What: #4 Indiana Hoosiers (2-0) vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-2)
When: Saturday, September 19 at 4:00 pm
Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN
How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on Peacock/NBCSN and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.
Live Game Chat: Join Hoosier Huddle for the Live Game Chat that opens at 10 am
Spread and Total: IU -44.5 | Total of 61.5
Series History: The Indiana Hoosiers are 5-0 all-time against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers but the past three games in the series have been very competitive. IU won 38-35 in 2015, 33-31 in 2021 in Bowling Green and 33-30 in 2022. The main theme of each of those games was IU’s inability to stop the Hilltoppers’ passing attack but doing just enough to survive with a win.
What’s at Stake: The Indiana Hoosiers are attempting to move to 3-0 and look to remain unbeaten in non-conference play in the Curt Cignetti era. The Hoosiers were better in week two than they were in the season opener, particularly on defense. With another week of practice under their belt, the Hoosiers will hope to continue that upward trend as they turn attention towards conference play and the Northwestern Wildcats. Western Kentucky is a proud program but they are 0-2 with a pair of blowout losses and are looking for anything positive before finally getting a home game next week.
A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR
IU’s Offense With Another Great Day
The Indiana Hoosiers have scored more than 50 points in both outings this season and it feels like Curt Cignetti and Mike Shanahan still have not needed to take the offense out of first gear. Running backs Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe both exceeded 100 yards against Howard and Charlie Becker is scoring nearly every time he touches the ball. Western Kentucky won’t offer much more resistance than Howard showed. The Hilltoppers allowed 49 points to Nevada in Week One and then went to Athens and gave up 70 points to the Georgia Bulldogs. Through two weeks, Western Kentucky is surrendering an average of 489.5 yards per game and 59.5 points per game. The Wolf Pack averaged 7.7 yards per carry and the Georgia Bulldogs followed that up with 6.7 yards per carry so Indiana’s rushing attack should continue to feast and gain confidence on Saturday afternoon.
While the passing game was hyper-efficient against Howard, six touchdowns on nine completions is quite the stat, it would be fair to say Josh Hoover made a few poor decisions after a razor-sharp opening week. IU’s transfer quarterback from TCU seemed to get stuck on his first read and missed a couple of open opportunities while forcing deep shots. Against better competition, those were plays that could have resulted in turnovers. With Big Ten play up next, it would be great to see Hoover return to his Week One form by progressing through his reads and bot underthrowing his targets or putting the ball at risk.
WKU’s Offense Fails to Launch
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have produced some fantastic offenses under head coach Tyson Helton. Through two games, the Hilltoppers have failed to find the offensive rhythm their fans have grown accustomed to. Against Nevada, the Hilltoppers only scored 14 points as quarterback Rodney Tisdale Jr. struggled mightily. In Athens, they managed 20 points but two of those touchdowns came in the fourth quarter against UGA’s backups. Brock Glenn was inserted into the lineup and ran for 70 yards and two scores and it would not be a surprise at all to see both quarterbacks on Saturday in Bloomington.
IU’s defense didn’t look amazing in the season opener, but North Texas following their loss to IU with a 44-6 demolition of UNLV validates how they looked against Indiana. The Mean Green are a threat in the American Athletic Conference and Indiana’s defense then suffocated Howard. Putting together another dominant defensive performance would help ensure IU’s defense is ready for Northwestern.
Finishing the Non-Con
No team is a finished product just because conference season begins. Progression, change and growth are all still going to happen and continue throughout the season. That written, Saturday is the final non-conference game of the regular season and IU will need to be as ready as possible for Big Ten play after this contest. That means continuing to figure out the rushing attack and what the running back rotation will look like without Khobie Martin. That means trying to get AJ Harris and Jamari Sharpe back from injury and feeling comfortable with the cornerback position. Getting some production from the tight ends and getting the defense and getting kicker Nico Radicic healthy would be great. This game feels like the end of IU’s “warm-up,” and entering Big Ten play on a high note is important.
Other Indiana Football Links From the Week
Know Your Opponent: Week 3 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Podcast: Week 3 Preview: Indiana vs. Western Kentucky
Chatter From the Other Sideline: Western Kentucky Head Coach Tyson Helton
Cignetti Encouraged by Progress in Indiana Secondary Heading into Western Kentucky
Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Complement Each Other in the Hoosier Backfield
Matchup To Watch: Indiana’s Tight Ends vs. Western Kentucky’s Defense
Numbers that Matter: Indiana vs. Western Kentucky
Back in the flow: Preston Zachman brings experience to Indiana’s secondary
IU Will Raise the Victory Flag vs. Western Kentucky If…
Indiana Football Recruit Visitor List for Western Kentucky
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