IU Football 2025

[Irishman]

On 9/15/2025 at 6:55 PM, Komets2727 said:

I really believe IU is going to beat Illinois handily. I just believe the Hoosiers are a better football team than Illinois. Home field plays a big role in this as well. 41-17 Hoosiers 

Great call!!!! I thought more like FootballKing, they would win and maybe by a couple scores. But man, they have taken Illinois to the woodshed. 

[Komets2727]

38 minutes ago, Irishman said:

Great call!!!! I thought more like FootballKing, they would win and maybe by a couple scores. But man, they have taken Illinois to the woodshed. 

IU is better than last year by a significant amount. That defense is nasty, puts pressure on the QB, and are ball hawks. This easily could be 70-10 as they dropped 2 pick 6’s. Just freaking dominant football. As great as Rourke was, Mendoza is a step above, probable top 5 picks in the NFL draft, 39-43 over the last 2 weeks, 14td’s 0 interceptions so far this year

[Boilernation]

Great atmosphere. Complete domination by IU. I read last week that Mendoza could be the top QB prospect in the draft. He looks the part. 

[PHJIrish]

That was an epic IU beatdown, considering they were only a 4.5 point favorites before the game.  Iowa is up next on the road.  Should be another IU win.  Then they have a big one against Oregon.  That's when we find out just how good this Hoosier team really is.  Cignetti is one hellavu coach!

Edited September 21, 2025 by PHJIrish

[Bash Riprock]

Experts….

Been in the stands at Memorial Stadium many times over a lifetime. Never witnessed anything like that before from an Indiana team. Incredible. Mendoza 5 TD’s to 4 different receivers, 21-23 all over 3 quarters. 7 sacks, gave up a total of 2 yards rushing for the game, while rushing for over 300 yds. I’ve never seen a Hoosier team this strong and this fast. Just got to keep it up going into a tough place to play at Iowa next week. Man, it was a joy to see this type of performance. 

[Bash Riprock]

Oh yeah…many of remember when a Bielema coached Wisconsin team dropped 83 on IU at Camp Randall. No mercy. Can’t lie….yesterday knowing that his 9th ranked team got 63 dropped on them (could have been worse) was extra sweet. 
 

 

Edited September 21, 2025 by Bash Riprock

[Bash Riprock]

[Komets2727]

I really believe IU is winning at either Penn State or Oregon. Injuries always have a lot to say about how you play, but IU is much better than last year, and damn, they were pretty good last year.

[Irishman]

1 hour ago, Komets2727 said:

I really believe IU is winning at either Penn State or Oregon. Injuries always have a lot to say about how you play, but IU is much better than last year, and damn, they were pretty good last year.

They have always played Penn State tough, but tend to get hosed playing there. Here's hoping! 

[Bash Riprock]

17 hours ago, Komets2727 said:

I really believe IU is winning at either Penn State or Oregon. Injuries always have a lot to say about how you play, but IU is much better than last year, and damn, they were pretty good last year.

My good buddy is a Penn State grad and has taken me to games in Happy Valley.  He told me after watching IU Saturday night, he's darn glad its a home game for the Nittany Lions and hope they consider another white out game.  IU really impressed him....let's just hope the Hoosiers sustain and stay healthy!

[Coach Nowlin]

On 9/15/2025 at 5:55 PM, Komets2727 said:

I really believe IU is going to beat Illinois handily. I just believe the Hoosiers are a better football team than Illinois. Home field plays a big role in this as well. 41-17 Hoosiers 

Nailed it!!!  Cheers

 

On 9/20/2025 at 8:02 PM, Komets2727 said:

Indiana up 28-7 midway thru the 2nd quarter. Illinois has no answer for the Hoosier offense and outside of a busted coverage, no answer for the Hoosier defense

Coach Cig new how to abuse the depleted secondary of Illinois but IU DL was also very good as well

 

[Bash Riprock]

2 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

 

Coach Cig new how to abuse the depleted secondary of Illinois but IU DL was also very good as well

 

As you well know coach, that's what a good coach does...exploits weakness.

That being said, not on the secondary Illinois gave up over 300 rushing yds.  IU won both LOS.  

Besides the 7 sacks, Illinois held to a total of 2 yds rushing.  Indiana State had 39 total rushing yds.  If it wasn't for one blown coverage leading to the lone Illini TD, they barely have 100 yds total offense.  Hoosier D really showed up.

[Footballking16]

6 hours ago, Bash Riprock said:

As you well know coach, that's what a good coach does...exploits weakness.

That being said, not on the secondary Illinois gave up over 300 rushing yds.  IU won both LOS.  

Besides the 7 sacks, Illinois held to a total of 2 yds rushing.  Indiana State had 39 total rushing yds.  If it wasn't for one blown coverage leading to the lone Illini TD, they barely have 100 yds total offense.  Hoosier D really showed up.

This was always going to be the narrative.

Last year it was, “their schedule was weak, beat a ranked team”.

Indiana proceeds to beat a ranked team (a top 10 team at that one that is still ranked) and the narrative shifts to “Illinois was overrated” or “Illinois was injured”. 
 

The narratives are going to keep changing as IU continues to get better and better. If IU was an SEC team or any other name brand program, they’d be the #1 team in the country right now after that performance. There are certain media groups and fans of certain fan bases that simply cannot handle the rise of Indiana’s program. Just going to have to accept that. Makes it all the more sweeter.

Edited September 22, 2025 by Footballking16

[Komets2727]

So the line is Indiana is favored by 7.5, which seems low to me

[23andCounting]

15 hours ago, Komets2727 said:

So the line is Indiana is favored by 7.5, which seems low to me

So bet on IU to cover? You're my new handicapper..............only for college though. Go over to the Notre Dame thread and share your thoughts on the ND/Arkansas game. I'm curious. 

15 hours ago, Komets2727 said:

So the line is Indiana is favored by 7.5, which seems low to me

Maybe they'll have a bit of a letdown after hammering Illinois?

[23andCounting]

On 9/21/2025 at 2:25 PM, PHJIrish said:

Cignetti is one hellavu coach!

Wonders how good Alabama or Ohio State would be with this guy at the helm. Really makes you wonder if he's the best coach in all of football. We all know now with 100% certainty that it's not Belichick. And if you're going into battle, does Belichick even make the Top 30?

[Komets2727]

20 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

So bet on IU to cover? You're my new handicapper..............only for college though. Go over to the Notre Dame thread and share your thoughts on the ND/Arkansas game. I'm curious. 

Maybe they'll have a bit of a letdown after hammering Illinois?

Some things to think about as Indiana visits Iowa:

1. IU’s first road game this year. Always a different dynamic playing on the road with 70,000 fans against you.

2. How does Mendoza play? Surely, he can’t continue at the pace he is going, but even if he is pretty good, that should be good enough with all the talent around him.

3. Is the running game sustainable? For me, it all starts up front with the big boys. I think they are for real so while they may not run for 300 yards every week, they are solid in the trenches.

4. Is the defense really that good? They dominated a veteran Illini team with a seasoned QB. Again, it starts with the big boys, and did they put on a show. QB pressure kills and I don’t think the Hawkeyes have the answer.

Bottom line, I see the Hoosiers taking control in the 3rd quarter and winning going away. IU wins 38-17

[Bash Riprock]

17 hours ago, Footballking16 said:

This was always going to be the narrative.

Last year it was, “their schedule was weak, beat a ranked team”.

Indiana proceeds to beat a ranked team (a top 10 team at that one that is still ranked) and the narrative shifts to “Illinois was overrated” or “Illinois was injured”. 
 

The narratives are going to keep changing as IU continues to get better and better. If IU was an SEC team or any other name brand program, they’d be the #1 team in the country right now after that performance. There are certain media groups and fans of certain fan bases that simply cannot handle the rise of Indiana’s program. Just going to have to accept that. Makes it all the more sweeter.

Fair statement....as I shared earlier, 4 out of the 5 on College GameDay picked Illinois to win.  So much I read from college pundits on social media picked Illinois.  Then immediately after the game, Illinois was overrated.  Experts....

Spot on about Indiana being admitted to the "Big Boys Club".  Seems its far easier for some to attempt to blow out the candles of others....I guess it makes them feel the candles burn brighter for their programs of choice.  As you said...embrace the underdog...use that as motivation.  Most importantly, the Hoosiers must bring their A game to Iowa City this Saturday.

[Coach Nowlin]

31 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Wonders how good Alabama or Ohio State would be with this guy at the helm. Really makes you wonder if he's the best coach in all of football. We all know now with 100% certainty that it's not Belichick. And if you're going into battle, does Belichick even make the Top 30?

Saw something over the weekend:   Cincicnatti chose to not hire Coach Cig citing lack of P4 experience and hired a perrenial .500 coach.........

[Bash Riprock]

7 minutes ago, Komets2727 said:

Some things to think about as Indiana visits Iowa:

1. IU’s first road game this year. Always a different dynamic playing on the road with 70,000 fans against you.

2. How does Mendoza play? Surely, he can’t continue at the pace he is going, but even if he is pretty good, that should be good enough with all the talent around him.

3. Is the running game sustainable? For me, it all starts up front with the big boys. I think they are for real so while they may not run for 300 yards every week, they are solid in the trenches.

4. Is the defense really that good? They dominated a veteran Illini team with a seasoned QB. Again, it starts with the big boys, and did they put on a show. QB pressure kills and I don’t think the Hawkeyes have the answer.

Bottom line, I see the Hoosiers taking control in the 3rd quarter and winning going away. IU wins 38-17

The D line really got my attention...7 sacks against Illinois...by 5 different players....none being Kamara.  I am not sure if he has a sack this season.  Guessing he's drawing his share of attention, which is opening it up for others and they are taking advantage.  

This game will give them the experience of playing in a very noisy and hostile environment....they will use for the first time silent counts....and that is needed with Iowa, Oregon and Penn State all coming up.

[Coach Nowlin]

9 minutes ago, Komets2727 said:

Some things to think about as Indiana visits Iowa:

1. IU’s first road game this year. Always a different dynamic playing on the road with 70,000 fans against you.

2. How does Mendoza play? Surely, he can’t continue at the pace he is going, but even if he is pretty good, that should be good enough with all the talent around him.

3. Is the running game sustainable? For me, it all starts up front with the big boys. I think they are for real so while they may not run for 300 yards every week, they are solid in the trenches.

4. Is the defense really that good? They dominated a veteran Illini team with a seasoned QB. Again, it starts with the big boys, and did they put on a show. QB pressure kills and I don’t think the Hawkeyes have the answer.

Bottom line, I see the Hoosiers taking control in the 3rd quarter and winning going away. IU wins 38-17

I am with you:  IOWA is a prideful program and playing at home is always tough, but Coach Cig has proven his teams are tough minded.   I think something 24-17/21 goes to IU in the end, but would not surprise me that Iowa Covered if not won outright just because of factors listed.    If IU execution is from Illinois they cover, if its from Old Dominon then going to be a dog fight

[Bash Riprock]

2 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

Saw something over the weekend:   Cincicnatti chose to not hire Coach Cig citing lack of P4 experience and hired a perrenial .500 coach.........

Lack of P4 experience, yet he was an assistant to Saban at Bama.  Sure glad they saw it that way.

Starting to see "experts" talking about Cig at Florida and perhaps Bama.  Hope that is just hot air and he loves Btown.

[Bash Riprock]

2 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

I am with you:  IOWA is a prideful program and playing at home is always tough, but Coach Cig has proven his teams are tough minded.   I think something 24-17/21 goes to IU in the end, but would not surprise me that Iowa Covered if not won outright just because of factors listed.    If IU execution is from Illinois they cover, if its from Old Dominon then going to be a dog fight

Although Old Dominion slapped Va Tech around, didn't they??  Beat the Hokies 45-26 in Blacksburg.  Maybe better than people had thought.....but I hear you on the execution

[Komets2727]

42 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

I am with you:  IOWA is a prideful program and playing at home is always tough, but Coach Cig has proven his teams are tough minded.   I think something 24-17/21 goes to IU in the end, but would not surprise me that Iowa Covered if not won outright just because of factors listed.    If IU execution is from Illinois they cover, if its from Old Dominon then going to be a dog fight

My thoughts are that IU is a much better team than Iowa. I am giving Iowa some credit as it is tough to play at Kinnick stadium. Unless IU has 4+ turnovers and craps the bed, I just don’t see Iowa hanging with them. Honestly, I think Illinois will prove to be a better team with a better record than Iowa, but time will the story

[23andCounting]

1 hour ago, Coach Nowlin said:

Saw something over the weekend:   Cincicnatti chose to not hire Coach Cig citing lack of P4 experience and hired a perrenial .500 coach.........

Damn, that's gotta sting.