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

SpaceU Shoots For the Stars

A week after the #8 BYU Cougars upset the #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Cougars got a taste of their own medicine. Situated in between their matchup with the Irish and the “Holy War” rivalry game against Utah, BYU faced off against a 3-3 UCF team. What seemed like a cakewalk for the unbeaten Cougars quickly got out of hand as BYU let UCF hang around despite a wild end of regulation, and the Knights were able to get the 39-31 win in double overtime.

Go Cocks!

BYU wasn’t the only team to fall victim to an upset to a 3-3 team last week. The #11 Tennessee Volunteers were also bitten by the upset bug last Saturday. The Volunteers traveled to Columbia, South Carolina, to face off against a South Carolina Gamecocks team that was coming off of a three-game losing streak. Both sides traded punches all game long, until a strip sack and a 48-yard walk-off field goal gave the Gamecocks a 27-24 win.

French Fries Red Raiders

In a wild weekend in college football, Cincinnati quarterback JC French IV had a great game against the #8 Texas Tech Red Raiders. The senior QB had 4 TD passes and 172 yards through the air as well as 46 yards on the ground. While he wasn’t perfect (he threw two interceptions), the Bearcats were able to capitalize on Texas Tech mistakes, handing the Red Raiders their first loss of the season, 37-24.

Dukes Perfect No More

Speaking of undefeated teams that lost last week, the James Madison Dukes also failed to keep their perfect season alive against Appalachian State. Appalachian State took the Dukes to overtime, where JMU kicker Morgan Suarez doinked a 47-yard field goal off the left upright. Appalachian State took over and was able to get a 34-31 win off of a James London 40-yard walk-off field goal.

Hoosiers’ Matchup

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Campus: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Mascot: Golden Gophers / Goldy Gophers

Record This Season: 5-2

2025 Record: 8-5 (Beat New Mexico in Rate Bowl)

Series Record: Indiana is 27-41 (3 ties) against Minnesota

Head Coach: PJ Fleck (9th Season at Minnesota, 71-46 Record)

Conference: Big Ten

What to Watch For

How Healthy is Hoover?

One of the biggest areas of concern for the Hoosiers heading into Saturday’s game is the health of starting quarterback Josh Hoover. After taking a few big hits against Ohio State, it appears as though Hoover has been dealing with an injury to his shoulder. This injury clearly bothered him at Michigan, where Indiana only attempted one pass the entire second half. Hoover is listed as probable on the injury report, though there is a chance that we see veteran backup QB Grant Wilson on Saturday.

Lean on Defense

If Josh Hoover is not 100% on Saturday, the Hoosiers are going to need to do exactly what they did last week against Michigan in order to beat the Golden Gophers; lean on their defense. Indiana’s defense has been solid throughout the season and will have another opportunity to help out the offense by setting the tone early on in the game.

End The Streak

While nowhere near as long as the streak in the Big House, it has been a long time since the Hoosiers have beaten Minnesota. In fact it has been nearly 20 years. Indiana hasn’t beaten the Gophers since 2007. While this is in part due to the fact that the Hoosiers don’t play the Gophers that often, (the two have played just 4 times since 2007), ending this drought would feel great for Hoosier fans.

Tailgate Tip of the Week

Get Up It’s Gameday

ESPN’s College Gameday returns to Bloomington for just the second time ever, and the first since 2024, when former Indiana Coach Lee Corso received a hero’s welcome. This time, the show will be filming in front of Showalter Fountain, a location that has its own rich sports tradition. The show goes live at 9am, and Hoosier fans will want to get there early to watch all the excitement.

Trick Or Tailgate

It’s one of those rare years when Halloween lands on a football Saturday, which means it is time for one of my favorite traditions, “Trick or Tailgate.” Don your best Indiana costume (perhaps Fernando diving into the endzone or the chair that Bob Knight threw), and head to the tailgates around Memorial Stadium. You’ll be sure to get some candy and perhaps even a Hoosier Gameday Lager or two.