On a night where Indiana set a slew of program records -- including most points in a single game in program history and most yards of total offense in a game in the history of the program -- a pair of underclassmen stole a portion of the spotlight.
Amidst Indiana's historic, record-breaking Friday night win over Western Illinois, two of the newest Hoosiers took the opportunity they were given late in the 77-3 win and they ran with it.
Neither linebacker Rolijah Hardy, nor defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker started Indiana's week two contest, yet by the end of the night, both had stuffed the stat sheet.
In just the second appearance of Hardy's young collegiate career, the true freshman got his chance with the Hoosiers' second unit once the starters were pulled in the second half.
When given that opportunity in the second half of Indiana's blowout win over Western Illinois, Hardy took full advantage.
"I think (Hardy's) got a real chance," Cignetti said postgame. "We like him. He really started to take some steps forward at the end of fall camp, moving to that No. 2 linebacker spot behind (Aiden) Fisher."
The 5-foot-11, 225 pound linebacker recorded a sack, forced a fumble and brought an interception back to the end zone for a pick six all during the final 30 minutes of Friday night's affair, catching the eye of his head coach in the process.
"(Hardy's) a good athlete, he comes from a great high school program -- Lakeland," Cignetti said. "He looked really good when he caught that ball, showed good natural hands, good movement getting in there."
After a two tackle performance in Indiana's week one win over Florida International, Hardy asserted himself as someone who can be a key contributor for the Hoosiers' defense as the season continues -- even if it's not in a starting capacity.
Tucker had an equally as impressive performance during his time with the second unit in Friday night's throttling.
After spending the first two seasons of his collegiate career playing under Curt Cignetti at James Madison, Tucker made the transition from Harrisonburg to Bloomington this offseason alongside his head coach.
"He's a baller, he's been balling," defensive lineman and fellow JMU transfer Mikail Kamara said postgame. "Me and him worked out all summer, so I already know what he's capable of. It's really just him showing everybody else what he's capable of. This is going to keep going, it's nothing new and you're going to see it more."
During Tucker's 2023 campaign with the Dukes, the Norfolk, Virginia native tallied a sack and a half across 13 games played.
Tucker matched that total in the Hoosiers' week two victory alone, notching 1.5 sacks versus the Leathernecks.
"I'm really proud of him," Cignetti said. "Tyrique (Tucker) has really improved every year. He's a great guy. He's overcome a lot in his life and really does great in the classroom. He's a great teammate. He's really improved every single year as a player. I'm really proud of him and happy for his success."
In a game where the scoreline will get most of the headlines, Hardy and Tucker's performances may go unnoticed by the average viewer.
The performances the two underclassmen put together in Indiana's historic Friday night win over Western Illinois didn't go unnoticed by their teammates or their head coach.
When Big Ten play begins next Saturday in Pasadena for Indiana against UCLA, Hardy and Tucker likely won't play too large of a role. Nonetheless, it's a good sign of things to come for two guys in just their second games donning the cream and crimson.
As Cignetti put it, "It's so good to see those young guys making some plays early in their careers."
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