Indiana will be back in front of a sold-out Memorial Stadium crowd on Saturday, and the Hoosiers are looking for a cleaner, calmer second act after their season opener. No. 6 Indiana is 1-0 and brings a 16-game winning streak against FCS opponents into its matchup with Howard.
That run has been a long one, and the numbers around Indiana’s history against that level are lopsided: the Hoosiers are 19-1 all-time since the FCS, formerly Division I-AA, was formed in 1978. Against Howard, the bigger question is less about the final score and more about what Indiana can sharpen before the schedule gets more demanding.
Kickoff is set for noon ET on Saturday, Sept. 12, the second straight game Indiana will play in that time slot. The hope this week is for a more manageable afternoon after what Cignetti described following the opener as a brutal environment, telling reporters the heat index on the field hit 152 degrees.
There are a few things worth watching beyond the scoreboard. The first is how long Indiana keeps its starters on the field.
The injury bug already showed up in the opener, with three starters leaving in the first quarter. Against an overmatched Howard team, Indiana would be wise to get its key players out early if it builds a comfortable lead by halftime.
Tackling is another area that needs attention. Howard isn’t likely to stress Indiana’s defense the way the opener did, but this is still a chance for the Hoosiers to clean up some obvious mistakes.
Pro Football Focus credited Indiana with 14 missed tackles, the most in any regular season game last season. After the game, Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones said everyone needs to do a better job of swarming to the ball.
The run game is also under the microscope. Indiana’s offensive line did a decent job keeping Josh Hoover upright in the opener, but the ground attack never really got rolling.
The Hoosiers’ running backs combined for 91 yards against North Texas, and 90% of that came after contact. That was a sharp contrast from last season’s opening stretch, when Indiana piled up more than 300 rushing yards in each of its first four games.
In Other News...
Trayce Jackson-Davis Revisited One Indiana Decision That Still Stings
Trayce Jackson-Davis is still one of the defining players of Indianas recent era, and his reflection on his college career showed how deliberate his path really was. After a strong senior season, he decided not to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility created by COVID-19, feeling he had already said all he needed to say in Bloomington. Even as he settled into his role, he kept expanding his game, adding more playmaking and ball-handling in his final season as Mike Woodson pushed him to grow beyond being just a scorer.
What lingers for Jackson-Davis now is less about leaving early than about one skill he never fully unlocked. He said he wishes he had developed his three-point shot more in college, a notable regret considering how little he used it across his Indiana career. It is the kind of hindsight that comes with time, especially for a player who did so much right for the Hoosiers, but it also leaves open the question of how much more versatile his game might have looked if he had stayed just a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Is Chasing Another Massive Receiver Win For Indiana
Curt Cignetti is already working to keep Indianas recruiting momentum rolling into the 2028 cycle, and one of the biggest names on the board is five-star wide receiver Braylon Clark. Clark has trimmed his list to 12 finalists, with Indiana making the cut alongside national powers such as Ohio State and Oregon, a sign that the Hoosiers are at least in the conversation for one of the classs premier pass-catchers.
Indiana is trying to set up an official visit for Clark as it looks to turn that early interest into something more concrete. The Hoosiers currently have one commitment in the 2028 class, so landing a player of Clarks caliber would be another major statement after the programs strong 2027 recruiting push and a reminder that Cignetti is not slowing down on the trail. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Just Reached A Huge Recruiting Moment With Elite WR Prospect
Braylon Clarks recruitment is already moving like one of those national battles that never really cools off, and the elite 2028 wide receiver has now trimmed his list to 12 schools. Ranked No. 6 in his class by Rivals, Clark has spent plenty of time on the road taking visits, and the early shape of his process suggests he is weighing a mix of national contenders rather than locking in on one region or conference.
Ohio State sits near the front of the pack in Rivals insider predictions, but the race still appears wide open enough to keep several SEC and ACC programs firmly in the mix. For programs tracking the receiver board far beyond their own borders, the next stretch of Clarks recruitment figures to be all about separation, relationships, and which staff can stay in striking distance as the competition tightens. [Read more 🡒]