Postgame Notes: Kennesaw State

Postgame Notes
Kennesaw State at Indiana
September 6, 2025

TEAM
• Indiana is 1-0 all-time against Kennesaw State.

• Indiana's game captains were Pat Coogan, Aiden Fisher, D'Angelo Ponds & Elijah Sarratt.

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

??• One Hoosier transfer made their first start at Indiana: TE Holden Staes.

• One transfer student-athletes made their Indiana debut: DB Amariyon Knighten

??• Three true freshmen made their collegiate debut: DB Jaylen Bell, TE Andrew Barker & OL Baylor Wilkin.

• One Hoosier made their collegiate debuts: OL Evan Lawrence.

• Fernando Mendoza and Alberto Mendoza become the first set of brothers to throw a touchdown pass in the same game of the same team since 2015 when Arkansas' Brandon Allen and Austin Allen did so against UT Martin (10/31/2015).

• With the blocked punt, Indiana has now blocked five kicks since the start of the 2024 season (4 punts, 1 field goal).

• Indiana posted 300-plus rushing yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 2014 (363, North Texas; 316, at Iowa).

• At 313 yards rushing in the game, Indiana posted the third game of 300-plus rushing yards under Cignetti.

• The offense posted back-to-back games with 500-plus yards of total offense for the first time since three-straight games from Weeks 4-6 in 2024.

• The 593 yards of total offense mark the seventh game of the Curt Cignetti era with 500-plus yards of total offense. It is the second-most yards Indiana has gained under Cignetti.

• With two rushing scores in the game, Indiana has recorded multiple rushing scores in 13 of Cignetti's 15 games.

Charlie Becker | WR | So.
• Charted a career-long 49-yard reception in the fourth quarter.
• Caught his first career touchdown on a 6-yard pass from Alberto Mendoza in the fourth quarter.

Lee Beebe Jr. | RB | R-Jr.
• Scored his first touchdown as a Hoosier on an 11-yard rush in the second quarter.

Anthony Chung | DB | R-So.
• Recorded his first career tackle when he brought down Chase Belcher for no gain in the fourth quarter.

Omar Cooper Jr. | WR | R-Jr.
• Had a career-long 75-yard rush for a touchdown to put Indiana up 35-9 in the third quarter.
• Ties for longest touchdown run by an IU wide receiver since at least 1996 (Shane Wynn - Michigan State, 2014).
• Longest rushing touchdown by a non-running back since 2014 (Zander Diamont, Ohio State).

Clay Conner | DB | R-So.
• Blocked his first career punt in the first quarter when he disrupted Joshua Huiet's punt at the Kennesaw State 23-yard line.

Aiden Fisher | LB | Sr.
• Tied a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss. He last reached the mark against South Alabama in 2023.

Roman Hemby | RB | R-Sr.
• Extended his consecutive games with a catch streak to 28 with his 25-yard reception in the third quarter.

Mikail Kamara | DL | R-Sr.
• Moved his streak of consecutive games with a tackle to 38 — every game of his career.
• His 2.0 tackles for loss marked 31 of 38 career games with a tackle for loss.

Nico Radicic | K | R-So.
• Moved into No. 8 on the career extra points made charts after an 8-for-8 effort on extra points to move his career total to 82. He passed Logan Justus (77; 2018-19) in the game.
• His eight extra points made placed him tied for No. 4 on the single-game charts. He is in a five-way tie with his own mark in 2024 versus Nebraska, Mitch Ewald (2013; Purdue), Adam Braucher (2001; Northwestern) and Bill Manolopoulous (1994, at Kentucky).

Alberto Mendoza | QB | R-Fr.
• Threw his first career touchdown on a 6-yard pass to Charlie Becker.

Fernando Mendoza | WR | R-Jr.
• Threw his first touchdown as a Hoosier on a 9-yard connection with Elijah Sarratt in the first quarter.
• Had a career-high four touchdown passes.
• Recorded an 18-for-25 passing day with 245 yards and four touchdowns.

Louis Moore | DB | R-Sr.+
• Had his second consecutive game with an interception and fifth of his career when he picked off Amari Odom in the third quarter.
• Tied a career-high 1.5 tackles for loss. He last reached the mark against Furman in 2024.

Riley Nowakowski | TE | R-Sr.+
• First touchdown as a Hoosier came on a 1-yard rushing score in the first quarter. It was his first career rushing attempt.

Mario Landino | DL | So.
• Tied a career-high two tackles. He has reached the mark three other times last at Notre Dame in 2024.

D'Angelo Ponds | DB | Jr.
• Matched a career high 1.0 tackles for loss. He has reached the mark five other times with the last against Purdue in 2024.

Elijah Sarratt | WR | Sr.
• Continued his nation-leading consecutive games with a catch streak to 40 on his 13-yard connection with Fernando Mendoza in the first quarter.
• Had his eighth career multi-receiving touchdown game and third at Indiana with three scores on the day.
• It was his third career 3-touchdown game and first since 2023 (at Coastal Carolina).

Jamari Sharpe | DB | R-Jr.
• Had his first forced fumble of his career and his second fumble recovery in the third quarter when he stripped and took the ball from Lydon Ravare.

Quinn Warren | P | So.
• Had a 49-yard punt to the Kennesaw State 5-yard line in the second quarter to mark the second time out of three career punts that he has pinned it inside the opponent's 10-yard line.

Jackson Wasserstrom | WR | R-Jr.
• Had his first career reception on a 17-yard connection with Alberto Mendoza.

E.J. Williams Jr. | WR | R-Sr.+
• Scored on an 8-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. It was his first touchdown as a Hoosier and his first since 2020 (vs. Notre Dame).

Kellan Wyatt | DL | Sr.
• Had a career-high nine tackles and matched a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss. He last recorded 2.5 tackles for loss against Michigan State in 2024.

Players Mentioned

Andrew Barker

Charlie Becker

Lee Beebe Jr.

Jaylen Bell

Anthony Chung

Clay Conner

Pat Coogan

Omar Cooper Jr.

Aiden Fisher

Roman Hemby

Mikail Kamara

Mario Landino

Evan Lawrence

Alberto Mendoza

Fernando Mendoza

Louis Moore

Riley Nowakowski

D'Angelo Ponds

Nico Radicic

Elijah Sarratt

Jamari Sharpe

Holden Staes

Quinn Warren

Jackson Wasserstrom

Baylor Wilkin

E.J. Williams Jr.

Kellan Wyatt

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