A sea of cream and crimson erupted in “I-U, I-U" chants, waving white towels above their heads, in anticipation for Indiana football to kick off its season against Old Dominion University on Saturday afternoon.
But the Indiana home crowd was quickly silenced.
On the first play from the line of scrimmage, Old Dominion redshirt sophomore quarterback Colton Joseph — who led a Monarchs’ rushing attack that ranked 14th in the nation in 2024 — fooled the entire Indiana defense, running 75 yards untouched for a touchdown.
Following the big play, the Indiana defense showed flashes of its 2024-self, when it had the lowest rushing yards allowed per game in the FBS. It forced three turnovers, while holding the Monarchs to just one other score en route to a 27-14 victory.
“We had a missed assignment on the first play, the long touchdown run,” Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti said postgame. “And then we collected ourselves on defense shortly thereafter and pretty much dominated them. Didn't give them anything.”
On the Monarchs’ second drive of the game, they returned to Joseph’s legs on third down.
But senior defensive lineman Kellan Wyatt and redshirt senior defensive lineman Hosea Wheeler stood ready for it. The duo combined to stop Joseph two yards shy of the first down marker, rejuvenating the Indiana defense and sparking life into the home crowd.
Wyatt and Wheeler, transfers from Maryland and Western Kentucky University, respectively, are set to fill in defensive gaps this season after defensive linemen C.J. West and James Carpenter left the program after the 2024 season.
In his first game in an Indiana uniform, Wheeler was pivotal in anchoring the Hoosiers’ defensive front. He recorded five total tackles, which tied for the second most by a Hoosier on Saturday behind sixth-year senior defensive back Louis Moore.
However, the Hoosiers struggled to pressure Joseph early. The signal caller’s mobility bought him extra time to throw, leading to a three-for-three passing start. Indiana senior linebacker Aiden Fisher and sophomore linebacker Rolijah Hardy hurried Joseph into spiking the ball onto the turf on a third down for his first incompletion of the game.
Despite the absence of freshman defensive back Byron Baldwin Jr., the Indiana secondary flew around the field to limit big plays through the air. Joseph completed 11-22 passing attempts, with his longest completion going for just 18 yards.
Moore, junior defensive back Amare Ferrell and junior defensive back D’Angelo Ponds each recorded one interception Saturday. With his first interception of the 2025 season, Ferrell built upon his 2024 campaign, where he led the Hoosiers with four interceptions.
Cignetti highlighted the interceptions in his postgame press conference.
“Every week's a new challenge,” Cignetti said. “That was a different offense because of the way they spread you out and the ability of the quarterback to run the ball, but those plays were game -changers, there's no doubt.”
Ponds was named to the Thorpe Award watch list in July —— the honor awarded to the best defensive back in college football. In addition to his interception, Ponds disrupted a screen pass on a third and two play and forced a five-yard loss.
As uncertainty surrounding Moore’s eligibility continues, Ponds and Ferrell kicking off the season with interceptions and limiting downfield throws is an encouraging sign for the Hoosiers’ defense moving forward.
But with 6:53 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, the Indiana defense committed another mistake as Joseph took off for his second big rushing touchdown of the game. The Newport Beach, California, native rushed 78 yards to the endzone to bring the Monarchs within two scores.
Joseph’s two rushing touchdowns spoiled an otherwise strong defensive performance for the Cream and Crimson. They allowed just 39 yards across 13 combined carries to the Old Dominion running back duo of redshirt freshman Maurki James and senior running back Ke’Travion Hargrove. The Hoosiers also held the Monarchs’ offense without a snap on the plus side of the 50-yard line.
After the game, Ferrell cited the Hoosiers’ lack of discipline as playing a role in giving up the long plays — an aspect Indiana will hope to correct moving forward.
Following its victory over Old Dominion, Indiana secured its 13th consecutive non-conference home season opener win — a streak that dates back to 2001.
Now, the Hoosiers prepare to host Kennesaw State University, where they will look to prevent Saturday’s big defensive blunders.
The Hoosiers’ quest to improve to 2-0 on the season begins at noon Sept. 6 at Memorial Stadium.
Conor Banks covers Indiana football for the Indiana Daily Student. You can follow him @Conorbanks06 on X and contact him via email at conbanks@iu.edu.
