Rise and shine Tailgaters; it’s Gameday! Welcome back to Hoosier Huddle’s newest weekly column: Tidbits for the Tailgate. Each week I’ll break down what you need to know before you head to the lots at Memorial Stadium: from players to watch, to what’s happening in other games, to tips for a successful tailgate.

What You Missed Last Week

Horns Down

On paper, this should have been a walk in the park for Texas. The unbeaten #1 team in the nation faced off against a struggling Oklahoma team. But nothing is ever a given in the Red River Rivalry game. Texas let Oklahoma hang around and Arch Manning’s two interceptions in the 4th quarter led to a game-winning field goal and a 27-24 Oklahoma win.

Two for the Win

Texas wasn’t the only SEC team to get upset this past Saturday. A week after LSU beat McNeese State 63-14, the Tigers found themselves in a dogfight at Kentucky. The Wildcats took a 21-17 into the half. After a back-and-forth second half, the two entered overtime, tied 27-27. LSU scored first to take 34-27 before Kentucky scored and then went for the win, 35-34 Wildcats.

Dawgs Break the Streak

For as dominant as Georgia has been in recent memory, there has been one hurdle that they had not been able to get over. A regular season win against the Alabama Crimson Tide. It had been nearly 20 years since the Dawgs beat Bama. That changed last Saturday. Georgia got a much-needed rivalry win as they remain undefeated.

Bruins Go Duck Hunting

Speaking of undefeated teams, UCLA also got a big rivalry win last Saturday to remain unbeaten. The Bruins went on the road to Oregon and came away with a 17-15 win. First-year UCLA head coach Bob Chesney gave an impassioned pregame speech in which he said, “Burn the boats…the only way out is through them.” Unfortunately for the Bruins, while they came away with a win, they lost starting QB Nico Iamaleava to a season-ending injury.

Hoosiers’ Matchup

Ohio State Buckeyes

Campus: Columbus, Ohio

Mascot: Buckeyes/Brutus the Buckeye

Record This Season: 5-1

2025 Record: 12-2 (Lost to Miami in Cotton Bowl)

Series Record: Indiana is 13-80 (5 ties) against Ohio State

Head Coach: Ryan Day (9th Season at Ohio State, 87-13 record)

Conference: Big Ten

What to Watch For

Contain Jeremiah Smith

It’s no secret what Ohio State’s gameplan will be against the Hoosiers: get the ball to Jeremiah Smith. The Buckeyes WR1 is one of the best players in the country and already has 916 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. The Buckeyes will try to get the ball to #4 as much as possible, and it will be up to Bryant Haines to scheme up a way to slow him down.

Get the Crowd Into It

This will be a huge game for the Hoosiers, and Indiana will need every advantage that they can get. Over the past couple of seasons, Hoosier Nation has packed Memorial Stadium and Bowl stadiums all over the country. This Saturday needs to be the loudest Memorial Stadium has ever been. Forcing false starts on Ohio State will put Indiana in a great position.

Clean Up Third Down

Third Down was not successful for Indiana last Saturday against Nebraska. In fact the Hoosiers were just 1-10 on third down last week against the Cornhuskers. Throughout the season the Hoosiers are converting 40.74% of their third downs, which ranks 64th nationally. Against a stout Ohio State defense, Indiana is going to need to execute better on third down.

Tailgate Tip of the Week

Go to Big Noon Kickoff

Saturday’s matchup will be the Big Noon game on Fox, which means that Big Noon Kickoff will be filming live from the South Lawn of Memorial Stadium. The fan pit opens at 8:30, and the show goes live at 10am. There will be giveaways, and IndyCar driver Alex Palou will be on hand as the special guest.

Wear Red

It’s a “Red Out” this Saturday, and that means that the entirety of Memorial Stadium should be drenched in Hoosier Crimson. If you don’t have anything red to wear, check out Indiana’s NIL Store or one of the many t-shirt stores on Kirkwood.