Indiana’s fall sports calendar is packed, and the weekend brought a little bit of everything for Hoosier fans: a former Indiana standout getting his first NFL snaps, an eye-opening basketball exhibition, football staying perfect, and men’s soccer closing non-conference play without a loss.
Fernando Mendoza got his first NFL regular season action in Week 5 against the Patriots, and it came with the Raiders already buried in a lopsided fourth quarter. With the game out of reach, head coach Klint Kubiak gave the Heisman Trophy winner a chance to run the offense. Mendoza went 6-for-8 for 48 yards and also picked up three rushing yards on one carry.
The stat line was modest, but the snap count told the real story: a brief garbage-time cameo that still showed calm and control. Las Vegas put together a 10-play, 54-yard drive with Mendoza directing traffic, and he looked comfortable working through it. As one post put it: “Fernando Mendoza, smooth operator 👀
Solid debut for the No. 1 pick: 6/8 for 48 yards plus 3 rush yards in a single drive. Spread it around and showed mobility.
Looks as advertised, albeit in garbage time. pic.twitter.com/4E4kIghIUE
- Nick Walters (@nickwalt) October 11, 2026”
On the hardwood, Indiana men’s basketball opened its exhibition slate with a convincing result at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Hoosiers beat Butler 96-68 on Sunday night in Indianapolis, and the game turned hard after halftime.
Indiana led 44-41 at the break, then flipped the script in the final 20 minutes with a 52-27 advantage. At one point, the Hoosiers ripped off a 33-4 run and never looked back.
The rebounding margin was just as striking. Indiana finished with a 53-33 edge on the glass and shot 13-for-33 from three-point range, good for 39.4%.
Darren Harris, Markus Burton and Samet Yigitoglu each scored 13 points to lead the way. The Hoosiers are back on the court Sunday, Oct. 18, when they face North Carolina at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, a much stiffer test as Year 2 of the Darian DeVries era begins to take shape.
Football kept rolling, too. Indiana survived Nebraska 20-17 in a comeback win that stretched its winning streak to 22 games.
The Hoosiers were chasing the game for most of the afternoon, but they delivered the decisive plays when it mattered and moved to 6-0. That also keeps Indiana at No. 5 in the country.
The next challenge is the one everyone has circled: Ohio State comes to Bloomington this Saturday. The Buckeyes are 5-1 and ranked No. 4 in the latest AP Top-25 Poll, setting up a top-five clash with plenty of Big Ten and College Football Playoff implications. Kickoff is set for Noon ET at Memorial Stadium.
Men’s soccer also handled business, finishing its non-conference slate unbeaten for the second straight season. Over that stretch, Indiana has gone 14-0-2 in non-conference play.
The Hoosiers now turn back to Big Ten action with a road trip to Rutgers on Friday, Oct. 16, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Former Hoosiers Just Gave Indiana Fans Two New NFL Reasons To Watch
Week 5 of the NFL season gave Indiana fans a fresh reminder of how many former Hoosiers are still finding roles on Sundays, even if those roles look different from player to player. Fernando Mendoza finally got into the mix for the Las Vegas Raiders in his NFL debut, seeing 10 offensive snaps and going 6 of 8 for 48 yards, while Myles Price kept carving out a place with the Minnesota Vikings on offense and special teams.
For Indiana supporters, it is the sort of scattered but meaningful NFL footprint that makes the weekly scoreboard worth checking beyond the college game. Mendozas first action offered a small but notable milestone, and Prices continued usage as a returner and depth piece shows the Hoosiers pipeline is still sending talent into places where it can help right away, even if the bigger breakout moment is still waiting to come. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Biggest Ohio State Concern Just Became Hard To Ignore
Indiana football got a useful road win at Nebraska, but Curt Cignetti made it clear the Big Ten grind does not ease up from here. With Ohio State next on the schedule, the focus has quickly shifted from celebrating one hard-earned result to preparing for a far bigger test, and Cignetti pointed to the kind of details that tend to decide games at this level. He praised Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith as an exceptional player, a compliment that comes with plenty of weight when a coach starts game-planning for one of the conferences most dangerous offenses.
Cignetti also used the Nebraska game as a reminder of what Indiana still needs to clean up before facing Ohio State. He cited missed defensive assignments and a limited running game, noting that the ground attack was affected by the conditions and by Nebraskas defense. For Indiana, the challenge is now less about carrying momentum and more about proving it can sharpen the rough edges quickly enough to hang with a Buckeyes team that punishes hesitation. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Faces One Harsh Reality Ahead Of Ohio State
Indiana has made real progress on the recruiting trail, and the 2025 and 2026 rosters reflect a program that is climbing, even if the climb is still steep. A position-by-position look at the 247Sports composite data shows a more competitive Indiana group than in years past, the kind of roster construction that suggests the Hoosiers are not standing still as they head into a marquee matchup.
Still, the comparison with Ohio State drives home the gap Indiana is trying to close. The Buckeyes simply have more highly ranked prospects across the board and far fewer unranked players, which is the harsh reality facing Indiana as it prepares for the game. For the Hoosiers, the next step is not just recruiting better, but building enough roster depth and high-end talent to make these kinds of meetings feel less lopsided. [Read more 🡒]