No. 19 Indiana football set a program record with 56,088 fans in attendance for its ranked matchup against No. 9 Illinois Saturday night at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
Heading into the game, Illinois ranked 14th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 45 points per game through its first three contests.
However, the record number of fans in attendance sporting crimson and waving white rally towels engraved with “Beat Illinois” in excitement for the anticipated ranked matchup energized Indiana’s defense. This fuel drove the Hoosiers to a 63-10 victory over the Fighting Illini, while allowing just 161 total yards.
“This was the loudest I’ve ever heard [Memorial Stadium],” senior linebacker Aiden Fisher said postgame. “It was electric. Everybody did a great job with the red out. It was awesome. By the time we ran out on the field, I couldn’t hear myself think.”
After Indiana deferred the opening kickoff, the Illinois offense took the field to start the game. But Indiana’s defensive unit fed off the crowd energy and set the tone early. Sophomore linebacker Rolijah Hardy picked up a sack on third down, forcing Illinois to punt on its opening possession.
Despite Illinois returning all five starters from its 2024 offensive line, the Indiana defensive front dominated the line of scrimmage Saturday.
Hardy’s sack sparked a trend throughout the game, as the Hoosiers secured seven sacks in the contest, while Illinois senior quarterback Luke Altmyer experienced consistent pressure throughout the night. Redshirt junior defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker and sophomore defensive lineman Mario Landino each registered two sacks in the ranked matchup.
“I thought our defensive line could whip their offensive line, and we did,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said postgame. “They came out and played with tempo early. And give him time to throw, he's going to get the ball where it's got to go. But I think the sacks were huge.”
In addition to a season-high sack number, the Cream and Crimson collected 10 tackles-for-loss, marking their third consecutive week with a double-digit total in the category. The Fighting Illini struggled to get their run-game rolling against the Hoosier defensive front, as they picked up just 2 total yards on the ground.
The Fighting Illini’s lone touchdown Saturday occurred on a missed assignment in the Hoosier secondary, as Altmyer hit open Illinois redshirt sophomore wide receiver Collin Dixon in stride for a 59-yard touchdown connection in the first quarter.
Following the Hoosiers’ mistake in the secondary, Illinois ended just one possession inside Indiana territory. In the second half, it experienced zero trips beyond midfield, as Indiana did not allow a score after Illinois’ 46-yard field goal to end the first half.
Even with a dominant performance on the defensive side of the ball, forcing seven three-and-outs, the Hoosiers’ secondary could have enjoyed an even bigger night on the stat sheet.
While junior defensive back Amare Ferrell secured Indiana’s only interception and the lone turnover of the game, redshirt sixth-year senior defensive backs Devan Boykin and Louis Moore each dropped potential interceptions.
Nonetheless, the Cream and Crimson controlled the line of scrimmage throughout the night, limiting the Fighting Illini to 3.6 yards per play and a 1-for-10 third down conversion rate. This commanding defensive effort propelled the Hoosiers to their first ranked victory in the Cignetti-era, a hurdle that they could not leap over in 2024.
“That was our goal, and that’s what we wanted to go out there and accomplish,” Tucker said. “I feel like Coach Haines really challenged us to do so, so it kind of felt like we had a chip on our shoulder to get it done. That’s kind of what we want to do every game and every week. Just keep building, building and building on what we've got going. Keep looking inward and get better every week, and I feel like we were able to put that out there.”
The Hoosiers’ first chance to build upon this performance will be in Iowa City, Iowa, where they will take on Iowa. The Hawkeyes showcased their rushing ability against Rutgers on Saturday, finishing the game with four rushing touchdowns en route to a 38-28 victory.
Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. Sept. 27, and the contest will be streamed on Peacock.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
