Indiana University Athletics
Postgame Notes: Kennesaw State
9/6/2025 5:09:00 PM | Football
Postgame Notes
Kennesaw State at Indiana
September 6, 2025
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
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