Indiana Football is 10-0 for just the second time in program history — and this team doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon. Saturday’s 27-24 win over Penn State wasn’t always pretty, but it was gritty, historic, and full of heart. For the first time ever, the Hoosiers walked out of Beaver Stadium victorious, snapping a 13-game skid in Happy Valley.
The tone was set early by Indiana’s defense, which held Penn State to just one score in the first half. Leading the charge was linebacker Aiden Fisher, making his return after missing most of the UCLA game and all of the Maryland matchup. His impact was immediate — flying around the field, forcing turnovers, and injecting the defense with the fire it had missed.
Even when a 20-7 fourth-quarter lead began to slip away, Indiana never lost its composure. They’d been here before — battle-tested, bruised, but never beaten.
“We did a lot of things that were uncharacteristic as a defense,” Fisher said postgame. “A lot of things that when we look back on film, it’s going to be a lot of gross feelings. But we just talk about resiliency, always coming up in the clutch, and just refusing to lose when it comes down to the game on the line. This team refused to lose, and I think that’s the best quality you can have as a team.”
Fisher’s return wasn’t just symbolic — it was game-changing. He finished with nine tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception, his second straight game with a pick. His two takeaways directly led to 10 of Indiana’s points, part of a staggering 34 points off turnovers over the last two weeks.
But when the defense began to bend in the second half and Penn State surged ahead 24-20 possessing the ball with less than 2:30 remaining, Fisher and company knew their job wasn’t done.
“We knew it was going to come down to us,” Fisher said. “It was a big stop we were going to have to make and obviously a really ugly game for us. But in the fourth quarter, when we needed it the most, the characteristics of this team really came out. Just a resilient group that knew it was going to come down to us to get the stop to win”
After burning through all three timeouts and the two-minute timeout, Indiana’s defense finally forced Penn State to punt — one last stand that kept the Hoosiers’ hopes alive. With the game on the line, Fernando Mendoza marched the offense down the field and found Omar Cooper Jr. for the go-ahead touchdown, sending the Indiana sideline into a frenzy.
But the job wasn’t finished yet. With 35 seconds still on the clock, the defense took the field one final time — and fittingly, it was Fisher and his crew who slammed the door shut. Penn State’s comeback attempt fizzled, and Indiana walked off Beaver Stadium’s turf celebrating a win that had eluded them for decades.
Fisher made key stops on those final drives, setting the tone alongside Stephen Daley, who racked up 2.5 tackles for loss, and Rolijah Hardy, who led the team with 12 tackles and a sack. Together, they embodied what’s made this 10-0 Indiana team special — grit, unity, and a refusal to fold when the pressure mounts.
It wasn’t the script anyone expected, but it was pure Indiana football: chaotic, clutch, and full of heart. With Aiden Fisher’s leadership anchoring the defense, the Hoosiers continue to prove they can win any way, anywhere. Next up, Indiana returns home to Bloomington for their final game at Memorial Stadium this season, hosting Wisconsin on Saturday (Nov. 15) at noon before closing the regular season at Purdue.