By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director <\/p>\n\n\n\n
#4 Indiana Hoosiers host the #5 Ohio State Buckeyes on Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium on Saturday at Noon on FOX.\u00a0 Fox\u2019s pregame show Big Noon Kickoff will be in town for the second time this year after they opened the College Football Season here when the defending National Champion Hoosiers dominated the North Texas Mean Green 52-16. Indiana is #4 in the Coaches Poll and Ohio State in #5 but in the AP Poll the teams are flipped, and this is the first top-5 matchup in Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This game has been talked about ever since the schedules were announced back in the spring and now it will be a sea of red as Indiana has promoted the game as a \u201cRed Out\u201d as all Hoosier fans are asked to wear Red as will be sold out. Ohio State has dominated this series leading 81-13-5 all-time but the Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes 13-10 in the 2025 Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and the Hoosiers want to prove that was not a one-time thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From 1991-2024 Ohio State beat Indiana 30 in a row but the matchup on October 9, 2010, in Columbus in which the Buckeyes won 38-10 was vacated due to NCAA Rules Violations. Indiana and Ohio State settled for a 27-27 tie on October 13, 1990, in Bloomington. The last regular season meeting the Hoosiers won was on October 8, 1988, in Bloomington when the Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes 41-7 in which has always been referred to as the \u201cDarkest Day in Ohio State Football History\u201d. Indiana beat the Buckeyes in Columbus on October 10, 1987, 31-10. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Hoosiers and the Buckeyes met in Columbus on November 23, 2024, as Ohio State won 38-15. That loss is the only time that Curt Cignetti has lost in the Regular Season and Indiana\u2019s last loss came on December 20, 2024, when Notre Dame beat Indiana 27-17 in the College Football Playoff First Round at Notre Dame Stadium. Indiana has won 22 in a row and a win on Saturday will tie Ohio State\u2019s 23 game winning streak from 2013-14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Curt Cignetti is 33-2 since taking over the program and 20-1 in the Big Ten and has an overall record of 152-37 as a Head Coach. Indiana has not lost at home under Cignetti winning 19 in a row. Cignetti is tied with James Horne and Tom Allen for fifth on the all-time wins list with 33 wins and if he wins on Saturday, he will be one win behind James Sheldon who won 35 games from 1905-13. Lee Corso won 41 games from 1973-82, Bo McMillin won 63 games from 1934-47, and Bill Mallory won 69 games from 1984-96.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indiana is coming off a 20-17 win at Nebraska last week in which they trailed for the first time all season. Indiana is the first team to extend a win streak to 20-plus games by overcoming a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit since Texas in the 2006 Rose Bowl against USC. The Hoosiers posted its 22nd straight win allowing 24 points or fewer. That tied Florida from 2008-09 for the most consecutive wins allowing less than 24 points since at least 1993. Indiana is 6-0 on the season and 3-0 in the Big Ten and became the first bowl eligible team in FBS in 2026, the second time in three seasons it was the first team to reach the six-win mark. Indiana has either tied for or won the turnover battle in 30 straight games dating back to 2024, the most in the FBS since at least 1995. The previous long streak belonged to Air Force from November 2007 through November 2009 (27 games).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Josh Hoover delivered two passing touchdowns in the final 12:01 of the game to put Indiana ahead after trailing, 17-6, at Nebraska. He connected with Nick Marsh on 75-and 44-yard scores. Hoover is one of two quarterbacks nationally with 15-plus touchdown passes and zero interceptions on the season with the other being Darian Mensah (Miami (Fla.) Hoover has thrown for 1,364 yards through 6 games. Marsh had six receptions for 187 yards receiving and two touchdowns at Nebraska.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cignetti said during his Monday Press Conference \u201cGreat road win. Hung in there. Gave ourselves a chance and found a way. Tough environment. Really loud. Nebraska played really well. Good football team. But the last 11 minutes all three phases contributed, and it was a gut check. You know, it would’ve been easy to let that game get away from you in the first half, and we hung in there, so good win\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ohio State is 5-1 and 3-0 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes\u2019 only loss came at Texas on September 12, when Ohio State led 23-3 and the Longhorns scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback 24-23. Ohio State defeated Maryland 45-10 in Columbus last Saturday. Julian Sayin led Ohio State with 242 yards on 13-of-21 passing (61.9%) for four touchdowns and one interception. Bo Jackson had 107 rushing yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns, adding one reception for three yards. Jeremiah Smith had four receptions for 93 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Ohio State Quarterback Julian Sayin has thrown for 1,772 yards, 17 TDs, 2 INTs and has a 71.2 completion percentage. Running Back Bo Jackson has 460 yards on 89 carries and 4 TDs. Wide Receiver Jeremaih Smith has 916 yards on 48 catches and 11 TDs. Cignetti praised Smith in his weekly press conference and with the Buckeyes having a new offensive coordinator they will look different this time then they did in the previous two meetings. \u201cAny time you have a new coordinator there will be some subtleties, but they still run the ball well really. They throw the ball really well. They are very efficient, effective. They do a lot of the really nice stuff. They move Jeremiah around quite a bit. He’s taken it up a notch without question. I think he has nine touchdown catches in the last three, four games. You know, there is no one like him right now playing at this level. We got two really good ones. He’s a freak. We’re going to have to do a great job on him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indiana has had a lot of big games in recent memory but this one is considered the biggest sporting event ever on campus and Coach Cignetti is glad its here in Bloomington and not Columbus. \u201cOh, I’m glad we’re playing at home. We really need our crowd to be loud and very involved. We got to give them reasons to be. So I can’t — it’s just a football game, but I’m glad it’s at home. Two really good teams. Great team we’re playing. Not sure how good we are yet. But our crowds have been awesome. They need to be loud, real loud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Offensive Lineman Carter Smith spoke to media Tuesday Night and agreed that this is the biggest home game in the history of Indiana University Football \u201cIt means everything to us. We pour our hearts and souls into this, and we want to give the town something special to remember. But at the end of the day, we always have to treat every game like it’s just the next one. So, we’re just playing Ohio State this week, and that’s all there is to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Linebacker Isaiah Jones he grew up in Ohio and his dad played at Ohio State but on Saturday its Family over Alma Mater as he shared with the Media Tuesday Night. \u201cYeah, no, my dad is like my biggest supporter. So, he’s all IU. He’s all in on, you know, my success and he had his time there and obviously growing up in Ohio, but no, he’s all in, he’s all in on me. He’s interested in our game plan. Like, he wants nothing but the best for us and the Hoosiers. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wait is over and it\u2019s time to lay it all on the line. 60 Minutes and either Indiana will stay unbeaten and prove it is here to stay and battle for Big Ten Championships or Ohio State gets revenge and ends every streak the Hoosiers have had under Curt Cignetti. The Atmosphere will be electric, and all eyes will be on Bloomington Saturday at Noon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director #4 Indiana Hoosiers host the #5 Ohio State Buckeyes on Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium on Saturday at Noon on FOX.\u00a0 Fox\u2019s pregame show Big Noon Kickoff will be in town for the second time this year after they opened the College Football Season here when the defending National …<\/p>\n