Ohio State

 

Ohio State got the victory it craved. It just came at a hefty price — the loss of starting quarterback Julian Sayin for several weeks with an injured right arm.

Sayin threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith on fourth-and-1 early in the fourth quarter before leaving, and the Buckeyes held on Saturday for a 19-15 victory over No. 5 Indiana when wide receiver Nick Marsh's left foot came down out of bounds on what would have been the go-ahead score for the Hoosiers with 1:02 to go.

Hoover got one last chance after Sayin's departure and quickly got the Hoosiers into position for a second straight fourth-quarter comeback. But as the wide open Marsh sprinted toward the front corner of the end zone for the catch, his left foot came down on the white paint. Marsh knew it, putting his hands on his helmet as the crowd roared and the stadium fireworks went off.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti suffered his first home loss in three seasons in the first top five game ever played at Memorial Stadium. “That was our blitz check,” Cignetti said. “We had it, we just didn't make it happen. This one is a tough one to swallow.”

The Hoosiers had won 22 straight overall and 19 in a row at home, the two longest active streaks in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The Hoosiers played uncharacteristically poorly Saturday. After losing no fumbles in 1,487 snaps since the 2025 season opener, they lost two early in the third quarter. They held Smith largely in check but still gave up the one score.

Sources:

The Helmet Project: http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

espn game recap 

@ Nebraska

 

Josh Hoover surprised a Nebraska defense stacked to stop the run on a fourth-and-1, flipping the ball to a wide-open Nick Marsh for a 44-yard touchdown to give No. 7 Indiana its first lead in a 20-17 victory over Nebraska.

The Hoosiers were pushed to the limit by a Cornhuskers team looking for a program-turning victory under fourth-year coach Matt Rhule. Instead, the defending national champion Hoosiers won their 22nd straight game.

On fourth down at the Nebraska 44, Indiana brought in an extra lineman in a tightly bunched formation. The Huskers crowded the line as if they were expecting a run. Hoover faked a handoff, drawing in the defense, and Marsh got behind the secondary. He caught Hoover's floating pass and ran into the end zone with no one around him.

Cignetti said he stole the play from Kansas five or six years ago and used it against Northwestern two weeks ago.

The Hoosiers improved to 27-0 against unranked opponents under third-year coach Cignetti, and their 22-game win streak is the longest in the Big Ten since Ohio State won 23 straight from 2013-14.

Sources:

The Helmet Project: http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

espn game recap 

@ Rutgers

 

 

Indiana's first road test of the season would put them against Rutgers. The defending national champions last loss occurred in the first week of the 2025 season. It is the longest winning streak since Washington won 21 straight from 2022-24. Indiana (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) amassed a season-high 593 total yards.

Turbo Richard ran for 204 yards and a touchdown; Josh Hoover passed for 251 yards and four touchdowns and No. 6 Indiana beat Rutgers 47-15.

As explosive as the offense was, the Hoosiers defense was impenetrable. The Scarlet Knights managed just 59 yards on the ground, were held to nine first downs and traveled into Indiana territory on only three of their 12 possessions. The Hoosiers registered four sacks and eight tackles for loss.

Sources:

The Helmet Project: http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

espn game recap 

Northwestern

 

On a night the Hoosiers looked nothing like the defending national champs, Lee Beebe Jr. carried 24 times for 203 yards, scored one touchdown and his late 70-yard burst set up Josh Hoover's game-sealing 1-yard score with 1:56 to go as No. 5 Indiana held on for a 29-23 victory over Northwestern. 

Northwestern fell just short of beating a defending national champion for the first time since 1971 and a top five foe for the first time since 1959.

The Hoosiers extended the Football Bowl Subdivision's longest active winning streak to 20 games and the longest home winning streak to 19 — barely.

Northwestern was within 15-13 early in the fourth quarter and had two chances to tie because of a pass-interference call on its first 2-point attempt. But the Hoosiers stopped quarterback Aidan Chiles on a designed run to preserve the lead.

Following a facemask penalty on third-and-19 that gave Indiana a first down, Beebe ripped off a 39-yard run and then ran for a 4-yard TD with 9:39 left to make it a two-score game. After Northwestern cut the deficit to 22-20, Beebe ran 70 yards to the Wildcats 5-yard line. Six plays later, Hoover scored.

Sources:

The Helmet Project: http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

espn game recap 

Western Kentucky

Josh Hoover threw two touchdown passes, Lee Beebe Jr. added two TD runs and No. 4 Indiana overcame a sluggish first half to blow out Western Kentucky 38-0. 

The Hoosiers' defense has posted back-to-back shutouts, and it has not been scored upon since late in the third quarter of their season opener against North Texas. 

That side of the ball also set up a 98-yard TD drive with a goal-line stand in the first half. 

Cignetti improved to 30-2 with the Hoosiers, becoming the eighth of the program's 30 all-time coaches to reach the 30-win mark.

Sources:

The Helmet Project: http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

espn game recap 

Howard

 

Josh Hoover and Grant Wilson combined for 6 touchdown passes while Turbo Rchard added another on the ground to lead the Hoosiers to a 55-0 shutout over Howard. 

In the fourth quarter the Hoosiers elected to use a ten-minuet clock to conclude the game. Second and third squads were used in the second half as starters were pulled.

Indiana played without kicker Nico Radicic, who has a lower back injury. Cignetti said Radicic woke up Thursday morning with a stiff back and was unable to play. He was replaced by Paddy McAteer, who is from Ireland. McAteer didn't have any field-goal attempts but did miss his second extra-point attempt wide left.

Cignetti is still unbeaten at Memorial Stadium.  His 28-2 record after 30 games is the second best in FBS history. Fielding Yost started his Michigan tenure at 29-0-1.

Sources:

The Helmet Project: http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

espn game recap 

North Texas

 

Josh Hoover threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns, including a 15-yard score on his first pass, Turbo Richard rushed for two more scores to help the defending national champs open the season with a 52-16 rout of North Texas.

After celebrating last year's title during a pregame ceremony, Indiana extended the Football Bowl Subdivision's longest active winning streak to 17 games and the FBS' longest active home winning streak to 16.

Hoover finished 13 of 16 with no turnovers. Richard, had 15 carries for 58 yards and one catch for 38. Charlie Becker had four catches for 64 yards and two scores while Nick Marsh and Davion Chandler each had TD receptions.

The passing offense and kickoff returns looked strong, but coach Curt Cignetti won't be happy with the penalties, the rushing game or the defense's inability to get stops. Those will be areas to focus on this week.

North Texas quarterback Tayven Jackson returned to his home state and played well though he did leave briefly in the second half when he appeared to suffer a lower body injury. He was 22 of 28 for 192 yards with one interception while rushing six times for 22 yards. Jackson played two seasons at Indiana before transferring to UCF last year.

Indiana lost three key players in the first half — running back Khobie Martin and defensive backs A.J. Harris and Jamari Sharpe, whose sealed the title game win with a late interception.

Sources:

The Helmet Project: http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

espn game recap