Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

What: Indiana Hoosiers (1-1) vs. #8 Cincinnati Bearcats (2-0)

When: Saturday, September 18 at Noon

Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN

How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on ESPN and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.

Series History: Indiana University and the Cincinnati Bearcats have played 14 times with IU winning 9 of the 14 meetings and the Bearcats taking three contests (two ties). The first matchup was in 1896 and IU was victorious 16-0. The series was on hiatus from 1963 to 1994 with the most recent game occurring in 2000. That was a Hoosiers 42-6 victory and IU has now won the past five games. Things have changed significantly for both programs since that 2000 meeting and the past history clearly has no impact on what will occur Saturday in Bloomington.

What’s at Stake: The stakes are very clear for the Cincinnati Bearcats. They enter the contest ranked eighth in the country and if they can run the table, a College Football Playoff berth is possible. Ohio State and Clemson both already have losses so a window could be open for the Bearcats if they can be impressive against IU and next week against Notre Dame. The Indiana Hoosiers don’t realistically have a shot at the playoff but their goals are still very much in front of them. There should be a huge crowd at this contest and after a week one loss to Iowa, this is another opportunity for Indiana to impress on the national stage. A win would get IU to 2-1, likely place them back into the Top 25 and add fuel to the momentum they’ve recently achieved on and off the field. A loss would drop them to 1-2 with several very difficult games remaining.

A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR

-Containing an Experienced and Skilled Offense

We typically start with a focus on offense so we’ll flip the script and begin with a look at the Bearcats offense versus IU’s defense. The Hoosiers are expecting to have Jaylin Williams back and they’ll need all hands-on deck to contain Desmond Ridder and the Bearcats offense. Ridder is a very talented quarterback that can hurt IU with his arm and his legs. Through two games against low-level competition, Ridder has completed 72.3 percent of his passes with 11.4 yards per attempt. He has not run the ball much at all but IU is going to need to be very aware of that threat. Jerome Ford is the main running back for UC and he’s averaging 7.8 yards per carry on 30 attempts. This comes after averaging more than six yards per carry last season. Ford is the real deal and while he does not provide much versatility as a receiver, he’s a tremendous runner. Cincinnati’s wide receivers are not great but they add in a pair of very good tight ends that make the pass catching options strong overall. Look for the Bearcats to try and use Josh Whyle in many of the same ways Iowa used their tight ends against IU. Tyler Scott provides the biggest deep threat while Michael Young and Alec Pierce are the veterans of the group.

-IU’s Offense: Who Are They?

The Hoosiers were better in week two than they were in week one but the performance against Idaho was not one that likely reassured everyone that all is well on the offensive side of the ball. They were dominated by Iowa and scored only six points. Going back to 2020, they were poor against Ole Miss’s average defense (scoring only 20), they beat Wisconsin 14-6 and controlled an odd game against Maryland scoring 27 but only completing 11 passes as Michael Penix left with an injury. Basically, the offense has not been great since the aerial assault in the second half against Ohio State. The talent appears to be in place at the skill positions and we know what Michael Penix is capable of. Questions are being asked about the lack of creativity coming from offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan, the lack of consistent blocking from the offensive line and a general lack of explosiveness. Is Michael Penix still the best option at quarterback? I think so but another average or subpar performance will make this a very real question for the coaches to ponder. Cincinnati is much closer to Iowa than they are to Idaho and the Bearcats will be a stern test for the offense. Since the beginning of the 2020 season, Cincinnati has allowed more than 24 points only one time (a 36-33 win over UCF in Orlando). In order to win this contest, IU is going to have to find some things on offense that they have not shown in a long while.

-Big Game Atmosphere

After a very strong showing from the crowd in the home opener last week, Memorial Stadium is expected to be 100% full when the Hoosiers kick off at noon against the Bearcats. This will be the first time in a very long time that a home game not featuring Ohio State as the opponent will have a crowd like what we will see on Saturday. The IU players spoke after the Idaho game about how impactful the crowd was on September 11 against Idaho and that should be the case again. It absolutely can make a difference and the Hoosiers are going to need every bit of it. Once of the more interesting things to watch in this contest will be the tempo of the game. IU played surprisingly slow against Idaho, opting to not snap the ball on many plays until the play clock was below ten seconds. Will they attempt to speed things up and get more aggressive on offense or will they try and slow this game down to try and grind out a victory. My guess is that we will see controlled tempo, meaning the Hoosiers will try and speed the tempo if they get a few first downs on a drive and take a shot or two down the field in advantageous situations when the defense is unbalanced but for the most part, I imagine IU will be very deliberate. My hope though is for more aggression and to try and take the game right at the Bearcats.

Names to Know and Injury Notes

IU should have starting defensive back Jaylin Williams back in the fold after he missed the Idaho game. Devon “Monster” Matthews is questionable and he’s been evaluated throughout the week. He left the Iowa game with a scary looking injury to his upper body/neck area. James Head continues to sit after a fall camp injury so the defensive line is down one rotation player and potential starter. Cincinnati appears fully healthy entering the contest.

The Huddle

Game Day Primer: Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 8 Cincinnati Bearcats

Hoosier Huddle