Indiana football survived another wild one, and this time the Hoosiers did it in overtime again.
No. 4 IU outlasted Minnesota 23-16 in a Halloween matchup that turned into another defensive grind, with both offenses sputtering for long stretches.
Indiana’s offense had a rough night, as quarterback Josh Hoover struggled with accuracy and processing the field before being benched in the second half. The defense, meanwhile, kept doing what it has done all season: smothering opponents and giving IU a chance to win even when the rest of the operation wasn’t clean.
That combination produced a game where every snap felt like it could swing the outcome. Indiana made a few more of them, and that was enough. The Hoosiers won in overtime for the second straight week, with ESPN’s College GameDay on hand for the occasion.
After the game, IU coach Curt Cignetti addressed the media. Inside the Hall also posted a photo gallery, Zach Horwitz wrote Five Takeaways, and Ian Plaskoff added a column on the win.
The basketball side of the program had its own final tune-up last Sunday, and it came with a useful sign for what’s ahead. IU played Western Kentucky in Evansville in its last exhibition game and came away with a 79-74 victory. The Hoosiers leaned on depth to separate themselves from the Hilltoppers, and the result suggested this team should be better than it was a year ago.
Darian DeVries spoke after the game. Ryan Corazza wrote a Minute After and also offered observations from the full exhibition slate, while Alex Bozich put together five takeaways from the night.
Now the focus shifts to the real thing. IU opens the 2026-27 regular season this week with two games in Assembly Hall, starting Monday against Eastern Illinois and then Thursday against Bellarmine.
DeVries held a preseason press conference last Wednesday, and the Hoosiers are set to tip at 7 pm on BIG+ against the Panthers and 6 pm on Peacock and NBC Sports Network against the Knights. IU is projected to finish around the middle of the Big Ten and is expected to get back to the NCAA tournament.
Off the court, IU Athletics announced a new court branding partnership with Lilly. With college sports costs climbing, athletic departments are chasing new revenue streams, and Indiana is leaning into that by adding the logo of Indiana pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly to the Assembly Hall floor.
There was also plenty happening across the broader Hoosier sports scene. Podcast on the Brink returned this week, with Assembly Call’s Jerod Morris joining to talk through IU’s upcoming basketball season. The Back Home Network also had multiple shows on the air during the week.
In the rest of the roundup, men’s soccer beat UCLA and will face Michigan State on Wednesday for another Big Ten title. Women’s basketball rolled past Marian in an exhibition and is also expected to return to the NCAA tournament after missing out last season.
Volleyball knocked off ranked Michigan State but lost to Penn State and Michigan. Field hockey dropped games to Maryland and Rutgers and will meet the Scarlet Knights again in the Big Ten Tourney.
Women’s soccer wrapped up a difficult season with losses to Rutgers and Penn State. Cross country ran at the Big Ten Championship, women’s golf finished its fall at the Landfall Tradition, and wrestling competed at the Wrestle-Offs.
In Other News...
No. 4 Indiana Escaped Another Scare And Fans Know Why
Another tense afternoon at Memorial Stadium ended with Indiana finding just enough to survive, as the Hoosiers slipped past Minnesota 23-16 in overtime. It was the kind of game that had plenty of clean chances to get away from them, but instead turned into a grind filled with turnovers, special teams miscues and long stretches where neither offense could find much rhythm.
Indiana still had to lean on timely execution late, including a field goal that tied the game and forced overtime after the Hoosiers had spent much of the day trading punches with a stubborn Minnesota team. Josh Hoover and Grant Wilson both helped move scoring drives along, but the bigger takeaway for Indiana fans was familiar: this team keeps finding ways to escape, even when the margin for error disappears. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Spotlight Weekend Included A Brutal Near Miss Fans Wont Forget
Pat McAfees Kicking is Easy contest brought a jolt of extra theater to Bloomington during Week 9, and Indiana students had a front-row seat to one of the seasons most nerve-racking moments. Jackson, a Hoosiers student, stepped into the spotlight with a chance at $1 million by trying two 33-yard kicks, part of a run of college-kick attempts that has already produced several successful outcomes around the country.
This time, though, the payoff never came, and the near miss was the kind fans will remember because it felt so close. The segment still closed with a splash of Indiana flavor, as special guest Isiah Thomas joined in to make his picks ahead of the Hoosiers Big Ten game, but the missed kicks left Bloomington with a little extra sting and a lot of what-if conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Heads Into Bye Week With A Quarterback Problem Fans Noticed
Indiana got through Minnesota 23-16 in overtime, but the win came with enough rough edges to keep the bye week busy. Special teams mistakes helped make things harder than they needed to be, and the offense never found much rhythm before the Hoosiers leaned on their defense to keep the game within reach and eventually finish it off.
Grant Wilson took over for Josh Hoover at quarterback after halftime, a move that changed the feel of the offense and ultimately produced the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Even with the result in hand, the quarterback situation is now one of the biggest questions on the table as Indiana heads into a week off with plenty to sort through. [Read more 🡒]