The days are ticking by quickly as Indiana football prepares to head to Atlanta for a Peach Bowl showdown with Oregon. Fresh off a dominant Rose Bowl performance that saw the Hoosiers hold Alabama to just a single field goal, Indiana now turns its attention to a familiar opponent with far more firepower on offense. This time, the margin for error will be slim.
Oregon enters the Peach Bowl with one of the nation’s most explosive offenses, a unit that powered the Ducks to a 13-1 record this season. Their lone blemish came at the hands of Indiana in Week 7, but the Ducks have evolved since then. Quarterback Dante Moore has taken another step forward as the season has progressed, averaging 234 passing yards and two touchdown passes per game. While Moore’s growth presents a new challenge, the Hoosiers remain confident that their coaching staff will once again put them in position to succeed.
“You take that last game and you watch the film, you make adjustments,” linebacker Rolijah Hardy said during Tuesday’s press conference. “They got the same film we got. So we all just try to use that film. They’re a better team, we’re a better team, and we just go from there. Let the coaches do the game plan how they need to, and we just execute.”
The idea that it is difficult to beat a quality opponent twice has been a common talking point leading up to Friday, but it is not something Indiana is dwelling on. Instead, the Hoosiers are leaning on preparation and trust. The coaching staff has already proven it can build a winning blueprint against Oregon, and the players believe that attention to detail and execution will make the difference once again.
That preparation is especially evident on the defensive side of the ball under defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Bryant Haines. His emphasis on fundamentals and physicality has been a constant throughout bowl practices, particularly when it comes to limiting explosive plays.
“We do a lot of stuff in practice. We got a lot of tackle circuits,” Hardy said Tuesday. “Coach Haines always talks about vice tackling, trying to damage ball carriers and just get them on the ground so we can survive the next down.”
As Indiana readies itself for another high-stakes meeting with Oregon, the message from the locker room remains consistent and confident. Trust the film, trust the coaching, and execute when it matters most.
That belief starts with defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Bryant Haines, whose steady hand has helped elevate Indiana’s defense throughout the season. His impact is perhaps most evident in the development of linebacker Rolijah Hardy. A true sophomore, Hardy appeared in all 13 games with four starts during his freshman campaign in 2024. That season, as Indiana surged to an 11-2 record, Hardy recorded 22 tackles, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions, including a momentum-shifting pick six.
This year, Hardy has taken another leap. Starting all 14 games, he has emerged as a centerpiece of the Hoosiers’ defense, tallying 93 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and four passes defended. His growth has mirrored the unit’s rise, driven by preparation, trust, and a relentless attention to detail.
Hardy has become the type of player coaches trust in any situation, embodying Indiana’s next man up mentality. No matter the circumstance, the expectation is clear. Be ready, know your role, and step in without hesitation. That mindset has fueled his dominance on the field, and Hardy is quick to credit the staff for making it possible.
“It’s definitely the coaching,” Hardy said. “It’s the quality of the coaching. These coaches, they put a lot of time into all the players, all the installs. Everybody knows what to do. They know everyone’s job. So, when it’s the next man up, it’s his turn, then they know what to do.”
With the level of preparation Indiana brings into every week, the care and investment from the coaching staff are impossible to miss. Head coach Curt Cignetti, Haines, and the rest of the position coaches have helped shape a clear identity for this program, one built on discipline, trust, and physicality. As the Hoosiers head into the Peach Bowl with a trip to the semifinals on the line, that foundation is exactly what they will lean on most.