After a 1-1 start to the season, Indiana faces a tough, neutral-site test in week three in the Louisville Cardinals.
Indiana (1-1, 0-1 in Big Ten) and Louisville (2-0, 1-0 in ACC) will meet for just the third time in the history of the two programs on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium, with both teams fresh off a win.
Last week, Indiana controlled the game from the get-go against Indiana State. The Hoosiers got out to a quick 21-0 lead in the first quarter behind a strong run game and never looked back. Jaylin Lucas led the charge on the ground, scoring twice in the first quarter on two runs of 25 yards. Josh Henderson, Christian Turner and Tayven Jackson all found the end zone on the ground as well Friday night, as the Hoosiers rushed for five touchdowns as a team.
The Hoosiers also found their starting quarterback against the Sycamores. After completing all but three of his passes for more than 200 yards against Indiana State, Tom Allen officially named Jackson the Hoosiers' starting quarterback on Monday.
The defense was once again a strong point for Indiana against Indiana State. The Sycamores got their only points of the game on a scoop-n-score in the second quarter. The defensive shutout combined with a strong rushing attacked pushed Indiana to a 41-7 win over Indiana State last Friday.
The Cardinals had an equally impressive defensive display against Murray State in their last time out. Louisville forced three turnovers and held Murray State to less than 175 yards of total offense, while keeping the Racers off the board for 60 minutes.
The Cardinal offense fired on all cylinders against Murray State. Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer threw two interceptions to just one touchdown, but the Cardinals run game dominated last Thursday night. Louisville ran for almost 350 yards and averaged 8.6 yards per carry as a team against Murray State, cruising to a 56-0 win.
Ahead of this week three matchup, here's everything you need to know to get ready for the Hoosiers to take on the Cardinals.
Last Time They Met
The last time Indiana and Louisville met on the football field was 1986, the second-ever meeting between the two programs. After a scoreless first half, the Hoosiers found the end zone a handful of times in the second half, winning 21-0.
In that game, it was the ground attack that propelled Indiana in the second half. Three Hoosiers finished with double-digit carries as Indiana ran all over Louisville to the tune of 285 yards on the ground.
Injury Report
Indiana left Friday's contest against Indiana State relatively unscathed in the injury department. Following the win, Allen declined to comment on any specific players.
“We use the availability report now as a part of our procedure,” Allen said. “That's how we're going to use it. So we won't comment on injuries.”
Receivers E.J Williams and Cam Camper both left the game against Indiana State early. Williams was seen on the sideline wearing street clothes in the second half, while Camper exited in the latter stages of the first half.
DB Kobee Minor, DB Bryson Bonds, TE Trey Walker and OL Max Longman were all listed as 'questionable' on last week's availability report. All were dressed in uniform and participated in pregame warm-ups on Friday.
QB Dexter Williams II and DB Jamier Johnson were both listed as 'out' last week.
Storylines to watch...
Indiana names a starting quarterback.
On Monday, Tom Allen officially named a starting quarterback. After starting against Indiana State and leading the Hoosiers to a 41-7 win, Tayven Jackson has officially been given the keys to the team. Jackson completed 18/21 pass attempts for 236 yards against the Sycamores. He also added a touchdown on the ground.
"Tayven Jackson is going to be our starting quarterback," Allen said Monday. "(I'm) excited for the opportunity for him."
The redshirt freshman transferred to Indiana this offseason from Tennessee in hopes of winning the starting job over Brendan Sorsby. Sorsby started the season-opener against Ohio State, but Allen noted that the plan all along was to have both quarterbacks start a game and then reevaluate them ahead of week three.
The quarterback debacle is far from over however. Jackson has been named the starter for now, but Allen has mentioned several times the importance of Sorsby being ready at a moments notice. Then comes the looming decision on what to do with Dexter Williams II once he returns from injury. Williams is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in last season's Old Oaken Bucket Game, but the redshirt junior could be back and healthy in the coming weeks according to Allen. Do the Hoosiers want to hold another quarterback competition once Williams is healthy? Only time will tell. For now, it's Jackson's turn to lead the Hoosiers.
A couple of former Boilermakers take on the Hoosiers
While Jeff Brohm may be a new face to the Cardinals, the Hoosiers are quite familiar with the former Purdue head coach. Brohm spent six years in West Lafayette with the Boilermakers.
Tom Allen had high praise for his head coaching counterpart ahead of this Saturday's matchup, referring to Brohm as one of the best play callers in the entire country.
Brohm-led teams are 4-2 all-time against Indiana, with all four wins coming during his tenure with the Boilermakers. Brohm played Indiana once during his three years as head coach of Western Kentucky. That was a 38-35 Indiana victory back in 2015.
Brohm is not the only former Boilermaker that will take on the Hoosiers this weekend. Louisville's fifth-year quarterback Jack Plummer spent three season in West Lafayette, however, he never saw any meaningful game time against Indiana.
Can the Indiana defense continue its strong play?
The Indiana defense has been lights out to begin the season. The group held a top-5 Buckeyes squad to 23 points to open the season and kept Indiana State's offense off the board last weekend.
The group largely composed of transfers and young, unproven talent has played well at all three levels thus far. It was the secondary that shined against Ohio State, containing Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. Against the Sycamores, it was the entire group.
Andre Carter, Aaron Casey and Noah Pierre are the unquestioned leaders of the defense, but the Hoosiers have gotten contributions from all over. They've got their hands full on Saturday against an elite Cardinals rushing attack led by Jawhar Jordan. Jordan is the catalyst in the run game for the Cardinals and already has multiple 70-plus yard rushing touchdowns this year.
Limiting Louisville's ground game has to be a priority for the Hoosiers. The Indiana defense has earned the benefit of the doubt through the first two weeks of the season, but Saturday will be a tough test.
QUICK HITTERS
Who?: Indiana (1-1, 0-1 in the Big Ten) vs. Louisville (2-0, 1-0 in the ACC)
When?: Saturday, September 16th, 12:00 p.m. ET
Where?: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
TV: BTN – Connor Onion (play-by-play), Brock Vereen (analyst), Meghan McKeown (sideline)
Radio: IU Radio Network, Don Fischer (play-by-play), Rhett Lewis (analyst), John Herrick
Vegas: Louisville -10, o/u 52.5
ESPN's Matchup Predictor: Louisville 34-18, 82% chance of Louisville victory
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