Indiana is back from its bye week with the Big Ten picture tightening around it, and Saturday’s meeting with No. 18 USC feels like the kind of game that can shape the rest of the Hoosiers’ season.
The No. 9 Hoosiers come in at 8-1 after their overtime win over Minnesota, a result that snapped a stretch of nine games in nine weeks and sent them into a much-needed break.
While Indiana rested, the standings shifted. The Hoosiers were third in the conference before Week 10, behind unbeaten UCLA and Ohio State, which had only one loss at the time.
Then Ohio State dropped 41-28 to Oregon last week, its second straight defeat since junior starting quarterback Julian Sayin was injured during the Buckeyes’ win over Indiana on Oct. 17. With the Buckeyes now sitting at two losses, Indiana is the Big Ten’s lone one-loss team and controls its own path toward the final Big Ten Championship game.
That path, though, still runs through a dangerous USC team at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
The matchup starts with the quarterbacks. USC redshirt senior Jayden Maiava has been one of the Big Ten’s most productive passers, piling up a conference-best 2,524 passing yards and 20 touchdowns while throwing only five interceptions. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti had a simple read on him Monday.
"Quick release. Very accurate," Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said at a Monday press conference. "He can have his eyes over here and get them over there and get rid of the ball real quick and accurate."
Maiava has also benefited from a passing game that spreads the ball around. USC has four pass-catchers averaging more than 40 receiving yards per game, with freshman wideout Trent Mosley leading the way. The 5-foot-10 Chicago native has 512 receiving yards and six touchdowns, and he was a major factor in USC’s 30-18 win over Ohio State on Oct. 31, when he posted 101 yards and a score.
Indiana’s quarterback situation is still unsettled. Cignetti has not named a starter, even though redshirt senior Josh Hoover opened each of the Hoosiers’ first nine games. In the Minnesota game, Hoover was replaced at halftime by seventh-year senior Grant Wilson, who finished the contest and delivered the game-winning touchdown to junior wide receiver Charlie Becker on the first play of overtime.
The bye week did not exactly clean up the injury report for Indiana. Junior running back Turbo Richard was listed as out on Wednesday, and fifth-year senior offensive lineman Joe Brunner was ruled out Thursday. Both have been important pieces for the Hoosiers, with Richard leading the team with 745 rushing yards and six touchdowns and Brunner holding down the right guard spot in all nine games.
Up front, USC has been sturdy against the run, allowing 124.8 rushing yards per game, which ranks eighth in the Big Ten. Cignetti said the Trojans have been trending in the right direction.
"They’re playing good defense right now, rolling a lot of guys up front, a lot disruptive players, good team speed," Cignetti said. "I think you see game to game improvement, and certainly the last three to four weeks."
Indiana’s own formula has been clear under Cignetti: when the Hoosiers rush for more than 100 yards, they win. His teams are 32-0 in those games.
But conference play has made that threshold harder to hit. Indiana entered Big Ten competition averaging 221 rushing yards per game, then managed just 103.3 over its last four contests, including 73 in the loss to Ohio State.
Defensively, though, the Hoosiers have been wrecking games in the backfield. Indiana ranks fifth in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 32 sacks and 76 tackles for loss, and redshirt senior defensive lineman Tobi Osunsanmi has been the centerpiece with 15.5 TFLs and 10 sacks. Seven other Indiana players have at least four tackles for loss.
"We are deep on the defensive line and that's where it all begins, wrecking havoc up front," Cignetti said.
USC is the only ranked opponent left on Indiana’s schedule. After Saturday, the Hoosiers close the regular season against 5-4 Washington and 3-6 Purdue. A win over the Trojans would put Indiana in strong position to get back to the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
In Other News...
Indiana Faces A Huge Availability Question Against USC
USC is heading into its Big Ten matchup with Indiana in unusually good shape, at least by conference standards this season. The Trojans did not add any new significant injuries, and a few important names are still worth watching on the report, including safety Trestin Castro and defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, while tight end Mark Bowman has made it back to full participation.
Indianas side of the availability picture is a little more complicated. Starting quarterback Josh Hoover is no longer on the injury report, which is a welcome sign for the Hoosiers, but they will still be without starters Joe Brunner and Turbo Richard because of injuries, leaving the lineup a little thinner in a game where depth could matter. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Faces A Massive Playoff Test Against Surging USC
Indianas Week 11 matchup with USC brings plenty more than a marquee name to Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. The Hoosiers are set to host the Trojans in a game that carries real College Football Playoff weight, with both programs trying to strengthen their position in a crowded national race. It is the kind of late-season meeting that can reshape how a season is viewed, especially when a ranked opponent comes in with history on its side.
USC has won all four previous meetings, which only adds to the challenge for Indiana as it looks to protect its home field and keep its postseason path in focus. The game also comes with the usual Saturday details that matter to fans planning around it, including kickoff time, television coverage and the weather forecast in Bloomington, but the bigger storyline is simple enough: a surging Trojans team arrives with momentum, and Indiana gets a chance to answer on a stage with major consequences. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Faces One Huge Offensive Test In Playoff Fight Vs USC
A playoff race game at Memorial Stadium brings a different kind of pressure this weekend, with No. 9 Indiana set to host No. 18 USC in a matchup that could shape both teams postseason paths. Both sides are coming off a bye week, and the noon kickoff on CBS gives the Hoosiers a chance to reset at a time when every possession matters a little more.
USC arrives with momentum after its upset win over Ohio State and still has plenty to play for in the College Football Playoff chase. Indiana, meanwhile, has to sort through injuries and find a cleaner offensive rhythm against a USC defense that will ask a lot of the Hoosiers from the start, making this one of the most revealing tests left on their schedule. [Read more 🡒]