Game Notes: Cincinnati
9/14/2021 2:37:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After a victory in its home opener, the Indiana football program will welcome No. 8/8 Cincinnati into Memorial Stadium for a Noon kickoff on ESPN. The Hoosiers and Bearcats will meet for the 14th time in program history and the first since an IU victory in Bloomington during the 2000 season.
CINCINNATI (2-0; 8 AP/8 USA Today) at INDIANA (1-1; RV AP/RV USA Today)
Memorial Stadium
Saturday, Sept. 18 | Noon ET
TV: ESPN | RADIO: Indiana Hoosiers Sports Network
Setting The Scene
• RV/RV Indiana (1-1, 0-1 B1G East) hosts No. 8/8 Cincinnati (2-0, 0-0 AAC) at Memorial Stadium (52,656; FieldTurf) on Saturday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is set for noon EST on ESPN.
• The Hoosiers and Bearcats will meet for the first time since Sept. 23, 2000, a 42-6 IU victory in Bloomington.
• Indiana leads the all-time series, 9-3-2, including a 6-2-1 edge at home.
• The Hoosiers have won seven of their last eight home games, including an unblemished 3-0 mark in 2020, and are 8-2 at Memorial Stadium since the start of 2019.
• IU will wear retro uniforms that mirror those worn by late head coach Bill Mallory's teams from 1987-96.
• Following its 56-14 victory over Idaho, Indiana improved to 44-18 in Memorial Stadium openers with wins in 18 of its last 20 and 35 of its last 40, highlighted by last year's 36-35 overtime victory over No. 8 Penn State.
• The Hoosiers scored twice on special teams (punt return, blocked punt) against the Vandals for the first time since Sept. 20, 1969, at Kentucky (2 punt returns).
• Sophomore Javon Swinton recorded a receiving and blocked punt return TD, the first Hoosier to do so since Mitchell Paige (punt return, receiving) vs. Western Kentucky on Sept. 19, 2015.
• Graduate transfer D.J. Matthews Jr. added his second career punt return score, an 81-yarder.
• Tom Allen reached win No. 25 in his 48th career game to become the third-fastest in program history to 25 victories behind James M. Sheldon (40 games) and James H. Horne (46 games).
The Coaches
• The 2020 American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year, Tom Allen is 25-23 (.521) in his fifth season as Indiana head football coach. His 24 wins over his first four years are the most for an IU head coach during that span. Allen was also named the 2020 Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year (Big Ten coaches vote) and the Dave McClain Coach of the Year (Big Ten media vote). (full bio on page 15)
• Luke Fickell owns a 37-14 (.726) record in his fifth season as Cincinnati head coach. The Bearcats are 33-6 (.846) since the start of 2018. Fickell posted a 6-7 mark as Ohio State head coach in 2011.
News & Notes
• Indiana is 15-8 overall and 11-6 in Big Ten play since the start of 2019.
• IU's 15 wins share fourth and 11 victories are fourth in the B1G during that span.
• The Hoosiers were ranked in the 2021 preseason for the first time since 1969.
• Indiana appeared in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll for the 11th-straight week, a program record.
• The team voted WR Ty Fryfogle, TE Peyton Hendershot, LB Cam Jones, DB Marcelino McCrary-Ball, LB Micah McFadden, and QB Michael Penix Jr. season captains.
• Jones, McCrary-Ball, McFadden, and Penix were also 2020 captains.
• IU has won 11 of its last 15 league games.
• The Hoosiers (6-2, 6-1 Big Ten) finished the 2020 season with a No. 12 final rating from the Associated Press, their highest final ranking since 1967 (No. 4).
• Indiana's 11 B1G wins over 2019-20 tied for the most in school history over a two-year span (1987-88).
• IU has played in consecutive January bowl games (2020 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and 2021 Outback Bowl) for the first time in school history.
CINCINNATI (2-0; 8 AP/8 USA Today) at INDIANA (1-1; RV AP/RV USA Today)
Memorial Stadium
Saturday, Sept. 18 | Noon ET
TV: ESPN | RADIO: Indiana Hoosiers Sports Network
Setting The Scene
• RV/RV Indiana (1-1, 0-1 B1G East) hosts No. 8/8 Cincinnati (2-0, 0-0 AAC) at Memorial Stadium (52,656; FieldTurf) on Saturday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is set for noon EST on ESPN.
• The Hoosiers and Bearcats will meet for the first time since Sept. 23, 2000, a 42-6 IU victory in Bloomington.
• Indiana leads the all-time series, 9-3-2, including a 6-2-1 edge at home.
• The Hoosiers have won seven of their last eight home games, including an unblemished 3-0 mark in 2020, and are 8-2 at Memorial Stadium since the start of 2019.
• IU will wear retro uniforms that mirror those worn by late head coach Bill Mallory's teams from 1987-96.
• Following its 56-14 victory over Idaho, Indiana improved to 44-18 in Memorial Stadium openers with wins in 18 of its last 20 and 35 of its last 40, highlighted by last year's 36-35 overtime victory over No. 8 Penn State.
• The Hoosiers scored twice on special teams (punt return, blocked punt) against the Vandals for the first time since Sept. 20, 1969, at Kentucky (2 punt returns).
• Sophomore Javon Swinton recorded a receiving and blocked punt return TD, the first Hoosier to do so since Mitchell Paige (punt return, receiving) vs. Western Kentucky on Sept. 19, 2015.
• Graduate transfer D.J. Matthews Jr. added his second career punt return score, an 81-yarder.
• Tom Allen reached win No. 25 in his 48th career game to become the third-fastest in program history to 25 victories behind James M. Sheldon (40 games) and James H. Horne (46 games).
The Coaches
• The 2020 American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year, Tom Allen is 25-23 (.521) in his fifth season as Indiana head football coach. His 24 wins over his first four years are the most for an IU head coach during that span. Allen was also named the 2020 Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year (Big Ten coaches vote) and the Dave McClain Coach of the Year (Big Ten media vote). (full bio on page 15)
• Luke Fickell owns a 37-14 (.726) record in his fifth season as Cincinnati head coach. The Bearcats are 33-6 (.846) since the start of 2018. Fickell posted a 6-7 mark as Ohio State head coach in 2011.
News & Notes
• Indiana is 15-8 overall and 11-6 in Big Ten play since the start of 2019.
• IU's 15 wins share fourth and 11 victories are fourth in the B1G during that span.
• The Hoosiers were ranked in the 2021 preseason for the first time since 1969.
• Indiana appeared in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll for the 11th-straight week, a program record.
• The team voted WR Ty Fryfogle, TE Peyton Hendershot, LB Cam Jones, DB Marcelino McCrary-Ball, LB Micah McFadden, and QB Michael Penix Jr. season captains.
• Jones, McCrary-Ball, McFadden, and Penix were also 2020 captains.
• IU has won 11 of its last 15 league games.
• The Hoosiers (6-2, 6-1 Big Ten) finished the 2020 season with a No. 12 final rating from the Associated Press, their highest final ranking since 1967 (No. 4).
• Indiana's 11 B1G wins over 2019-20 tied for the most in school history over a two-year span (1987-88).
• IU has played in consecutive January bowl games (2020 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and 2021 Outback Bowl) for the first time in school history.
Players Mentioned
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