Week 1 Gameday Roundup: FIU

Quick summary statistics for Indiana's matchup against FIU

Indiana came into its Week 1 matchup against FIU with a ton of offseason momentum that was in desperate need of tangible on-field support, and the Hoosiers found exactly that on Saturday. While it wasn’t a perfect performance — particularly for the pass protection — it was truly a dominant performance against a team Indiana should have dominated.

Win Probability

The game began with an Indiana three-and-out (as seen in the chart), but then the Hoosiers scored a touchdown on three straight drives and never looked back. One of my primary takeaways was how, even with some inconsistent play, the game never felt like it would slip from Indiana’s grasp, which hasn’t always been the case.

Top Performers

Indiana

• Passing: Kurtis Rourke — 15-of-24, 180 yards, 1 TD

• Rushing: Elijah Green — 5 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD

• Receiving: Omar Cooper — 3 receptions, 45 yards

• Defense: Aiden Fisher — 12 tackles, 2 TFLS, 1.0 sack

Florida International

• Passing: Keyone Jenkins — 20-of-29, 129 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

• Rushing: Kejon Owens — 6 carries, 36 yards

• Receiving: Dean Patterson — 5 receptions, 28 yards

• Defense: Dwight Nunoo — 7 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1.0 sack

See more at ESPN’s box score.

EPA (Estimated Points Added)

EPA stands for Estimated Points Added. Before the snap, each play has an estimated points value, depending on field position, down, distance, and other factors, and the result of the play — whether it falls beyond or below the estimated value — determines the EPA for each play. This helps provide insight into the values/execution of plays, given their respective scenarios. Curious about defensive EPA? Use IU’s opponent’s offensive EPA values!

EPA Roundup observations:

• Indiana was fantastic in run defense, particularly keeping dual-threat QB Keyone Jenkins contained. Part of this was because, compared to Tom Allen’s defensive scheme, the LBs were actually available to spy.

• FIU only had one offensive drive dig into the red zone, and it converted for a touchdown. That’s why its red zone success is so high.

• Indiana’s third-down success rate started strongly and waned over time.

• Overall, this was a dominant performance by Indiana, even with the inconsistencies in various areas.

Cumulative EPA during 2024

Indiana was a drastically different team in any of the five seasons between 2019 and 2023, and 2024 is expected to be even more so. Comparing 2024 offensive and defensive cumulative EPA to the previous five seasons can offer some insight into how the season is progressing in relation to recent years.

Notable Stats

• Aiden Fisher had 12 total tackles but only 4 solo tackles. This shows that the IU defense was flying around in a positive way.

• Tyrique Tucker, the anticipated 4th DT in the depth chart, led Indiana’s DTs with 4 tackles.

• Indiana committed 7 of its 9 penalties on offense.

• Elijah Sarratt and Donaven McCulley combined for 4 targets that resulted in 3 catches for 21 yards. Omar Cooper led the team with 8 targets.

• With his 36 yards against FIU, TE Zach Horton already owns 44% of the total receiving yards for Indiana’s leading TE in 2023 (Trey Walker, 81 yards).

• Indiana finished with 234 rushing yards on 5.9 yards per carry. IU hadn’t reached that total since beating Michigan State on Nov. 19, 2022 (257). The Hoosiers hadn’t reached 5.9 yards per carry against an FBS opponent since doing so in two straight weeks in 2019 (Rutgers and Maryland, 6.8 and 6.3).

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