IU came away with a 56-9 win over Kennesaw State in week two. This week the Indiana State Sycamores come to town for a Friday Night game. IU will raise the Victory Flag this week if…
They Don’t Get Caught Looking Ahead
It would be easy for Indiana to take a peek at the schedule and see the game that everyone has circled as one of the most important games in 2025 all offseason. It would be easy to just dismiss Indiana State, an FCS foe, and get caught up in a potential top-10 opponent Illinois coming to Merchants Bank Field for a nationally televised primetime game. That’s an easy way to get caught napping.
IU can probably sleepwalk and win on Friday night, but the team still has plenty of areas where they need to focus and improve. Aligning the defense incorrectly may not be fatal against the Sycamores, but it would be against the Illini.
Devil is in the Details
IU’s defense has been gashed for a few big plays over the first two games, but that’s basically it. However, the devil is in the details here for the Hoosiers as small miscommunications cause big busts.
“I mean, defensively we gave up nine plays of 15 yards or more. They had drives of 63, 64, 44 and 50 consecutively, and we had a number of missed assignments, poor alignments, the fast balls, particularly in the middle of the field where they’re going fast, were not aligned correctly.” Cignetti said on Monday.
These are the details that IU was so in tune with last season, but haven’t clicked in yet in 2025.
Stay Healthy
Outside of winning the game, this may be priority number one. A win could feel like a loss if an injury occurs. While the Hoosiers are still building up a rapport with each other, the starters should be on the sideline shortly after halftime. Indiana needs to build depth as well at the safety and linebacker positions too. This is a game to do that.