Week 12 Indiana Hoosiers Opponent Recap

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Non-Conference Opponents

As we enter the final week of the regular season, I am tweaking the format of this article. Hopefully, this will give you a quick snapshot of where IU’s past opponents stand. 

Florida International – 31 – Marshall – 14

The Golden Panthers are now 4-7 (4-3). They will not be going to a bowl game and it appears likely they will finish the season at 4-8. The biggest news of the week for the Panthers is that they hired former Miami Hurricanes head coach Butch Davis to lead their program. 

Ball State – 19 – Toledo – 37

The Cardinals fell to 1-6 in the MAC as they were whacked by the 9-2 Toledo Rockets last Wednesday. Ball State is just 4-7 in the first season for Mike Neu and they have dropped four straight contests.

Wake Forest – 13 – Clemson – 35

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will be IU’s only non-conference opponent that will go bowling. Despite their loss to the #4 Clemson Tigers, the Demon Deacons are 6-5 (3-4) and they are favored to get their 7th victory as they clash with Boston College this week. 

Non-Conference Opponent Record = 14-19

Conference Opponents

Michigan State – 16 – Ohio State – 17

The Spartans nearly threw the College Football Playoff selections into chaos all over again as they gave the Ohio State Buckeyes all they could handle on Saturday in East Lansing. Michigan State trailed 17-10 when they found the end zone late in the fourth quarter. Instead of tying the game with an extra point, Mark Dantonio gambled and went for two. The play was a complete failure as Ohio State intercepted a poor pass and ultimately held on for the narrowest of victories. The defeat dropped the Spartans to 3-8 (1-7) heading into their season finale. Meanwhile, the Ohio State Buckeyes improved to 10-1 (7-1) and they now play host to Michigan with a spot in the College Football Playoff likely on the line. 

Nebraska – 28 – Maryland – 7

The Nebraska Cornhuskers were without Tommy Armstrong but it didn’t matter as they rolled over the Maryland Terrapins 28-7. The victory improved the Huskers to 9-2 (6-2) and dropped Maryland to 5-6 (2-6). Nebraska needs a victory against Iowa plus a Wisconsin loss to give them their first Big Ten West title and Maryland needs a victory over Rutgers to reach bowl eligibility. The Terrapins have been terrible since losing to Indiana but they’ll still be heavy favorites against the Scarlet Knights.

Northwestern – 12 – Minnesota – 29

In one of the more surprisingly lopsided results of the day, Minnesota (8-3, 5-3) shellacked Northwestern in Minneapolis. The Wildcats fell to 5-6 (4-4) and they must now beat Illinois to reach bowl eligibility. Clayton Thorson was 28-45 for 276 yards with a touchdown but the Wildcats were only 2-15 on third down and Thorson was sacked multiple times. Northwestern is now in a nearly identical spot to Indiana, needing to beat their rival to go bowling. 

Rutgers – 0 – Penn State – 39

Rutgers is one of the worst Big Ten teams we’ve seen in a long, long time. They were shutout for the fourth time in conference play and they managed a total of 87 yards on Saturday. That is truly putrid. They are now 2-9 (0-8) and a winless conference season appears inevitable. Meanwhile, Penn State will be at least 7th when the College Football Playoff rankings come out and they just need to beat Michigan State in Happy Valley to win the Big Ten East and advance to the Big Ten Championship game. A victory over the West champion, likely Wisconsin, would give them a very interesting case to be chosen for the College Football Playoff. 

Purdue – 20 – Wisconsin – 49

The Purdue Boilermakers have routinely got off to good starts this season and Saturday was no different. They led Wisconsin 3-0 after one quarter. However, the wheels came off very quickly as the Badgers scored 35 second quarter points and ultimately coasted to a dominant 49-20 win to drop Purdue to 3-8 (1-7) heading into the Old Oaken Bucket game. Wisconsin is now one win away from another Big Ten West title and Purdue is one game away from being able to hire their new head coach and try and forget the Darrell Hazell era ever happened. David Blough was only 14-30 and he threw another three interceptions as the Boilers were outgained 412-293.

Conference Opponents Record Recap – 53-35 (with Purdue, it would be 56-43)