Written by: TJ Inman
What: #6 Indiana Hoosiers (0-0) vs. North Texas Mean Green (0-0)
When: Saturday, September 5 at Noon
Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN
How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on FOX and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.
Follow in the Forums: Join Hoosier Huddle’s Free Forum and join the community to chat about the game together.
Spread and Total: IU -39.5 | 55.5
Series History: The Indiana Hoosiers and North Texas Mean Green have met twice with both games occurring more than a decade ago. North Texas won 24-21 in Denton in 2011 while the Hoosiers exacted revenge 49-24 in 2014.
What’s at Stake: First and foremost, this is the season opener and it represents the official beginning of IU’s quest for another National Championship. There is no preseason in college football and every game counts for a team’s ability to make the College Football Playoff. On the field, Curt Cignetti will almost certainly hope to get a lot of players live reps and to begin to build the depth the team will need later in the season. The goals for Indiana are pretty simple: win the game, play to the standard Curt Cignetti has set, build depth and stay healthy. North Texas is beginning the Neal Brown era after Eric Morris left for Oklahoma State and took much of the roster with him. This is a proud football program with good tradition and the Mean Green will hope to remain competitive in this contest.
A Few Things to Look For
Celebrating the Title, Hunting For Another One
As much as Curt Cignetti hates it, this game will at least partly be a celebration of the 2025 National Championship. It is unknown how Indiana University’s athletic department will commemorate the title before the game (beyond a planned 11:30 a.m. unveiling of some sort) or, perhaps, at halftime but at least some of the focus of the crowd and the broadcast is going to be on remembering the historic run of last season. That’s perfectly fine for the fans to do but Curt Cignetti will undoubtedly be focused on doing whatever he can to make sure his team is focused solely on North Texas. Last season’s team was always able to block out everything going on around them and play to the standard, mostly regardless of opponent. This will be the first chance we’ll have to see if the 2026 Hoosiers can do the same.
Finding Offensive Rhythm
In Curt Cignetti’s first season, 2024, the Indiana Hoosiers averaged 41.3 points per game. The 2025 Hoosiers put up 41.6 points per game. It’s easy to forget that neither version was particularly strong on offense in the season opener. Indiana scored 31 points against Florida International in Curt Cignetti’s first game as IU’s head coach and last year’s group struggled and only put up 27 points in the win over Old Dominion. Josh Hoover is a veteran but it will be his first time playing a game in this offensive system and the Hoosiers have a number of new pieces that will be trying to find their footing. North Texas is a complete mystery but we do know that at least a couple of defensive backs that were expected to be in the main rotation are out with injuries and it is highly likely the Mean Green will be at a significant disadvantage against IU’s skill players and offensive line. How quickly can Mike Shanahan’s offense find the ignition switch and really take off?
IU’s Defense Welcomes a Familiar Face
North Texas is not a program with very many local ties to Indiana but fans will certainly recognize the starting quarterback for the Mean Green. Tayven Jackson, formerly of Tennessee, Indiana and Central Florida, has found his way to Denton and has been named the new QB1 for head coach Neal Brown. Jackson has not found much success during his collegiate career but he does have some talent around him, mainly former West Virginia tailback Jaheim White and a quick group of receivers. IU’s defensive line will undoubtedly look to turn up the pressure on Jackson and make his homecoming a very long afternoon. It will be interesting to see how Bryant Haines balances rotation in the very deep defensive line room as well as how snaps are divvied up at cornerback (beyond Jamari Sharpe), third linebacker and safety.
Other Links for Indiana-North Texas
Know Your Opponent: North Texas Mean Green
What UNT Head Coach Neal Brown said About Indiana
Podcast: Week 1 Preview (North Texas)
Matchup To Watch: Indiana’s Defense vs. Tayven Jackson’s Homecoming
Numbers that Matter for Indiana Against North Texas
‘We’re Team Reese first’ Inside the family reunion behind IU safety Garrett Reese facing his brother
Discover more from Hoosier Huddle
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.