Scores From Around the Nation: IUFB Opponent Recap

Written By: Nate Comp (@NathanComp1)

Two-thirds of the regular season is complete and if you haven’t heard, the Hoosiers remain unbeaten. The national eye has been turned towards Indiana with Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff and ESPN’s College GameDay in Bloomington the past two weekends – and despite the additional attention and some moments of adversity, this team continues to pass every test put in front of them. What tests are up next and how did they fare this week? Let’s take a look.

Overall Opponent Record Remaining Schedule: 16-14

Michigan State (4-4): Last Week Loss at Michigan 24-17

The headlines from this matchup came in the game’s closing moments, as the bitter rivals threw punches at one another… but in the game, it is a story of missed opportunities for the Spartans. Despite gaining 130 yards and possessing the ball for more than 13 minutes in their first two possessions, Michigan State came away with just a 7-0 lead. Michigan was able to overcome this by halftime and lead, 9-7, at the break. The trend continued in the second half; the Spartans finished the game having outgained the Wolverines, but a costly Aidan Chiles turnover and a botched field goal left them short in turning drives into points.

Michigan (5-3): Last Week Win vs Michigan State 24-17

Believe it or not, this was a crucial win for the defending champs when thinking about their bowl eligibility chances. With Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State as three of their four final games, this game against Michigan State and November 23rd’s against Northwestern will be the easiest chances – on paper – at getting to six wins. Through capitalizing on Michigan State’s mistakes and making the most out of the limited time of possession that they had in this matchup, they were able to take down their in-state rivals at home.

Ohio State (6-1): Last Week Win vs Nebraska 21-17

After the Hoosiers easily handled Nebraska the week prior and Ohio State had a bye week to prepare after losing to Oregon, this one was expected to get ugly. That was not the case, as Ohio State needed nearly all sixty minutes before they could comfortably say they had secured their sixth victory. After trailing for part of the fourth quarter, Will Howard’s third touchdown of the day and an eventual Jordan Hancock interception with 1:16 to play sealed the victory. Buckeye fans may still have concerns about their squad, especially in the run game – they managed just 64 rushing yards against the Cornhuskers, making their offensive attack extremely one dimensional.

Purdue (1-6): Last Week Bye

Haters will say Purdue lost to the bye, but that can’t be right. Though, they did not fire Ryan Walters – so even some Boiler fans may argue they did lose the bye week. They’re back playing this week again, this time at home against Northwestern.

Previous Opponents (26-37)

Florida International (2-6) Last Week Loss vs Sam Houston 10-7

Western Illinois (3-5) Last Week Loss at Lindenwood 49-38

UCLA (2-5) Last Week Bye

Charlotte (3-5) Last Week Loss at Memphis 33-28

Maryland (4-4) Last Week Loss at Minnesota 48-23

Northwestern (3-5) Last Week Loss at Iowa 40-14

Nebraska (5-3) Last Week Loss at Ohio State 21-17

Washington (4-4) Last Week Loss vs Indiana 31-17