Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

What: Indiana Hoosiers (1-2) vs. Akron Zips (1-2)

When: Saturday, September 23 at 7:30

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.

Series History: The Hoosiers and Zips have played three times with the Big Ten squad unbeaten in the encounters. Bill Lynch was the coach for the Hoosiers in all three meetings: 2007 (41-24), 2009 (38-21) and 2010 (35-20).

What’s at Stake: The goal for the 2023 Indiana Hoosiers is to make a bowl game. That means winning six games. Depending on your feelings on the quality of teams like Wisconsin, Illinois and Purdue, the Hoosiers have a handful or more of “toss-up” games that will determine whether or not IU reaches the magic number of six. No matter how you tally up six, a win against Akron is an absolute must. The Hoosiers need a victory and they need a good performance to build confidence before a critical tilt at Maryland.

A Few Things to Look For

1. Building the Offense

Tayven Jackson is Indiana’s starting quarterback and after a poor first half against Louisville, he asserted himself as the answer at the position with a terrific final 30 minutes. While Jackson’s lunge to tie the game fell a half-yard short, his passing and decision-making in the second half serves as a major reason for optimism moving forward. The goal for the IU offense against Akron is to build on what went well against Louisville. Tayven Jackson does not appear all that comfortable or effective attempting to execute the option but he does show good mobility in the pocket and improved on his accuracy as he settled into the game. Offensive coordinator needs to get wide receiver Cam Camper more involved in the offense while continuing to utilize weapon Jaylin Lucas. Akron’s defense has done a nice job against the offenses of Temple and Kentucky so they will present some resistance for the Hoosiers.

2. Which Defense Shows Up?

Indiana has played six halves of football thus far and the defense has been outstanding for five of those six halves. The first half of the Louisville game was discouraging though as issues fans had hoped were taken care of cropped up again. A blown assignment in the secondary resulted in an 85-yard touchdown for the Cardinals and poor tackling allowed some long runs. In addition, the IU defensive line was able to get pressure on Jack Plummer but failed to finish the plays with sacks or tackles for loss. Akron’s offense has struggled in 2023, particularly on the ground. Quarterback DJ Irons is a capable dual-threat weapon but he has not showed the quality he had in 2022 in their three games so far. If the Hoosiers can control the line of scrimmage, they could have another strong day and assert themselves as one of the more improved units in college football.

3. Blackout Under the Lights

For the first time in more than two decades, the Indiana Hoosiers will be wearing black. IU will sport special “Ghost” uniforms and the Hoosiers are asking fans to wear black to the game. The uniforms look terrific and based on social media responses, the players seem fired up to wear the new look. Coaches are a superstitious bunch. If the Hoosiers play really well in the new apparel, we can expect to see them again in the future. If IU struggles to pull away from Akron or loses the game, this will likely prove to be a “one-time only” event.