Indiana celebrates program-changing senior class with win over Wisconsin

Before the roar, before the score, before Indiana marched to 11-0 for the first time in program history, there was a quiet, almost imperceptible acknowledgment of what Saturday actually meant.

It came in the form of a celebration.

When sophomore receiver Charlie Becker hauled in a 31-yard pass to open the scoring against Wisconsin, he didn’t point to himself or sprint toward the cameras. Instead, he broke into Indiana’s patented “fist and blades” touchdown celebration — the same one that has become synonymous with senior wideout Elijah Sarratt.

Sarratt, sidelined on one of the most meaningful home Saturdays of his career, could only watch. But the point was unmistakable: this was his moment too. And Becker knew it.

Because Saturday, as much as it was about the Hoosiers’ 31-7 dismantling of the Badgers to keep a perfect season alive, was never just about the result. It was about the seniors — the ones who stayed, the ones who arrived with belief and the ones who helped construct perhaps the greatest turnaround college football has ever seen.

“To see them walk on senior night and to see them play great games — it’s sentimental and special to me,” quarterback Fernando Mendoza said postgame. “It’s just so special because those guys have done so much for Indiana football and Indiana football has loved them so much.”

Indiana has honored countless senior classes. None looked like this one. None carried this weight. None delivered anything close to what the last two years have brought.

There were more than two-dozen seniors recognized pregame, but atop that list stood the group that followed head coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Bloomington ahead of the 2024 season.

They were the ones he called “foundational pieces for the program.” They were the ones who believed that Indiana — the losingest program in college football history — could become something else entirely.

Sarratt, linebacker Aiden Fisher, defensive end Mikail Kamara and running back Kaelon Black. Only seven of Cignetti’s original JMU transfers remain, four of whom participated in Senior Day on Saturday. Their impact is woven into every win, every memory, every improbable step towards further cementing Indiana’s national prominence.

“A lot of guys came in here and changed the culture and bought in,” senior defensive end Stephen Daley said.

How it Happened: Indiana weathers slow start to beat Wisconsin

They didn’t just buy in — they remade the place. They’re on the precipice of leading Indiana to consecutive College Football Playoff appearances. They transformed Memorial Stadium into a fortress they never once lost in. They authored a reclamation story few thought possible.

There remains an outside chance that Indiana could host a CFP game. But realistically, Saturday was likely the seniors’ final time inside Memorial Stadium. Even Cignetti — always measured — admitted the strangeness of that reality.

“It’s hard for me to look at it that way because we all understand what we’ve accomplished together and what’s down the road,” he said. “We don’t know for a fact that it is our last game here at home. We hope it is. It’s kind of weird to say; I get it.”

Weird or not, his seniors played like they understood what the day meant.

Fisher and safety Louis Moore — both seniors — led Indiana in tackles. Defensive tackle Dominique Ratcliff, another senior, recorded a sack and one of the team’s eight tackles for loss. Daley added three tackles for loss of his own and forced a fumble that redshirt senior defensive lineman Hosea Wheeler recovered. Senior defensive back Devan Boykin claimed the defense’s second turnover with an interception.

On offense, senior tight ends Riley Nowakowski and Holden Staes each caught touchdowns. Senior running back Roman Hemby led the team in rushing.

It was a performance layered with finality, pride and just enough defiance to remind everyone why Indiana sits among the nation’s elite.

When the clock finally finished bleeding out and Fisher jogged off the field, a crowd gathered near the tunnel chanting his name — a chant that seemed to slow him, even surprise him. After two seasons of never losing at home, he finally paused.

“It kind of makes you appreciate it. I don’t think I really do that enough in my life where I just stop and appreciate things,” Fisher said. “I did take a moment there to appreciate everybody and their support. I think that’s the longest I’ve ever spent in the stands after a game — signing everything and taking pictures — knowing that it’s probably my last home game.”

Coach Q&A: Curt Cignetti reacts to Indiana’s win over Wisconsin

There will be more monumental games ahead — a Big Ten title push, potentially a deep playoff run, perhaps even a run to the national championship. But regardless of what the next two months bring, Saturday will remain one of the most poignant days of the Cignetti era.

It marked the beginning of the end for a class that fundamentally altered Indiana football. A class that didn’t inherit success but built it. A class that treated belief as a mandate and identity as a responsibility. A class that forced a football world long accustomed to dismissing Indiana to turn and stare.

“I really love this place,” Fisher said. “I’ve never really been a place over people kind of person, but this place is special.”

In the end, that is why Saturday’s win mattered so much more than the score. Because Saturday, even with 11-0 hanging in the air, belonged to the seniors who made such a moment possible in the first place.

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