By Bert Lunay

Curt Cignetti Indiana head coach 2024 Outlook Big Ten Football Media Days July 2024.mp3

INDIANA FOOTBALL NOTES:

*Curt Cignetti comes from James Madison, where he was 52-9 from 2019-2023. Helped the program move from the Colonial Athletic Association to the Sun Belt Conference. His record is 120-53 in his 14th season.

*He has never had a losing season in 13 seasons as a head coach.

*He has a blueprint of turning programs around, JMU, IUP and Elon.

*He takes over a program that has been down and out the last 3 seasons, 9-27 and just 3-25 against Power 5 opponents.

*He and his staff have brought in players from James Madison and the transfer portal.

*2024 Non-conference schedule is FIU, Western Illinois and Charlotte.

*Cignetti and the Hoosiers got the new era off to a good start by beating Florida International University, 31-7. And could be 3-0 when they start Big 10 play.

Postgame Notes
FIU at Indiana
August 31, 2024

TEAM
• Indiana is 4-0 all-time against FIU.

• Indiana opened the season with a non-conference home game for the first time since 2015 and improved to 26-3 in season-opening non-conference home games since 1953 (the modern era of the Big Ten Conference).

• Indiana is 34-13 in non-conference season openers since 1953 and 75-25-8 overall in non-conference season openers.

• Indiana is 84-45-8 all-time in season-opening games.

• The Hoosiers opened the season against FIU for the third time in program history and are 3-0 in those games.

• Curt Cignetti is the 16th coach in program history to have won his first game of his Indiana tenure. He is the first to do so since Bill Lynch defeated Indiana State to open the 2007 season.

• Indiana’s game captains were James Carpenter, Justice Ellison and Mike Katic.

• FIU won the coin toss and deferred the opening kickoff. Indiana received the opening kick.

• Twelve Hoosier transfers made their first start at Indiana: DB Shawn Asbury II, DL James Carpenter, LB Aiden Fisher, TE Zach Horton, DL Mikail Kamara, RB Ty Son Lawton, DB D’Angelo Ponds, WR Myles Price, QB Kurtis Rourke, WR Elijah Sarratt, LB Jailin Walker, OL Trey Wedig.

• Three Hoosiers made their first career start: OL Drew Evans, DB Amare Ferrell, OL Bray Lynch.

• Twenty-six transfer student-athletes made their Indiana debut.

• Four true freshmen made their collegiate debut: OL Adedamola Ajani, LB Rolijah Hardy, DL Mario Landino and OL Austin Leibfried.

• Eight Hoosiers made their collegiate debuts: OL Adedamola Ajani, OL Austin Barrett, OL Drew Evans, LB Rolijah Hardy, DL Mario Landino, OL Austin Leibfried, DL J’mari Monette and LB Jeff Utzinger.

• The 234 team rushing yards are the most by a Hoosier backfield since 257 yards at Michigan State (11/19) in 2022.

• The 16-play scoring drive in the second quarter was the longest scoring drive in terms of plays since a 17-play scoring trek against Maryland (10/15) in 2022.

Marcus Burris | DL | R-Jr.
• Tied his career high with 1.0 sack. He previously reached the mark twice, last at Illinois (11/11) in 2023.

Amare Ferrell | DB | So.
• Collected first career interception in the fourth quarter.

Aiden Fisher | LB | Jr.
• Piled up 12 tackles for his fifth career double-digit tackle game and first at Indiana.
• Tied his career-high of 1.0 sacks. He also logged a sack against South Alabama (9/30) in 2023.

Elijah Green | RB | R-Jr.
• Scored on a 51-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter to finalize Indiana’s 31-7 win.
• The 51-yard rush was the longest for a Hoosier since the 2022 season finale against Purdue (11/26).

Rolijah Hardy  | LB | R-Fr.
• Posted first two collegiate tackles. 

Zach Horton | TE | Sr.
• Caught Indiana’s first touchdown of the season on a 9-yard pass from Kurtis Rourke in the first quarter.

Isaiah Jones | LB | R-So.
• Logged a career-high six tackles. 

Jamier Johnson | DB | R-Jr.
• Tied career-high of two stops. Posted two tackles on four other occasions, last against Louisville (9/16) in 2023.

Mario Landino | DL | Fr.
• Made collegiate debut and first career tackle and tackle for loss in the fourth quarter. 

Ty Son Lawton | RB | Gr.+
• Posted his sixth career multi-rushing touchdown game with two rushing scores. He has at least one multi-touchdown game at all three schools which he has attended (Stony Brook, 2019-22; James Madison, 2023; Indiana, 2024). 

Nicolas Radicic | K | R-Fr.
• Connected on a career-long 35-yard field goal in the third quarter for his second career made field goal.

Kurtis Rourke | QB | R-Sr.+
• Completed 15-of-24 pass attempts for 180 passing yards and a touchdown.
• His touchdown pass in the first quarter marked his 25th career game with at least one touchdown pass. 
• It was his 22nd career game with at least one touchdown pass and zero interceptions.

Elijah Sarratt | WR | Jr.
• Moved his consecutive games with a catch streak to 26 straight games with his first reception on the game’s opening play.

Venson Sneed | DL | R-So.
• Tied career high with one tackle. Posted one stop on six previous occasions, last at Purdue (11/25) in 2023.

Tyrique Tucker | DL | R-So.
• Tied career high of four stops. Reached the mark three previous times, last against Georgia Southern (10/14) in 2023.

Andrew Turvy | DL | R-Jr.
• First career tackle was also a solo sack of Keyone Jenkins for a loss of nine yards in the fourth quarter.

Jeff Utzinger | DL | R-So.
• Registered first career tackle in the fourth quarter.

CJ West | DL | R-Sr.
• Forced second career fumble in the first quarter. First came exactly one year ago to the day against UCF (8/31) in the season opener of the 2023 season.

INDIANA FOOTBALL NEWS

Price Named to Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana football wide receiver and Dallas, Texas, native Myles Price has been named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award preseason watch list as announced by the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce and SPORTyler on Wednesday (August 21).

The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community and tenacity; specifically, tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals. In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria: Played football at and graduated from a Texas High School and/or currently playing at Texas D1 four-year college.

Price has appeared in 42 games with 25 starts over four collegiate seasons. He spent the 2020-23 seasons at Texas Tech and was a two-time honorable-mention Big 12 pick. The multiple-purpose threat accumulated 2,521 all-purpose yards over with 1,751 receiving yards, 296 punt return yards, 207 yards rushing, and 59 kickoff return yards.

During his time in Lubbock, Texas, he amassed 161 receptions at Texas Tech with 10 touchdown catches from his wide receiver spot. He also added two rushing scores. Overall, Price posted one 100-yard receiving game and two double-digit catch games in his career.

2024 Indiana Football Preseason Accolades
James Bomba – AFCA Good Works Team Nominee, Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
James Evans – Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List
Aiden Fisher – Butkus Award Preseason Watch List
Zach Horton – John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List
Cooper Jones – William V. Campbell Trophy Nominee
D’Angelo Ponds – Lott Trophy Preseason Watch List
Myles Price – Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Preseason Watch List
Kurtis Rourke – Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Preseason Watch List
Elijah Sarratt – Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List
Solomon Vanhorse – College Football Comeback Player of the Year Preseason Watch List

NEWS RELEASES COURTESY INDIANA ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS