BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana spring football practice comes to an end as the Hoosiers host the Spring Game at 8 p.m. Thursday at Memorial Stadium.
The parking lot opens at 5 p.m. and gates to the stadium open at 7 p.m. for the game. Parking and admission are free.
The game will not be televised or streamed, so if you want to see the Spring Game, you have to show up in-person.
There will be giveaways inside the stadium starting at 7 p.m. with rally towels, schedule posters, schedule cards and magnets available on the east concourse. The clear bag policy for Memorial Stadium is in effect.
Coach Curt Cignetti will split the squads between offense and defense, and he will use a modified scoring system for the game. Apart from traditional scoring, such as six points for a touchdown, it is as follows:
• Turnover gained: 4 points
• Defensive stop/punt: 3 points
“We play a half, basically, it’s what we do, offense versus defense, and then that’s it,” Cignetti said last week.
It is the only time during the spring where there is tackling, though quarterbacks and other players can expect to be protected from any nasty hitting.
Here are three things to watch for if you attend the game:
How Will Fernando Mendoza Look?
This will be the first time the public will see new quarterback Fernando Mendoza in action. It will be the first time the media has seen him throw against a defense, apart from social media posts made by Indiana’s promotion staff.
Of course, we know that Mendoza threw for 4,712 career yards in two years at California. He threw 30 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions.
What has been seen of Mendoza at Indiana has been promising. He throws an accurate deep ball and can move in the pocket. But it’s all been seen in a vacuum. What we don’t know is how Mendoza reacts when under pressure or faced with different coverages.
Mendoza does have a veteran receiving corps. Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper Jr. and E.J. Williams are all experienced targets.
Who Has Progressed On Defense?
The media gets to watch parts of practice but not any offense vs. defensive action. So it’s hard to gauge what progress has been made on the defensive side without seeing any of the players aggressively.
We know all about players like Mikail Kamara, Aiden Fisher, D’Angelo Ponds and Amari Ferrell, but we haven’t even seen aa player like Kamara playing in the stud position occupied by Lanell Carr Jr. in 2024.
Other players, like Tyrique Tucker, Rolijah Hardy, Mario Landino and Jamari Sharpe should be in more prominent roles. Newcomers (or returning players) like Louis Moore, Ryland Gandy, Devan Boykin, Amariyun Knighten and Dominique Ratcliff all get the chance to show what they’re all about.
How Big Will The Crowd Be?
Indiana is coming off of a historic 11-2 season, the best in school history. A College Football Playoff berth was the reward, something no one thought possible going into the 2024 season.
Cignetti was the toast of Indiana fans. The bandwagon justifiably rolled.
However, it’s easy to get fired up about a playoff game or late-season high-stakes games against Michigan and Ohio State. Or a chance to stick it to rival Purdue in a regular season finale that was more like a coronation of the 2024 season than a football game.
The Spring Game is a different level of commitment to being a football fan. The time isn’t convenient – 8 p.m. on a weekday – and it’s spring football. This isn’t the South, where football is a way of life. Spring football has traditionally been met with indifference by many Indiana fans.
So it will be interesting to see if there’s a bump in interest due to Indiana’s unprecedented success in 2024.
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