Indiana University Athletics
Saturday, October 5
Evanston, Ill.
3:30 P.M.
Indiana University
at
Northwestern
Game Notes: at Northwestern
9/30/2024 5:00:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Another test in front of the Indiana football team comes in the form of Northwestern and a trip to Northwestern Medical Field at Martin Stadium on Saturday (Oct. 5). The Hoosiers (5-0, 2-0 B1G) and Wildcats (2-2, 0-1 B1G) kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
INDIANA (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) at NORTHWESTERN (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium (Evanston, Ill.)
Saturday, Oct. 5 | 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network| RADIO: Indiana Hoosiers Sports Network
Setting the Scene
• For the first time since the 2019 season and the 83rd time in program history, Indiana will play Northwestern in Evanston on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 ET at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium (12,023) on the Big Ten Network.
• Indiana enters the matchup with a national ranking in the AP and Coaches Poll for the first time since Week 1 of the 2021 season.
• The matchup will mark the first time the two teams have played in Evanston since the 2016 season.
• Northwestern owns the advantage in the all-time series, 47-35-1. Indiana won the last matchup in 2019, but Northwestern has won five of the last six meetings.
• In the 2019 matchup, the Hoosiers bested the Wildcats, 34-3, to push Indiana's record to 7-2 on the season.
By The Numbers
1 - Curt Cignetti is the only Indiana head coach to begin his head coaching tenure with a 5-0 record. MORE ON PAGE 4
5 - Indiana's five-game winning streak is the longest streak since a five-gamer during the 1987 season (Week 3-7).
500 - The Hoosiers posted back-to-back games with 500-plus yards of offense for the first time since 2015 (Rutgers, 557; at Maryland, 520). MORE ON PAGE 10
8.0 - Indiana logged its fourth game with 8.0 tackles for loss in 2024 to mark the most since posting four such games in 2018.
News & Notes
• Indiana enters the game with a 5-0 record after defeating Maryland (9/28), 42-28, in Week 5. This is Indiana's third time in program history starting a season 5-0 (2024, 1967, 1910).
• Curt Cignetti is the only Indiana head coach to start his head coaching tenure with a 5-0 record. MORE ON PAGE 4
• The Hoosiers won a game with four turnovers against Maryland, the first victory in a game with four turnovers since 2016 against Purdue (26-24).
• Scoring has come in bunches for Indiana as it has scored 40-plus points in four-straight games for the first time since 2015 (Week 11-13, bowl).
• The Hoosiers have accounted for three games with 500-plus yards of offense in 2024 (703, Western Illinois; 510, Charlotte; 510, Maryland). The most in a season since 2020 (four games).
• Senior running back Justice Ellison scored on a 19-yard run in the third quarter in Week 5 against Maryland (9/28). Ellison has notched a rushing touchdown in four consecutive games dating back to Week 2 versus Western Ilinois (9/6). MORE ON PAGE 8
• Junior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt moved his consecutive games with a catch streak to 30-straight games with his 9-yard reception in the first quarter against Maryland. Sarratt enjoyed a seven-catch day for 128 yards and one touchdown. It was his ninth-career 100-yard receiving game.
• Junior linebacker Aiden Fisher tied a season-high 12 tackles against Maryland and has logged eight-plus tackles in each of the first five weeks of the season. It was his sixth career double-digit tackle game and second of his IU tenure. MORE ON PAGE 11
• Redshirt senior James Carpenter had a career-high 2.0 sacks against Maryland which also contributed to the Hoosiers' 8.0 tackles for loss against the Terrapins. MORE ON PAGE 12
• Sophomore defensive back D'Angelo Ponds charted a career-high 10 tackles against Maryland. MORE ON PAGE 13
• Indiana is tied for the ninth-fewest returning players in the FBS and tied for third-fewest returning scholarship players. MORE ON PAGE 5
• Of Indiana's 28 transfers, the list includes 11 defensive players, 15 offensive players and two specialists. There are 28 players from Division I, including 28 from the FBS and one from the FCS. MORE ON PAGE 5
• The 10 on-field assistants for the Hoosiers rank No. 4 in the FBS and No. 2 in the Power 4 in average age at 38.2 years old. Only Georgia Tech (33.2) has a younger group of assistant coaches. MORE ON PAGE 4
INDIANA (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) at NORTHWESTERN (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium (Evanston, Ill.)
Saturday, Oct. 5 | 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network| RADIO: Indiana Hoosiers Sports Network
Setting the Scene
• For the first time since the 2019 season and the 83rd time in program history, Indiana will play Northwestern in Evanston on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 ET at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium (12,023) on the Big Ten Network.
• Indiana enters the matchup with a national ranking in the AP and Coaches Poll for the first time since Week 1 of the 2021 season.
• The matchup will mark the first time the two teams have played in Evanston since the 2016 season.
• Northwestern owns the advantage in the all-time series, 47-35-1. Indiana won the last matchup in 2019, but Northwestern has won five of the last six meetings.
• In the 2019 matchup, the Hoosiers bested the Wildcats, 34-3, to push Indiana's record to 7-2 on the season.
By The Numbers
1 - Curt Cignetti is the only Indiana head coach to begin his head coaching tenure with a 5-0 record. MORE ON PAGE 4
5 - Indiana's five-game winning streak is the longest streak since a five-gamer during the 1987 season (Week 3-7).
500 - The Hoosiers posted back-to-back games with 500-plus yards of offense for the first time since 2015 (Rutgers, 557; at Maryland, 520). MORE ON PAGE 10
8.0 - Indiana logged its fourth game with 8.0 tackles for loss in 2024 to mark the most since posting four such games in 2018.
News & Notes
• Indiana enters the game with a 5-0 record after defeating Maryland (9/28), 42-28, in Week 5. This is Indiana's third time in program history starting a season 5-0 (2024, 1967, 1910).
• Curt Cignetti is the only Indiana head coach to start his head coaching tenure with a 5-0 record. MORE ON PAGE 4
• The Hoosiers won a game with four turnovers against Maryland, the first victory in a game with four turnovers since 2016 against Purdue (26-24).
• Scoring has come in bunches for Indiana as it has scored 40-plus points in four-straight games for the first time since 2015 (Week 11-13, bowl).
• The Hoosiers have accounted for three games with 500-plus yards of offense in 2024 (703, Western Illinois; 510, Charlotte; 510, Maryland). The most in a season since 2020 (four games).
• Senior running back Justice Ellison scored on a 19-yard run in the third quarter in Week 5 against Maryland (9/28). Ellison has notched a rushing touchdown in four consecutive games dating back to Week 2 versus Western Ilinois (9/6). MORE ON PAGE 8
• Junior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt moved his consecutive games with a catch streak to 30-straight games with his 9-yard reception in the first quarter against Maryland. Sarratt enjoyed a seven-catch day for 128 yards and one touchdown. It was his ninth-career 100-yard receiving game.
• Junior linebacker Aiden Fisher tied a season-high 12 tackles against Maryland and has logged eight-plus tackles in each of the first five weeks of the season. It was his sixth career double-digit tackle game and second of his IU tenure. MORE ON PAGE 11
• Redshirt senior James Carpenter had a career-high 2.0 sacks against Maryland which also contributed to the Hoosiers' 8.0 tackles for loss against the Terrapins. MORE ON PAGE 12
• Sophomore defensive back D'Angelo Ponds charted a career-high 10 tackles against Maryland. MORE ON PAGE 13
• Indiana is tied for the ninth-fewest returning players in the FBS and tied for third-fewest returning scholarship players. MORE ON PAGE 5
• Of Indiana's 28 transfers, the list includes 11 defensive players, 15 offensive players and two specialists. There are 28 players from Division I, including 28 from the FBS and one from the FCS. MORE ON PAGE 5
• The 10 on-field assistants for the Hoosiers rank No. 4 in the FBS and No. 2 in the Power 4 in average age at 38.2 years old. Only Georgia Tech (33.2) has a younger group of assistant coaches. MORE ON PAGE 4
#NeverDaunted
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