FOOTBALL GAMEDAY: Old Dominion (Week 1)

Setting The Scene

• Indiana is set to open the 2025 season under second-year head coach Curt Cignetti with a home date against Old Dominion on Saturday (Aug. 30) at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.
• Cignetti and the Hoosiers will look to build upon the success of 2024, when the team had its winningest season of all time, going 11-2 and reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.
• The opener marks the first time in program history that Indiana and Old Dominion have faced off against one another. While the two programs have never met, Cignetti coached against the Monarchs twice when he was at James Madison and went 2-0 in those games, defeating them 30-27 in 2023 and 37-3 in 2022.
• The home contest marks the first of seven home games for the Hoosiers at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium this season and the first of four in a row to begin the 2025 campaign.
• In non-conference home season openers, Indiana owns a 26-3 mark since 1953 - the first year the Big Ten fielded 10 teams in the conference.
• The Hoosiers have won 12 straight non-conference home season openers dating back to 2001.

News & Notes

• Curt Cignetti begins the 2025 season with the fifth-best winning percentage among all FBS head coaches. Cignetti owns a .812 winning percentage in all FBS games. MORE ON PAGE 4
• Indiana has an experienced and veteran-filled roster with 29 players in their final year of eligibility in the 2025 season. That mark ranks tied for third most in the FBS. MORE ON PAGE 4
• Curt Cignetti nearly retained his entire staff from the 2024 season, only losing one of his 10 on-field assistants. The only new coaching staff member is Chandler Whitmer, who will lead the quarterbacks and serve as co-offensive coordinator after serving as a pass specialist for the Atlanta Falcons in 2024. MORE ON PAGE 6
• For the first time in program history, Indiana will play two regular season Friday games, facing off against Indiana State (Sep. 12) on Friday in Week 3 and at Purdue (Nov. 28) on a Friday to close the regular season. MORE ON PAGE 5
• Indiana has four players who were recognized as preseason All-Americans by multiple outlets, including Aiden Fisher, Mikail Kamara, D'Angelo Ponds and Elijah Sarratt. MORE ON PAGE 5
• Fisher returns to the Hoosier defense after leading the Big Ten in total tackles with 118 in 2024. MORE ON PAGE 11
• Indiana's defensive line was bolstered by a strong group of transfers in the offseason to replace the majority of the line's core in 2024: Hosea Wheeler (Western Kentucky), Kellen Wyatt (Maryland), Stephen Daley (Kent State) and Dominique Ratcliff (Texas State). MORE ON PAGE 12
• For the second year in a row, Indiana's starting quarterback will be a first-year Hoosier and transfer as Fernando Mendoza replaces Kurtis Rourke under center in 2025. Mendoza comes to Bloomington from California, where his strong play made him the No. 14 ranked player in the Transfer Portal this past offseason and the No. 3 quarterback in the cycle. MORE ON PAGE 7
• Sarratt and Roman Hemby both carry impressive streaks of consecutive games with a reception. Sarratt leads the nation with 38-straight games with a catch while Hemby has notched 26-straight games a reception to lead all running backs. MORE ON PAGE 6

GAME 1

Setting The Scene

News & Notes

Week 1 Links

#20/19 Indiana 27, Old Dominion 14