The No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers (11-0,7-0) after Saturday’s 31-7 win over Wisconsin. The Hoosiers enter a much-needed bye week with control of their own destiny for the Big Ten championship and a national championship. Here’s the stock report for IU after week 12.
Stock Up
IU Fan Base
Indiana has sold out their last nine conference home games and have created a home field advantage that head coach Curt Cignetti was raving about after the win over Wisconsin.
“Our fans are the best in America. I know everybody says that that’s got it going and packs the house, but I love our fans. I know where we started and where we are now, and they are over the top. I can’t say enough good things about them. We feed off of their energy. I really think that us playing at home is at least a 14-point advantage.” Cignetti said.
On top of that, multiple people challenged the fans to stay and give a final salute to this team as it looks like Saturday was IU’s final home game of the 2025 season. They answered the bell as about 80-percent of the fans gave a loud ovation as the final gun sounded and the game was over (it did help that it was a beautiful day).
Bye Week Excitement
Usually there are grumbles that a bye week is coming during an undefeated season as fans want to see this team play, but IU needs the bye week. I believe fans understand that too. The Hoosiers are banged up after a six-game stretch that included trips to Oregon and Penn State.
It is a lot easier to enjoy a bye week when your team is 11-0 and the second ranked team in the country. There are several games IU fans will be keeping their eye on this week in the Big Ten (USC at Oregon, Rutgers at Ohio State, Michigan at Maryland) while the mighty SEC takes their annual pre-thanksgiving cupcake festival.
Second Half Performance
The first half of Saturday’s game left a lot to be desired. IU allowed Wisconsin to control the clock and play their style of football. IU led 10-7, but allowed 145 yards of offense. The second half was a different story. IU outscored the Badgers 21-0 and held the Badgers to just 23 yards of offense. The defense also scored 14 points off of two Badger turnovers. IU closed out the game on a 24-0 run, something IU fans have been used to seeing under Cignetti.
Stock Down
Offensive Line
The Indiana offensive line is missing Drew Evans and was severely limited because of Kahlil Benson being banged up. IU allowed five sacks and seven tackles for loss. Last week against Penn State, IU surrendered three sacks. While quarterback Fernando Mendoza did hold on to the ball too long on some plays, he is taking too many hits. Eight sacks in the last two games nearly came to a head when Mendoza was a little slow and wobbly getting up in the fourth quarter Saturday.
First Half Tackling
One of the reasons why Indiana started slowly was their issues with tackling again. The Hoosiers struggled on Wisconsin’s first drive, and really the first half, with angles and wrapping up. According to Pro Football Focus, IU missed six tackles yesterday.
“We just came out flat, honestly. We didn’t have a lot of energy. Some guys weren’t ready to go, and I will take the blame for that. I don’t think I was ready to go. I think I could’ve had more energy and been more of a sparkplug for the team. You know, (it’s) something we have got to work on. We can’t have that in a big game. So, we have to eliminate that now, get back to training towards the end of the season. We are looking forward to Purdue and writing that off.” Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher said.
Injuries
The Hoosiers are more banged up than the official availability says they are. IU was without starters wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and Drew Evans to start the game and then saw starters EJ Williams, Kaelon Black, Kahlil Benson and Mikail Kamara leave the game early as well. IU already lost Lee Beebe, Bryson Bonds and Kellan Wyatt for the season. IU needs to get healthy.
Hold
Undefeated Regular Season
There is one more game to go for 12-0 and it is the Old Oaken Bucket Game. IU has a chance to recover both physically and mentally before heading to West Lafayette on Black Friday. Anything can happen if a rivalry game…Just ask Ohio State.