Indiana enters Saturday afternoon’s go to from Kennesaw State with a 9-0 file at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington underneath second-year Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti.
Practically as frequent as Hoosier house victories over that span? Cignetti caveats that issues may need gone in another way.
The No. 23 Hoosiers (1-0) anticipate a problem from the Owls (0-1), to make sure. Kennesaw State misplaced 10-9 at Wake Forest in its season opener on Aug. 29, lacking an additional level and area purpose however nonetheless hanging robust with an influence convention foe.
Indiana dealt with Outdated Dominion 27-14 a day later, though Cignetti bemoaned missed alternatives to widen the hole, particularly a dropped landing move, overthrown TD move and fumble within the crimson zone.
“Final yr we led the nation in red-area landing share,” Cignetti mentioned of his group, which truly was No. 2 at 79.7 p.c (Navy was first at 81). “However we have to get higher. Does not matter what you probably did up to now. Gotta get higher now. In order that’s that.”
Another memorable journey contained in the Outdated Dominion 20-yard line ended with Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza scoring on a 5-yard landing run and a 17-7 lead with 3:36 left within the second quarter.
A Cal switch, Mendoza completed 18 of 31 for 193 yards whereas including 33 yards on the bottom in his Indiana debut.
Cignetti’s evaluation of Mendoza sounded acquainted — inspired however removed from glad.
“The emphasis with him has been on his processing and choice making,” Cignetti. “And also you grade the quarterback based mostly on his choice making and accuracy — has he gone by means of the best reads, throwing the ball to the best man and precisely. He is made progress since he is been right here, however he is nonetheless bought to get higher.”
Indiana’s multi-pronged dashing assault stored rolling to an output of 309 yards vs. Outdated Dominion. Roman Hemby carried 23 instances for 111 yards, Kaelon Black rushed 17 instances for 92 yards and a rating, and Lee Beebe Jr. added 73 yards on 11 carries.
Kennesaw State restricted Wake Forest to 130 yards on the bottom on 47 carries, a median of two.8 yards per rush. The Owls produced 4 sacks and 7 tackles for loss, with Baron Hopson pacing the unit with 11 tackles.
Coach Jerry Mack referred to as the Owls’ passing recreation “very subpar.” Georgia Southern switch Dexter Williams II, who started his collegiate profession at Indiana, was simply 12-for-33 for 149 yards in his program debut. He added 44 dashing yards to enrich Coleman Bennett, who ran 17 instances for 66 yards and a TD.
Mack is stressing composure and fundamentals as Kennesaw State prepares to go to a Faculty Soccer Playoff participant from final season. The Owls channeled each for lengthy stretches at Wake Forest however in the end had been unable to prevail.
“Simply as simple as we may have received the sport, simply with a few small particulars, we did not win the sport, simply due to these small particulars,” Mack mentioned. “So, these issues bought addressed, and I feel that the group, they noticed just a little glimpse of what may very well be if we simply return to work and work just a little bit more durable and put together just a little bit higher.”
Saturday will mark the primary assembly between the Hoosiers and Owls.
–Discipline Degree Media
