes — in addition to being one of nine quarterbacks to play four games so far this year without throwing an interception. The Cal transfer has an 89.3 PFF grade, tied for ninth in the…

IU women’s basketball has landed a commitment from class of 2026 guard Gigi Battle, she announced Wednesday. Battle, standing 5-foot-11, is ranked No. 42 in ESPN’s Top 100 players for the class of 2026. Recent Indiana commit Addison Nyemchek is right behind her at No. 43, and guard Ashlinn James checks in at No. 60. Australian center Zoe Jackson is the unranked fourth member of IU’s recruiting class. Battle took an official visit to IU on August 28. She’s taken other visits to Rutgers, Stanford, Illinois, Michigan, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Iowa, NC State, and Georgia. The Daytona Beach, Fla.…

BLOOMINGTON — As No. 19 Indiana football racked up score after score against No. 9 Illinois on Saturday, the Hoosiers broke the Fighting Illini’s will. Everyone at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium could sense it. The sellout crowd roared all night, at times as loud as the 65-year-old stadium has ever been. And once things went from bad to worse for Bret Bielema’s team, there was no turning back. Indiana continually steamrolled Illinois until the game ended in a 63-10 win. IU finally put together a dominant performance against a ranked team. This is who the Hoosiers have been for…

When Myles Price and Ke’Shawn Williams exhausted their eligibility after 2024, Indiana football had a hole at slot receiver. The Hoosiers initially addressed that need in the transfer portal, adding Tyler Morris from Michigan. But Morris suffered a knee injury in spring football, and IU faced the same issue. Head coach Curt Cignetti and his staff brought in Jonathan Brady from Cal during the post-spring portal window, but the program already had its solution on the roster. Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt spent spring ball focusing on versatility, to be able to move around the different wide receiver spots.…

Indiana football’s showdown against Illinois has plenty at stake. This is a tone-setter for both teams to start off Big Ten play. This top-20 matchup in Bloomington on Saturday will see one team affirm its ranking and its standing amongst the top teams in the conference, and the other will be left with work to do. The winner should get a nice boost for a potential College Football Playoff résumé. Both No. 9 Illinois and No. 19 Indiana are good teams. Fine margins can often decide games like that. So for this game, specifically, what could make the difference? Here…

Indiana football will be tested on Saturday. The Hoosiers, up to No. 19 in the AP Top 25, have No. 9 Illinois coming to Bloomington for a week four showdown. It’s a game with College Football Playoff implications early in the season at Memorial Stadium, in one of the more significant matchups in series history. IU head coach Curt Cignetti met with local media Monday to discuss the Fighting Illini, along with his Hoosiers. He had some unfortunate news to share: running back Lee Beebe Jr. is out for the season after suffering a non-contact knee injury against Indiana State.…

Indiana women’s basketball has landed a commitment from class of 2026 wing Addison Nyemchek, she announced on social media Sunday. https://www.instagram.com/p/DOlw_i2EWmc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Nyemchek, standing 6-foot-1, is a four-star recruit out of Oceanport, N.J. She’s ranked No. 43 in ESPN’s Top 100 for the class of 2026. She’s IU’s third commit in the class, joining Ashlinn James (ESPN No. 60) and Zoe Jackson (unranked). The wing chose Teri Moren’s program over two other finalists, TCU and Michigan. Per MaxPreps, Nyemchek averaged 14 points, seven rebounds, 3.3 assists, three steals, and 1.2 blocks per game last season as a junior at Red Bank…

BLOOMINGTON — In a matchup with an FCS opponent, anything less than domination for Indiana football would’ve been considered problematic. So IU’s 73-0 victory over Indiana State on Friday at Memorial Stadium is less a historic, eye-popping display, and more a team taking care of business as expected. This game looked like a matchup between varsity and JV, but that’s how a contest between the No. 22 team in FBS and an FCS team — aside from a select few, perhaps — is supposed to look. IU head coach Curt Cignetti used Friday to continue preparing his players mentally for the start…

When Indiana football takes on FCS opponent Indiana State, IU’s second and third units should get plenty of opportunities. The Hoosiers and Sycamores square off on Friday at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium, with the home team favored to win by nine touchdowns. IU head coach Curt Cignetti left his starters in the game well into the fourth quarter last week against Kennesaw State, despite already building a substantial lead. He didn’t pull quarterback Fernando Mendoza until the middle of the period, when Indiana was up by 40 points. Cignetti is using the non-conference slate to get his team…

Coming into the season, Indiana tight end Riley Nowakowski wasn’t hailed as a reliable receiver. His statistics and receiving grades from his career at Wisconsin supported his role being more of a blocking tight end, or even a fullback, while Holden Staes would be the receiving tight end. This season is still young, and some roles are still not clearly defined — and others will change as the year goes on. But while Nowakowski won’t be at the top of any opposing scouting reports for his receiving ability, he’s looked capable with the ball in his hands. Nowakowski made 11…