Indiana Football Sets Attendance Record Vs. Illinois: 'Loudest I've Heard This Stadium'

Forget the man next to him. Aiden Fisher couldn't hear himself think.

When Indiana football's senior linebacker ran onto the field with his teammates before Saturday night's top 20 matchup with Illinois, the noise inside Memorial Stadium — coming from a program-record 56,088 fans — was deafening.

"I mean, this is the loudest I've ever heard this stadium," Fisher said postgame. "And it was just electric. I think everybody did a great job with the red-out. It was awesome."

A lengthy day of tailgating didn't slow Indiana's student section, which was full over 45 minutes before kickoff. When quarterback Fernando Mendoza glanced into the stands during pre-game warmups, he couldn't find an empty seat in the student-designated area.

Each time an Illinois fan entered the Hoosiers' student-designated bleachers pre-game, boos followed. There were chants of "overrated" and "Hoosier daddy" directed toward the Fighting Illini.

No. 19 Indiana (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) dominated No. 9 Illinois (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) on the field, cruising to a 63-10 victory, and the Hoosiers fed off the energy they received from the fans inside Memorial Stadium.

Fisher said a lot of Indiana's energized defensive effort — one in which the Hoosiers registered 10 tackles for loss and seven sacks and allowed just 161 total yards of offense — stemmed from the fans. Mendoza noted the Hoosiers' offense, which scored touchdowns on eight of its 10 full drives, benefitted as well.

The student section thinned marginally as rain fell and Indiana's lead grew in the second half, but by the time the clock hit zero, enough fans remained to warrant a full-team migration to the Northeast corner of Memorial Stadium.

"To have that support from the student section, hearing their chants throughout the game, hearing their energy, it really just energizes us as well," Mendoza said. "So, when it was like 56-10, we keep on going because everyone's still in the crowd. Although it's raining, they're waving the towels and it really just adds another layer.

"And also, I think it made it really hard for Illinois to play here. So, I think that helped our defense a lot. Our defense did a fantastic job and really appreciate all the fans coming out and supporting us."

Illinois coach Bret Bielema confirmed Mendoza's assumption.

"I've been around this league a long time," Bielema said, "and that was a very, very impressive atmosphere to be in. Give credit to them."

Fisher said the noise was so loud, Indiana's defense relied heavily on signals over vocal communication.

"We got to keep that going," Fisher said, smiling. "But it was great. Having a community that really is engaged with your football team and supports and shows up like this in a big-time matchup is huge for your program."

Indiana redshirt junior defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker said the more the Hoosiers dominated, the more he could feel a shift on the field. He felt it from the stands, too.

"Beautiful," Tucker said postgame about Indiana's crowd. "Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. We got to keep that up. I love the energy out there. I mean, I feed off it. Every time I make a play, I look at the stadium, I get happy. I'm like, 'Yeah, let's go, come on.' So yeah, I love that, and we got to keep going at it."

The Hoosiers sold out their final four home games in 2024, when the program reported an attendance of 53,082.

Indiana added more seating and suite options this summer, which led to the expanded max capacity. The Hoosiers' highest-drawing non-conference game was a Week 1 victory over Old Dominion, where a reported 47,109 fans watched Indiana's 27-14 win.

Tickets sold out to Saturday night's game in July. The matchup, on paper, warranted such a turnout. It marked the first top 20 matchup in Bloomington since 1987, and the first such meeting between Indiana and Illinois since 1950.

There were splashes of Illinois' orange in the stands, but the rest was crimson — and, by night's end, happy.

"Great night for Indiana Hoosier fans," Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said postgame. "Stadium was hopping."