Indiana football wrapped up its spring with its second consecutive spring game Thursday inside Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. The offense defeated the defense 31-23 in the two-quarter intrasquad scrimmage.
The Hoosiers’ defense notched a pair of turnovers, intercepting redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza and recovering a fumble. Mendoza unofficially went 10 of 14 for 123 yards passing as he tossed a touchdown.
Freshman wide receiver LeBron Bond led the Hoosiers in receiving as he caught four passes for 29 yards and a score, while redshirt junior receiver Omar Cooper Jr. hauled in a pair of touchdowns on the night.
Senior linebacker Aiden Fisher and senior receiver Elijah Sarratt were both held out of Thursday’s contest after they “dinged up their knees last practice” but their absences are not a “long-term thing,” according to Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti.
Here’s what to know from the Hoosiers’ second spring under Cignetti’s guidance.
Mendoza closes spring strong
After Kurtis Rourke guided Indiana to an 11-2 record in 2024, Cignetti had the task of replacing Rourke in the offseason. The second-year head coach brought in Fernando Mendoza, who transferred from the University of California, Berkeley in the offseason.
When the Hoosiers began spring camp March 8, Cignetti explained the coaching staff would have to work with Mendoza on getting the ball out of his hand on rhythm.
“I thought he had a really good last week,” Cignetti said. “Now, I'm not –– I haven't watched tonight's film, okay, so I'm going to take tonight out of the mix. But I thought his last three practices, one of which was a scrimmage, he made major strides. It really started to click. I felt really good before the scrimmage where we were there with him.”
Mendoza was also under duress during much of his last season at Cal –– quarterbacks weren’t hit Thursday — so Cignetti said the Miami native would have to develop trust and confidence in the pocket.
Redshirt senior offensive lineman Pat Coogan, who transferred in from the University of Notre Dame, noticed Mendoza’s development throughout the spring too.
“Huddling up, he makes sure he looks people in the eyes — which sounds like it’s not a big deal but it’s a huge deal,” Coogan said. “It’s good to just have that commander right there and you know you’re comfortable with him and you know he’s going to make plays. He’s taken huge steps throughout the spring and he’s a baller man.”
New-look running back room expecting no drop-off
Indiana’s top two rushers from last season — Justice Ellison and Ty’Son Lawton — exhausted their eligibility in 2024. Ellison is back as a graduate assistant, but Indiana’s only two returning ball-carriers are sixth-year senior Kaelon Black and redshirt freshman Khobie Martin.
The Hoosiers, who led the Big Ten with 37 rushing touchdowns and were fifth with 165.1 rushing yards per game in 2024, reloaded through the transfer portal with Maryland senior Roman Hemby and University of Alabama at Birmingham redshirt junior Lee Beebe Jr.
Hemby has played in 38 games over the past three years, accumulating 2,276 rushing yards and 920 receiving yards with 25 all-purpose touchdowns. Beebe rushed 166 times for 884 yards and seven touchdowns last year at UAB.
Black, who finished third on the team in both carries and rushing yards last season, believes the Hoosiers’ new running backs will be similarly effective.
“Honestly, there is not going to be any drop off,” Black said April 8. “The guys that we brought in, they are some heavy hitters. Those guys work hard every single day. We all get in work after practice and, honestly man, it is just going to be a tough group for sure. We are just going to have to wake the world up and show them what we've got.”
Highlighted by a 41-yard run up the middle, Black was the Hoosiers’ leading rusher Thursday night. Beebe added a five-yard touchdown run and 24-yard reception, while Hemby’s longest attempt went for 18 yards.
Hoosiers confident in ‘thin’ receiver room
After losing senior receiver Tyler Morris to a knee injury suffered in practice, Cignetti said the Hoosiers were “thin” at receiver. Morris was expected to be a significant contributor for Indiana in the slot.
“It's really tough,” redshirt junior receiver Omar Cooper Jr. said April 3. “Tyler was a really good player for us, and he was going to do well in the slot position for us this year. It makes us have to work harder, take more reps and learn more about the offense to play inside and outside.”
Morris, standing on crutches, watched the spring game from the sideline in his red No. 9 jersey.
Indiana finished spring practice with only seven scholarship receivers: Cooper, sixth-year senior E.J. Williams, seniors Elijah Sarratt and Makai Jackson, sophomore Charlie Becker and freshmen Myles Kendrick and LeBron Bond. The Hoosiers will also add freshman Davion Chandler this summer.
Cignetti said Thursday after the game that apart from Becker, each of Indiana’s receivers have taken snaps at slot since Morris’ injury. But as Cooper, who had two receiving touchdowns Thursday, alluded to earlier in the spring, there are challenges associated with moving from outside to inside — though Cignetti said it’s not too complicated to learn.
“Just learning their assignment, splits, little things like that,” Cignetti said. “Really, most guys should be able to play on the left side, right side and in the slot. Even the guys that have never lined up in the slot have played in the slot because, in season, we’ll move guys around. ‘Who do we think runs this route the best or can get open deep on this route?’”
Indiana’s freshmen rid themselves of early complacency
During their first spring availability March 11, two of the Hoosiers’ most vocal leaders — senior linebacker Aiden Fisher and offensive tackle Carter Smith — said some of Indiana’s freshmen newcomers entered with big heads. Smith said there was “cockiness,” while Fisher called spring practice a time for “reality checks.”
As Fisher predicted, the Hoosiers’ freshmen endured a valuable, lesson-filled spring on the field.
“It’s definitely come a long way,” Fisher said postgame. “Just little details within the defense and how these young guys used to play — see ball, go get ball — but it’s changed here. You’ve got to take a lot more advanced steps to get to the ball.”
Indiana’s newcomers also grew off the field. Fisher said earlier in the spring most freshmen transition from being the star of their high school team to buried on the depth chart in college. The Hoosiers’ freshmen adapted.
“Personality wise, a lot of reality checks happened,” Fisher said. “From then on, they kind of put their heads down and started to work, and you saw that progress every single day. So, it was the best for them, and I think it was a really good thing to happen, and they’ve gotten a lot better.”
Several freshmen made plays Thursday night, headlined by Stewart’s fumble recovery and Bond’s touchdown catch. Indiana’s highest-rated recruit, safety Byron Baldwin, deflected a pass.
Season awaits
After the final whistle of Indiana’s spring game, Cignetti rallied his team at midfield. Players sat on their knees as the 63-year-old coach delivered his final speech of the spring.
His message?
“When we come back in the fall, it’s on,” Cignetti said. “It’s real.”
The Hoosiers open the regular season Aug. 30 against Old Dominion University inside Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Jhett Garrett (@jhettgarrett) for updates throughout the Indiana football offseason.