Hoosier Huddle's Game Day Primer: No. 13 Indiana Hoosiers vs. Washington Huskies

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Written by: TJ Inman

What: #13 Indiana Hoosiers (7-0) vs. Washington Huskies (4-3)

When: Saturday, October 26 at Noon

Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN

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

Pregame Festivities

Breakfast Club at Upstairs Pub pres. by Homefield

  • Doors Open at 7am (First 200 people get a free t-shirt and breakfast)

  • Uplands Gameday Lager just $4 for every IUFB game this year

  • New state of the art room (fully functioning ticker, (5) 100" HDTVs, the old IU scoreboard from Assembly Hall

Series History

The Indiana Hoosiers and Washington Huskies have played three times with the Hoosiers leading the overall series 2-1. IU won the first and second meetings in the 1976 and 1978 under Lee Corso and Washington hammered IU in 2003 in Seattle. This will be Washington’s second trip to Bloomington and first as a member of the Big Ten. 

What’s at Stake

For the second straight week, there will be increased attention on Bloomington as College Game Day brings the circus to IU for a Saturday broadcast for the first time ever. This follows last Saturday’s trip by FOX’s Big Noon Saturday pregame show. Memorial Stadium is sold out again (and is for the rest of the 2024 season) and the following around the Hoosiers continues to grow. Of course, that is all on the periphery and the truly important stuff happens between the lines on the gridiron. IU is unbeaten at 7-0 and with each passing week, they climb in the polls and make a trip to a significant bowl game or even the College Football Playoff more of a reality. The Hoosiers will be without starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke and need to find a way to keep the train rolling while he works his way back. Washington is 2-2 in the league and 4-3 overall and the Huskies are coming off of a bye week.

A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. Addressing the Obvious: Can Tayven Jackson Step Up?

Kurtis Rourke injured his thumb late in the first half of Indiana’s route of Nebraska. He finished the half before giving way to Tayven Jackson for the entirety of the final 30 minutes. Jackson helped IU continue the beatdown, outscoring Nebraska 28-0 in the second half under his guidance. Tayven Jackson certainly looked good but the circumstances are quite different for this Saturday’s clash with Washington. Jackson, and the defense, will have known for a full week that he was starting. The Huskies have Steve Belichick as their defensive coordinator and he will have a chance to plan against IU’s backup. Of course, IU’s coaching staff has the chance to plan around Jackson for a week as well. What tweaks and adjustments will Mike Shanahan and Curt Cignetti make to the offense? Will there be a bit more quarterback run game involved to take advantage of Tayven Jackson’s mobility? Will Jackson be able to handle the pressure involved with taking over a 7-0 football team in front of a sold out Memorial Stadium? We’ll find out very soon.

2. Can Indiana Pressure Will Rogers?

The Washington Huskies brought in Will Rogers to replace Michael Penix. Unlike last week’s opponent, Dylan Raiola, the road atmosphere will not be new for Rogers. The former Mississippi State Bulldog has seen it all and the veteran won’t have any problem playing in front of a hostile crowd. On the season, Rogers is completing an impressive 72.2 percent of his passes and he has thrown 13 touchdowns to only two interceptions. Rogers is being sacked on 5.73% of his drop-backs. That places Washington 56th in the country and just narrowly ahead of Nebraska. He typically throws the ball quickly but the Hoosiers have done a nice job pressuring opposing quarterbacks. That will need to continue on Saturday. Washington is expected to be without their starting left tackle and IU will want to help the secondary as they try to deal with Giles Jackson and Denzel Boston (nine touchdowns on the season). Slowing down running back Jonah Coleman, a stud averaging 6.88 yards per carry, will be important and would then force Washington into obvious passing situations they could exploit.

3. Winning on Third Down

Third downs can be a critical factor in any game and the Indiana Hoosiers have been outstanding all season on the “money down”. IU is 7th in the country at a 50.79% conversion rate. The Hoosiers have also been terrific on the defensive side of the ball, allowing only a 35.9% conversion rate (it took a hit against Nebraska). Third down is a weakness for Washington as the Huskies are 89th nationally with a conversion rate of only 36.11%. The Huskies are right in line with IU on defensive third down rate. If Tayven Jackson and IU’s running game can continue to dominate on third down, Indiana will be in terrific shape. If Washington can flip the script and keep IU’s offense off the field by forcing punts on third down and then converting 50% or better on offense to maintain possession, the Huskies will be thinking upset.

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