'Unsung hero' Riley Nowakowski stands out amid highlight-fueled win over Kennesaw State

Indiana’s 56-9 win over Kennesaw State on Saturday had no shortage of big moments.

Wideout Elijah Sarratt hauled in three touchdown passes. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw for four and even shared the stage with his brother, Alberto, who added one of his own. The Hoosiers rushed for more than 300 yards for the second straight week, something they hadn’t done in over a decade, and wide receiver Omar Cooper brought the crowd to its feet with a 75-yard reverse for six.

For all the fireworks, the performance that resonated most within the program came from a player who rarely shows up in highlight reels. Sixth-year tight end Riley Nowakowski, a former walk-on, earned the game ball from head coach Curt Cignetti after his work behind the scenes in the Hoosiers’ Week 2 victory.

“He was the player of the game on offense,” Cignetti said Monday. “Sort of an unsung hero, high effort, high character, gives you everything he’s got play in and play out. He really played well Saturday … The effort on the reverse by him and others downfield was really nice to see.”

Nowakowski’s stat line could have been missed with a quick glance: one carry for one yard and a touchdown, one reception for 14 yards. Yet when Indiana’s weekly plaques went up outside the media room Tuesday night — one each for offense, defense and special teams — his name was etched into the offensive slot.

That honor made sense to Cooper, whose long touchdown run only happened because teammates like Nowakowski kept working downfield.

“It was a reverse,” Cooper explained Saturday after the game. “We had some really good blocks. The [offensive] lineman did well, Elijah Sarratt secured the defensive end and then both of our tight ends, Holden Staes and Riley [Nowakowski] were both blocking downfield, so I really appreciate them.”

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Plays like that aren’t isolated moments for Nowakowski — they’re his calling card. Sarratt admitted Tuesday that watching his tight end sprint to throw blocks on every snap has pushed him to reevaluate his own approach.

“I see him busting his butt to go and find someone [to block] every single play,” Sarratt said Tuesday. “Showing the effort that he does — putting his body on the line — you look at yourself in the mirror like, ‘Man, what am I doing? Am I giving that same effort every single play?’”

That kind of presence was obvious to running back Roman Hemby even before the season started. Both Nowakowski and Hemby transferred to Indiana in December, arriving within days of each other. From the beginning, Hemby said, it was clear who set the tone in workouts and drills.

“When we first got out here, I could see that he was a leader,” Hemby said Tuesday. “He was somebody that came to work prepared every day. It’s something that rolled over through spring ball, into [fall] camp, and now you guys are seeing it on Saturday.”

For Hemby, the film shows what the box score doesn’t.

“He shows up a lot,” Hemby said. “If you put on the film, you’ll see him blocking guys 10 yards down the field, and when he gets the ball he’s making a big impact as well. He definitely makes his presence felt.”

That impact has helped fuel one of the best rushing starts Indiana has seen in decades. Saturday marked the first time since 2014 — when Tevin Coleman set the program’s single-season rushing record — that the Hoosiers have topped 300 yards on the ground in consecutive games. In the past 30 years, it has only happened twice.

Through two weeks this season, Indiana ranks third nationally in rushing offense, averaging north of 300 yards per game. A team that finished 83rd in 20-plus-yard runs last year already has six such plays, tied for sixth in the country.

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Nowakowski’s willingness to do the unglamorous work makes him a natural fit in Cignetti’s program. At Wisconsin, he played in 40 games over five seasons while moving between tight end, linebacker and fullback. That versatility underscored a larger point: he was willing to line up wherever the team needed him, a mentality he’s carried with him to Bloomington.

“You’re getting the same Riley every day,” Hemby said. “Coach [Cignetti] said he was the unsung hero [in Week 2]. I feel like he’s just that — in the locker room as well. He doesn’t say too much but he’s well-respected by everybody.”

Nowakowski doesn’t chase stats or headlines. His satisfaction comes from moments like Cooper’s reverse, where his downfield block helped turn a simple handoff into a stadium-shaking touchdown. The yards may not go next to his name, but the plays don’t happen without him.

That’s why, in a week full of highlights, Indiana’s offensive player of the game was the one who kept making them possible.

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