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Indianapolis, IN

Trey Benson flashes potential in Cardinals' sloppy loss to Colts

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2 years ago

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Trey Benson flashes potential in Cardinals' sloppy loss to Colts


INDIANAPOLIS — Arizona Cardinals rookie running back Trey Benson didn’t necessarily wow the crowd behind eight carries for 21 yards in his team’s preseason opener loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Seeing about the same number of touches in the Cardinals’ 21-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, Benson flashed his big-play potential and vision.

In just over a quarter of work, Benson averaged 4.8 yards per carry on his way to 43 yards on nine rushing attempts.

And it could have been much more.

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Recording his fourth carry of the night, Benson nearly had a house call. After shaking multiple Colts defenders, the third-round pick turned up the field for a 19-yard gain. Had it not been for safety Nick Cross, Benson had a clear path to pay dirt.

It wasn’t only the Colts defenders Benson had to worry about, though.

On Benson’s final carry of the evening, the running back again made Colts defenders miss as he shifted his way 20 yards to Indianapolis’ two-yard line.

Unfortunately for Benson and the offense, his efforts were for naught thanks to a Christian Jones holding penalty. It was a tough series for Jones, who picked up three straight holding calls.

Benson, who entered the game listed as Arizona’s RB2 behind James Conner, won’t see the lost yardage on the stat sheet. He and the coaching staff will, however, see improved tape.

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Much to clean up

While Jones was dinged for numerous penalties, he wasn’t the only one caught having mental lapses.

As a team, Arizona committed 11 penalties for 82 yards.

The sloppiness on display simply cannot happen if the Cardinals hope to improve their win-loss record from a year ago.

“I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. One of our modes of play is our brain and we didn’t use it tonight,” Gannon said. “That falls strictly on me.

“I thought we were ready to play physically, violence was on display, good effort and finish, but I just told them we’re not going to beat anybody making those kinds of mistakes and you can’t self-destruct and we did on all three phases. That falls on me and the coaches. We gotta get it cleaned up fast.”

Tune takes Round 2

For a second consecutive week, Clayton Tune outperformed Desmond Ridder, further solidifying his case for QB2.

Completing 80% of his throws (8-of-10) for 79 yards, Tune again looked comfortable operating the offense after getting the starting nod on Saturday.

He capped off a strong first half with a 12-yard touchdown run.

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“I feel like I’ve put in some good work,” Tune said postgame. “There’s still work to be done. That’s my mindset. Go in, watch the tape, learn from it, come back next week ready to work and build on it.”

“I feel like I’m playing more on time, playing quicker, getting through my reads, seeing the defense and just being decisive,” the QB added.

Ridder on the other hand completed 60% of his passes (6-of-10) for 71 yards, though saw the majority of his yardage (42) come in the final series of the game.

A false start on Dennis Daley ended the drive and the game, leaving Ridder without another chance at finding the end zone.

“He had some good balls in there. I thought he made some plays with his legs,” Gannon said. “Would have liked to see the last play get off, but we couldn’t get it done.”

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The Thomas twins

Saturday night was another strong showing from 2024 fifth-rounder Xavier Thomas.

Recording his second sack of the preseason along with two QB hits and a tackle for loss, Thomas had good pressure on Indianapolis signal callers.

For someone who said their legs were shaking on the first play of the preseason opener against the Saints, Thomas is looking more at home and appears to be trending up the depth chart.

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“Today I pretty much knew what to expect and things like that. It’s always good to get more comfortable,” Thomas said postgame.

The rookie wasn’t the only Thomas who stood out on Saturday.

Third-year pro Cameron Thomas was also a factor in the backfield, getting to quarterback Sam Ehlinger for a sack and pressuring fellow signal callers Jason Bean and Valley native Kedon Slovis on multiple occasions.

The Cardinals still have question marks surrounding their pass rush after projected starter BJ Ojulari went down with a reported torn ACL during training camp, ending his season before it began.

Could either Thomas find a more prominent role in the rotation? A strong showing next week in Denver could press the issue.

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Aside for the Thomas twins, Victor Dimukeje was another name getting added pressure against the Colts and narrowly missed out on a pair of sacks.

Give me that!

Kei’Trel Clark and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson provided an added boost in Arizona’s secondary on Saturday, each forcing a turnover and flipping the field in the Cardinals’ favor.

Clark put the hammer down on wide receiver Anthony Gould to force a fumble in the waning moments of the first quarter.

The second-year pro flew around the football field for most of the night, a positive development in a cornerbacks room where roles are still up for grabs.

“I thought he looked violent, physical. He had a couple good coverages in there, forced the fumble,” Gannon said. “He looked good in there and he played two spots today, so it was good to see.”

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It was Taylor-Demerson, better known as Rabbit, who had the play of the evening.

With 1:51 left in the first half, Taylor-Demerson snagged a pass near the sideline intended for wide receiver D.J. Montgomery and managed to keep his feet inbounds.

Had it not been for the duo’s takeaways, the score would have looked a lot different in Gannon’s eyes behind the mountain of penalties.

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“The takeaways were good. That’s the reason we stayed in the game,” Gannon said. “Without those takeaways, I think we get the brakes beat off of us, truthfully. I gotta watch the tape, but I know the interception was a phenomenal play. I thought he had a couple tackles in there. He looked good.”





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Indianapolis, IN

Mt. Vernon boys basketball wins program’s first state title

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10 hours ago

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March 28, 2026

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Mt. Vernon boys basketball wins program’s first state title


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Mt. Vernon High School boys basketball team has accomplished something it hasn’t done before – win a state championship.

The Marauders beat Crown Point 52-50 on Saturday night in the IHSAA 4A State Championship Game inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It’s the program’s first-ever state title.

Mt. Vernon senior guard Luke Ertel, the favorite to win Indiana Mr. Basketball, finished with a game-high 26 points. He also finished with 10 rebounds.

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Indianapolis, IN

Love & fouls: How Ex-Pacers Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson were greeted in Indy

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23 hours ago

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March 28, 2026

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Love & fouls: How Ex-Pacers Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson were greeted in Indy


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  • Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson received a warm welcome and a tribute video in their first return to Indiana.
  • Mathurin engaged in friendly trash talk with his former teammates, particularly Andrew Nembhard.
  • The Pacers traded the players due to roster needs and future contract and luxury tax considerations.

INDIANAPOLIS — Before they were traded together to the Clippers in February along with draft picks for Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown, Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson had both spent their entire NBA careers in Indiana.

The Pacers took Jackson in the first round of the 2021 draft and Mathurin in 2022. Jackson, who spent just one year at Kentucky before entering the draft, made his NBA debut at 19. Mathurin, who spent two years at Arizona was 20. Both of them viewed Indianapolis as the place where they became men and professionals.

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So it meant a lot to them that they were warmly received in their first game back after the trade. The Pacers put together a tribute video combining their highlights and played it during the first timeout of Friday’s game, which the Clippers eventually won 114-113. Mathurin and Jackson got a big ovation then each got one again when they checked in the game off the bench.

“It meant the world,” Mathurin said. “It meant the world. Indy is my first home. I was able to get drafted over here and just being loved by the fans and most of the organization was great. I love the fans.”

There was clearly love from his teammates too, though it looked a lot different than the appreciation he got from the fanbase.

Mathurin was famous during his time at Indiana for his competitive nature and trash talk. He’s supremely confident in his game and driven by a desire to beat everyone at every competitive endeavor all the time. He talked trash with teammates who were guarding him in practice, telling anyone who tried that they couldn’t guard him, so naturally he did the same when they were taking him on in an actual game. It wasn’t clear exactly what words were being exchanged between Mathurin and his former teammates, but it was clear there were a lot of them.

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“Always talk trash with Benn,” Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith said with a smile. “There was nothing that we hadn’t done before.”

The back-and-forth was particularly fiery between Mathurin and Pacers point guard Andrew Nembhard, Mathurin’s classmate from the 2022 NBA draft. Nembhard took on the assignment of guarding Mathurin whenever the two were in the game and he made a point to be physical with Mathurin, so much so that he seemed more willing to foul Mathurin than allow him to shoot. Nembhard picked up five fouls in 32 minutes — most of them on Mathurin — while Mathurin made 0 of 3 field goals in the first half and 2 of 8 for the game but also made 12 of 15 free throws for 17 points.

“It was fun, man,” Mathurin said. “He was talking a lot of crap. I did pretty well for an off night. He called it an off night. I don’t know. He couldn’t guard me. How many fouls did he have? Stop fouling me, you know what I’m saying? That’s the only way to stop me. But that’s my guy, man. That guy has a really, really bright future ahead of him. I consider him my brother. He’s got a lot of great things coming to his way. I’m super-blessed to compete against him. … He’s one of the best defenders in the league.”

The Pacers drafted Mathurin because they believed he could be one of the league’s best young scorers and he was during his time in Indiana. In 2022-23, he scored the third-most points of any rookie in Pacers history and became the first Pacers player since Rik Smits in 1989 to be named first-team All-Rookie. He averaged 16.1 points per game in his 3 1/2 seasons and is the third-leading scorer in the 2022 draft class behind only Orlando’s Paolo Banchero and Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams.

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Mathurin was averaging 17.8 points per game for the Pacers when he was traded and he’s averaging 19.9 points per game since he was acquired by the Clippers on 14.4 field goal attempts per game, a career high. He’s had some issues with efficiency and is shooting just 19.7% from 3-point range (13 of 66), but he’s given the Clippers a potent scoring wing off the bench and he’s averaging 2.4 assists per game. That’s more than he ever averaged in a season for the Pacers.

“He’s been great at getting to the free-throw line and drawing fouls,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “But also, last game I think he had a career high in assists. Making the right play when guys are open. Making the right play, hitting the first open guy. I think last game he had seven assists, so just understanding what we need from him every single night.”

Jackson has also filled a needed role for the Clippers. He wasn’t getting much action as of the Pacers’ meeting with the Clippers in Los Angeles on March 4. At that point, he’d played in just three of 10 games with the Clippers and hadn’t played more than six minutes in any of them.

However in that game, promising young center Yanic Konan Niederhauser suffered a Lisfranc injury in his right foot which will keep him out for the rest of the season. Jackson stepped in and scored 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting and ever since he’s been starter Brook Lopez’s backup at center. Jackson scored in double figures in five of the last seven games. With four points on 2 of 2 shooting in Friday’s game, he’s made 15 consecutive field goal attempts over the last four games. He’s averaging 7.5 points and 4.6 rebounds on a remarkable 76.4% shooting in 17 games with the Clippers.

“He’s been very helpful,” Lue said. “I think his athleticism, being able to run the floor, get behind the defense on pick-and-rolls. And then, what’s huge for us is defensively, being able to switch 1 through 5 and being able to give teams different looks outside of Brook who is always in a deep drop. You come in with Isaiah who can switch 1 through 5 at times. And what’s surprised me the most is I didn’t know he could post up smaller guys. If you throw him the ball around the basket, he’s been finishing really well.”

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Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has been pleased to see both find success in Los Angeles. They were ultimately willing to part with them, he said, because they believe in Zubac as their answer at center and because Mathurin was headed toward restricted free agency in the offseason and the Pacers weren’t sure they’d be able to keep him and a reasonable luxury tax figure. However, they did realize they were giving up good players.

“They’re guys we loved,” Carlisle said. “But it’s good players to get good players and then there’s economic issues involved too. We just weren’t going to be able to make it work with Benn contractually. The Clippers have found a guy that is a terrific young scorer.”

Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.



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Indianapolis, IN

Saints open with road victory in Indianapolis

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1 day ago

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March 27, 2026

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Saints open with road victory in Indianapolis


A three-run first inning propelled the St. Paul Saints to a 4-2 opening night victory in Indianapolis Friday night.

An Alan Roden single drove home Gabriel Gonzalez and Kaelen Culpepper before Eric Wagaman’s base knock plated Emmanuel Rodriguez to stake the visitors to a quick 3-0 edge three outs into the game.

The Indians scored a lone run in the bottom of the first, and St. Paul’s 3-1 advantage held until the fifth, when a Culpepper single scored Walker Jenkins with the Saints’ final tally of the night.

Indianapolis logged one more run in the bottom of the sixth. However, starting pitcher Connor Prielipp and five relievers held the hosts to four total hits. Raul Brito claimed the win with 2 2/3 innings of relief of Prielipp, who tossed four innings of one-hit, one-run ball with five strikeouts and two walks. Brito struck out four, while allowing three hits, one run and one walk. Matt Bowman tossed a clean ninth with one strikeout to earn the save.

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The Saints and Indians face one another twice more this weekend: at 3:05 p.m. Saturday and 12:35 p.m. Sunday.



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