Indiana’s spotless start gets its first Big Ten test Friday night, and the setting fits the moment. No.
4/5 IU will host undefeated Northwestern at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 25, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. Eastern on FOX.
The Hoosiers have already handled their non-conference schedule at 3-0, and Curt Cignetti’s run through that part of the calendar remains flawless. In his first three seasons, he is 9-0 in non-conference games. Now the focus shifts to league play, where Indiana has already built serious momentum and will try to keep its perfect start intact under the lights in Bloomington.
This one also comes with some history. Northwestern owns the all-time series 47-36-1, but Indiana has taken the last two meetings, including a 41-24 road win in October of 2024.
Friday will be the 15th night game in program history, and the Hoosiers are no strangers to this kind of spotlight after playing a record three Friday games during the 2025 season. It will also be the first Friday game at Memorial Stadium since Sept. 12, 2025, when Indiana beat Indiana State 73-0.
Memorial Stadium has been a fortress, too. Indiana’s 18-game home winning streak is the longest active run in the FBS, and the Hoosiers haven’t lost there since 2023.
Friday’s matchup is the fourth of eight home games on Indiana’s 2026 schedule, and it comes as the fourth straight home game to open the year. The 8 p.m. kickoff is Indiana’s latest start at home since Sept. 10, 2022, when Idaho visited at the same time.
Cignetti keeps stacking milestones. He reached 30 career wins as IU’s head coach after the 38-0 win over Western Kentucky, getting there in 32 games.
That makes him the third-fastest FBS coach to hit 30 victories, behind only Larry Coker and Gil Dobie, who did it in 31 games. He has also gone 17-1 in Big Ten play at Indiana and is riding a 10-game conference winning streak.
There are some numbers worth watching before kickoff, starting with the quarterbacks and the turnover battle. Josh Hoover is tied for sixth among all FBS quarterbacks with 34 career starts, while Isaiah Jones’ interceptions against Western Kentucky extended Indiana’s streak of forcing a turnover to 12 straight games.
On the other side, Nick Marsh has caught a pass in 26 consecutive games, a streak that dates back to his Michigan State days and ranks seventh in the nation. Indiana’s offense, meanwhile, has been clean through three games and has yet to give the ball away.
The production has been there, too. Indiana piled up 513 total yards against Western Kentucky, the 13th time under Cignetti that the Hoosiers have gone over 500 yards of offense.
The matchup in the trenches could decide plenty. Northwestern is averaging 203 rushing yards per game, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten, while Indiana’s defense is giving up just 77 rushing yards per game, good for 18th in the country. That strength-on-strength clash should tell a lot about how the night unfolds.
There’s also a familiar face on Indiana’s defensive side of the ball. Aidan Chiles will see Bryant Haines’ unit for the third straight year after facing the Hoosiers twice while at Michigan State. In Indiana’s 38-13 win in 2025, Chiles went 27-for-33 for 243 passing yards and a touchdown to Nick Marsh, while also rushing for 48 yards on eight carries.
Northwestern brings its own challenge on the back end. The Wildcats forced three interceptions in a 41-7 win over Colorado in Week 3 and lead the Big Ten with 16 passes defended. Indiana’s offense has avoided turnovers so far, which makes the battle between the Hoosiers’ receivers and Northwestern’s secondary another key layer to watch.
And then there’s the coaching matchup. Curt Cignetti and Chip Kelly will share the sideline spotlight in a game that pits two of college football’s sharper offensive minds against each other. Kelly’s spread scheme has given Northwestern’s offense a different look, and Friday night will offer Indiana another early-season test against a team that has yet to lose.
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