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Maryland coach Mike Locksley on Indiana football: ‘We got a big challenge on our hands’

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Maryland coach Mike Locksley on Indiana football: ‘We got a big challenge on our hands’


Indiana football’s disciplined approach under new coach Curt Cignetti has Mike Locksley’s attention. Locksley previewed Maryland’s showdown against the Hoosiers (4-0; 1-0 Big Ten) earlier this week. 

“The things that jumps out to me, they are not going to give us this game,” Locksley said. “They are going to make us beat them.”

The Terps 44-17 win in 2023 over IU was a cakewalk. 

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Former starting quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw a 62-yard completion on the first play of the game to set up an early touchdown. They led 27-3 at the half and Tagovailoa finished the game with six touchdowns (five passing). 

Locksley expects this game to be a bit more of a chess match. 

“They will figure out who to take away from us, and our complimentary players are going to have to step up,” Locksley said. 

More: Indiana football: Why Curt Cignetti is familiar with Maryland QB Billy Edwards Jr.

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Maryland football coach Mike Locksley has deep respect for Curt Cignetti

Locksley is one of the many coaches in the Big Ten conference with a deep respect for the Cignetti family name. Cignetti’s father, Frank, is in the College Football Hall of Fame and his brother, Frank Jr., is a well-traveled coach with experience in the pros and college. 

At the conference’s media days back in July, Greg Schiano, Kirk Ferentz and James Franklin all talked about how much the Cignetti name resonated in the midwest. Locksley reiterated the point on Monday. 

“I know his family, his dad was a legendary coach at the other Indiana University [IUP], at Towson we played them every year,” Locksley said. “He comes from a football family.”

Towson was 0-4 against IUP during Locksley’s playing career white Frank Cignetti Sr. was the head coach. 

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He crossed paths with Curt back in the early 00’s when the two were both assistants in the ACC. Locksley was Maryland’s then running backs coach while Cignetti coached quarterbacks at NC State. 

They both have experience coaching under Nick Sabana at Alabama as well. 

“I can just tell you, they are a well-coached team,” Locksley said, after mentioning that connection. 

More: Mind Your Banners: Priming the pump for IU’s crucial visit from Maryland

Maryland football coach Mike Locksley worried about IU’s offensive weapons 

One of the big questions Locksley has to answer this week is how to slow down an Indiana offense that’s one of just five teams currently averaging 50-plus points and 500-plus yards a game. 

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“We got a big challenge on our hands,” Locksley said. 

He was complimentary of quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who he described as someone with “moxie”, a “big arm” and “playing at a high level.” He also praised IU’s stable of running backs that have averaged a combined 5.8 yards per carry and leads the FBS with 18 touchdowns. 

The player that stood out the most for Locksley on IU’s offense is tight end Zach Horton. Horton has modest numbers in the receiving game this season — seven catches for 67 yards with a touchdown — but Locksley sees him as integral to the team’s overall success. 

“He is the glue for them on offense,” Locksley said. “This is a guy that’s really talented in the run game. You get enamored in catches and production there (at receiver), but as a coach when you look at things as I think of things on offense, he’s the heart and soul of it. His style of play is what you like. I respect the way he plays.”

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

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DoorDash driver accused of pepper-spraying customer’s Arby’s order, resulting in wife falling ill

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DoorDash driver accused of pepper-spraying customer’s Arby’s order, resulting in wife falling ill


Caught red (pepper) handed.

A DoorDash driver has been banned from the app after being accused of dousing an order with pepper spray and causing an unsuspecting customer to fall ill after eating the tainted food.

The sick act was caught on a doorbell camera outside an Evansville, Indiana, home just after midnight on Sunday.

A DoorDash driver sprays an unknown substance on a food delivery order in Evansville, Indiana, on Dec. 7, 2025. Mark Cardin/Facebook

The driver, who hasn’t been charged with any crime, was dropping off an Arby’s delivery to Mark Cardin and his wife, Mandy, when she snapped a confirmation photo before suddenly producing an object from her pocket and spraying the order.

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The blue-haired worker placed the spray back into her jacket pocket before walking away, all in front of the camera.

The couple brought the order inside, unaware that something was wrong with it and began chowing down.

Moments later, Mandy began struggling to breathe.

“I noticed my wife had starting eating and she started choking and gasping, and after she had a couple bites of her food she actually threw up,” he told WFIE.

Mandy and Mark Cardin ordered Arby’s to their home through DoorDash on Dec. 7, 2025. Mark Cardin/Facebook
The sick act was caught on a doorbell camera outside an Evansville, Indiana, home just after midnight on Sunday. Mark Cardin/Facebook

The horrified customer began investigating the cause of his wife’s sudden illness when he examined the order.

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“I had a look at the bag and seen that there was some kind of spray or something,” Cardin said. “The bag had been tampered with. So I pulled up my doorbell camera and seen that the lady who dropped the food off had actually tampered with it on purpose for some reason.”

Cardin shared the photos and videos of the driver to Facebook asking for help in identifying the driver.

He attempted to contact her but found she already blocked him on the app.

Cardin shared the photos and videos of the driver to Facebook asking for help in identifying the driver. Mark Cardin/Facebook

Cardin reported the food runner’s stunt to DoorDash and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office is looking to get the driver fired and charged.

“I definitely want to see her prosecuted,” Cardin told WFIE, adding that they had never met her before and had left a tip before the incident.

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The driver has been banned from the app after footage surfaced of the late-night delivery.

“We have zero tolerance for this type of appalling behavior. The Dasher in question has been permanently removed from the platform, and our team is standing by to support law enforcement with any investigation,” a DoorDash spokesperson told The Post.

The driver has been banned from the app after footage surfaced of the late-night delivery. Mark Cardin/Facebook

Cardin doesn’t know exactly what was sprayed on the food, fearing it could’ve been worse than it was.

“It’s horrific,” Cardin said. “We assume it’s pepper spray, that’s more than likely what it is, but now in this day and age it could’ve been anything. It could’ve been rat poison, it could’ve been fentanyl. I mean, my wife could’ve been dead.”

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has opened an investigation into the driver and could charge her with consumer product tampering, a level 6 felony, according to WFIE.

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If the foreign spray resulted in harm the charge could be increased to a level 5 felony.

“We live in a terrible world right now,” Mark said. “Horrific. People are mean for no reason. There was no reason to do what she done,” Cardin said, encouraging other food delivery app users to be cautious with their future orders.

“I would say to anybody, if you order food on any kind of delivery service, make sure you have a doorbell,” Mark said.

“This is making me second guess ever ordering food from anywhere ever again,” he said.

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Several northeast Indiana cities, counties awarded grants for infrastructure projects

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Several northeast Indiana cities, counties awarded grants for infrastructure projects


NORTHEAST INDIANA (WPTA) – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has announced the list of cities and counties selected to receive funds through its Community Crossings Matching Grant Program.

The Community Crossings program, created in 2016, gives funding to towns, cities, and counties in the Hoosier State that are used for infrastructure improvement projects.

Projects eligible for funding through the program include road and bridge preservation projects that comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, along with chip sealing and crack-filling operations.

On Tuesday, the following recipients were announced:

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Allen County, Bluffton, DeKalb County, and LaGrange County were among those that received the largest grants, at $1 million.

You can view the full list of recipients here.

INDOT says the next call for project submissions will open in July. For more information about the program, visit INDOT’s website.

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Indiana, Curt Cignetti emerging in race for elite transfer QB

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Indiana, Curt Cignetti emerging in race for elite transfer QB


Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers head into the College Football Playoff as the No. 1 seed in the field after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes by a final score of 13-10 in the Big Ten championship game.

Knocking off Ohio State was the biggest statement that Indiana could have sent. Not only did the Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes, they completely shut down the former No. 1 team in the nation offensively.

Led by star quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who many believe could be the top overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Hoosiers are a legitimate national championship contender. However, there are some who are looking ahead at next season with questions.

Read more: Texas, Arch Manning Dealt More Bad News After Missing CFP

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Being a long-term championship contender is no easy task. Losing Mendoza to the NFL, assuming he makes that decision, will be difficult to recover from. That being said, there is an intriguing transfer portal option that Indiana could become a favorite to land.

Joe Cox of College Football HQ on SI has named the Hoosiers as potential team to watch when it comes to star Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt in the transfer portal.

“Who would have thought that Indiana would be a QB destination? But if Kurtis Rourke can lead IU to the Playoff and Fernando Mendoza can lead them to No. 1, what could Leavitt do in Bloomington?” Cox wrote. “Assuming Mendoza does go to the NFL (which seems like a foregone conclusion), the spot is open for an immediate splash.”

Leavitt made the decision to enter the transfer portal back on Monday. He has shown elite talent during his time with the Sun Devils.

During the 2025 college football season at Arizona State, Leavitt completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 1,628 yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions, while also running for 306 yards and five scores. He produced those numbers in just seven games.

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Read more: Alabama Named in Paul Finebaum’s Head-Turning CFP Prediction

Last year, Leavitt posted bigger numbers. He threw for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while completing 61.7 percent of his passes. He chipped in with 443 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Adding Leavitt would undoubtedly keep Cignetti and Indiana in the national championship picture. There will be plenty of other teams with interest in adding him, but the Hoosiers would make a ton of sense.

For more on the Indiana Hoosiers and college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.



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