FOOTBALL GAMEDAY: Kennesaw State (Week 2)

Setting The Scene

• Indiana is set to host Kennesaw State for the first meeting in program history on Saturday (Sept. 6) at noon on Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.
• This is the second consecutive week that Indiana hosts a game against a first-time opponent, and its fifth since the start of 2024 (2025: Old Dominion; 2024: Western Illinois, Charlotte, UCLA).
• The home contest marks the second of seven home games for the Hoosiers at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium this season and the second of four in a row to begin the 2025 campaign.
• Kennesaw State is in its second season as an FBS program. Last year, the Owls went 2-10 in their debut season in the FBS.

News & Notes

• Indiana enters the game with a 1-0 record after defeating Old Dominion, 27-14, in Week 1. That marked 13-straight wins in non-conference season openers and improved Indiana's record of non-conference season openers to 27-3 since 1953 - the first year the Big Ten fielded 10 teams in the conference.
• Curt Cignetti has the fourth-best winning percentage among active FBS head coaches. Cignetti owns an .816 winning percentage in his career. 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 leads the quarterbacks and serve as co-offensive coordinator after serving as a pass game specialist for the Atlanta Falcons in 2024. MORE ON PAGE 5
• Indiana's 309 yards rushing was the team's first 300-yard effort against an FBS team since 2016 when the Hoosiers ran for 411 yards against Maryland. It was also the second game of 300-plus rushing yards under Cignetti. MORE ON PAGE 8
• The three interceptions by Indiana mark the first three-interception game since its three picks against Nebraska in 2024. The last game with four-or-more interceptions by Indiana was in 2009 at Iowa (5 INT).
• Roman Hemby had his eighth career 100-yard rushing game against Old Dominion when he ran for 111 yards to become the first IU running back to debut with a 100-yard effort since Jordan Howard (145 yards) against Southern Illinois in the 2015 opener. MORE ON PAGE 8
• Jonathan Brady's 91-yard punt return touchdown in the first quarter tied for the fourth-longest punt return in program history and the longest since Lance Bennett broke the program record of 94 yards in 2004 against Michigan State. MORE ON PAGE 9
• Both Lebron Bond and Charlie Becker made their first career catches in the win over Old Dominion. MORE ON PAGE 9
• Elijah Sarratt and Hemby both carry impressive streaks of consecutive games with a reception. Sarratt leads the nation with 39-straight games with a catch while Hemby has notched 27-straight games with a reception to lead all running backs. MORE ON PAGE 6
• Mikail Kamara moved his streak of consecutive games with a tackle to 37 — every game of his career. MORE ON PAGE 12
• Isaiah Jones had his first career solo sack in the third quarter of Indiana's Week 1 victory over Old Dominion. MORE ON PAGE 11
• Amare Ferrell grabbed the first IU interception of the season in the second quarter, the fifth interception of his career. MORE ON PAGE 14

GAME 2

Setting The Scene

News & Notes

Week 2 Links

#23/21 Indiana 56, Kennesaw State 9