It all kicks off Saturday in Bloomington, and No. 6 Indiana begins a season with plenty of eyes on it when North Texas comes to Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium.
The matchup brings a familiar name back to town, too. North Texas quarterback Tayven Jackson spent two years in an Indiana uniform, including Curt Cignetti’s first season as head coach, before making the move to the Mean Green.
But Jackson is only part of the story. There are several position battles in this opener that could shape the scoreboard long before the fourth quarter.
Indiana’s receivers should find plenty of room against a North Texas cornerback group that took a hit in August. Caden Jenkins, a senior transfer from Baylor, suffered a season-ending knee injury. Not long after, Zach Johnson, a senior transfer from Southeastern Louisiana, was also injured and is likely to miss at least the opener.
That’s a tough break for a secondary that already lost two important pieces at once. Jenkins was an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection at Baylor, while Johnson brought steady production and experience from Southeastern Louisiana. Against an Indiana passing game built to attack quickly and often, that’s a dangerous combination for the Mean Green.
The Hoosiers bring a fast, efficient air-raid attack into the game, with Charlie Becker and Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh headlining the receiver room. Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover, who spent time thriving in an air-raid system at TCU, should have the tools to get the ball out fast and stress North Texas on the edges and underneath.
The other side of the ball looks just as unfavorable for the Mean Green. North Texas enters with major turnover, and its offensive line is one of the groups that brings back zero starters from last season. Former head coach Eric Morris, who guided the team to 12 wins last year, left for Oklahoma State, and with Neal Brown now in charge, much of the roster looks new.
That inexperience up front could be a problem against an Indiana defensive line that has been making noise all offseason. The Hoosiers have been waiting to hit someone other than each other, and one Indiana lineman said the edge rushers and tackles have made camp brutal.
“I’m so excited to hit another color other than red,” Indiana offensive lineman Carter Smith said on Tuesday. “It’s been a long fall camp, it’s been very competitive… and now it’s game time.”
Smith also pointed to the depth and disruption Indiana believes it has on the front line.
“Those two K-State guys, Chiddi (Obiazor) and Tobi (Osunsanmi), really quick, really strong guys,” Smith said. “Really tall and lean dudes, they do a great job rushing off the edge and are very disruptive when they want to spike and ruin the gap-to-gap run. And obviously our d-tackles man, I mean, having guys like (Tyrique Tucker) and Mario (Landino), even guys like Joe Hjelle, with guys rotating like that, it doesn’t get much better.”
If that front plays anywhere near the level Indiana expects, North Texas could spend a long afternoon trying to protect Jackson.
Then there’s Hoover himself, who steps into his first game as a Hoosier carrying a storyline that will follow him all season: turnovers. In 2025 at TCU, he threw 13 interceptions, tied for the third-most in the country. His line there may not have helped much, and there were other factors in play, but the ball security issue is still the biggest criticism hanging over him.
Saturday gives Hoover a chance to answer that, even if the opponent isn’t likely to determine everything about his season. He may not be asked to do anything reckless, and Indiana probably won’t need him to force the issue against North Texas. Still, this is the first real chance to see him operate for four quarters in a Hoosier uniform without a turnover on the stat sheet.
Smith likes what he’s seen so far.
“He has shown a lot of great flashes throughout fall camp against our defense,” Smith said. “We have a lot of deep balls that’s made completions for. Making a lot of the right reads on RPOs, and he’s doing a great job.”
Maybe Hoover’s turnover problems fade quickly under Cignetti. Maybe they don’t. Saturday won’t answer everything, but it will offer the first real look at Indiana’s new quarterback under game pressure.
For the first time since the national championship game, Indiana football is back on the field. And like every opener, this one comes with more questions than answers. Over the next five months, those questions will start sorting themselves out.
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Indiana Is Betting Big On Josh Hoover For One Critical Reason
Indianas quarterback plan took an important turn in early January when Josh Hoover arrived from TCU, giving Curt Cignetti another experienced option to shape the offense around. Hoover comes with real college seasoning after three seasons in Fort Worth, including multiple starts and enough game action to prove he is far beyond the usual transfer-project label.
Cignetti has made it clear he wants a quarterback who can step in and lead, which is why Hoovers track record matters so much to the Hoosiers. Indiana is looking for a steady hand under center, and the appeal here is obvious: a passer with production, experience and a profile that invites the same kind of optimism the program attached to Fernando Mendoza. [Read more 🡒]
Nico Radicic Is Already Crucial For Indiana And Still Has More To Prove
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That reliability mattered most in the 2026 National Championship game, when Radicic drilled a 35-yard field goal late to help extend Indianas lead. Even with that kind of moment on his resume, there is still a layer of unfinished business for him, especially as he works to improve from longer range while carrying Lou Groza Award watch-list expectations into the next stretch of his career. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Uses These Indiana Games For Something Bigger Than Wins
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One of the clearest examples has been the way the Hoosiers have worked to tap into Fernando Mendozas mobility while also keeping trusted targets like Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. involved in the ways that have already proven useful. The point is not to pile up blowouts or chase style points in September. It is to leave those first few games with answers, even if the scoreboard looks more ordinary than the programs bigger ambitions. [Read more 🡒]