Following a 56-7 beatdown of Nebraska, Indiana football (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) hosts newly-added to the conference Washington (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Indiana will be without star quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who exited last week's victory with an injury to his throwing hand. This leaves the signal calling duties to Tayven Jackson.
Washington enters Saturday following a bye week. In their last game before the bye, the Huskies got walloped in Iowa City against the Hawkeyes with a 40-16 loss.
College GameDay will be in Bloomington, hosting their award winning pregame show at Indiana for the first time in its history.
Before kickoff comes Saturday, here's what you need to know regarding the Hoosiers' week nine showdown with the Huskies.
LAST MATCHUP
The last time the two teams met was back in 2003 in Seattle where the Huskies took down the Hoosiers 38-13.
Matt LoVecchio went 16-for-29 for 199 yards and an interception as Gerry DiNardo's Hoosiers suffered their second straight loss to open up the 2003 campaign.
Saturday's game between the two teams will be the fourth meeting overall and second in Bloomington with last coming in 1978.
INJURY UPDATE
As previously mentioned, Kurtis Rourke underwent surgery to his right hand and is considered week-to-week at this point.
There are no other known injuries leading up to Saturday's game.
The mandated availability report is set to release two hours before kickoff on Saturday – around 10:00 a.m.
STORYLINES TO WATCH
Will Tayven Jackson pick up where he left off?
Last week, there was no drop-off between the play of Rourke to Jackson. The Center Grove alum went 7-of-8 for 99 yards and two touchdown throws.
Now, he enters his first start since the Michigan game last season. Although it is a completely different offense, Jackson struggled at times last season which leads some to believe that there will be a letdown performance.
Can Jackson continue Indiana's strong quarterback play? Only time will tell.
Can Indiana avoid distractions?
With College GameDay in Bloomington, there are a million reasons to believe that this is going to be a patented Indiana collapse against Washington. Curt Cignetti's last loss at James Madison was against Appalachian State on the same day GameDay went to Harrisonburg.
The Hoosiers had no trouble with the attention they earned last week, but there are more expectations surrounding the team coming into this weekend. Another sold out crowd will be on hand at Memorial Stadium and that should give Indiana a major advantage in this one. Expect Indiana to come out firing on all cylinders in their quest for another victory.
Matchup to Watch: Indiana's DB vs Washington's WR
The Huskies present a new opportunity for the Indiana defensive backs. With two star wideouts in Giles Jackson and Denzel Boston, the Hoosier secondary will have their hands full.
Boston and Jackson have combined for 1,082 yards this season while also hauling in a combined 11 touchdowns.
Indiana corners D'Angelo Ponds and Jamier Johnson have done a fantastic job through seven weeks, but this week is a new challenge with two elite receivers. It will be interesting to see how the Hoosiers handle two star receivers.
QUICK HITTERS
Who?: No. 13/13 Indiana (7-0, 4-0 in Big Ten) vs Washington (4-3, 2-2 in Big Ten)
When?: Saturday, October 26th, Noon ET
Where?: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana
Projected Forecast: Mostly Sunny, 57 degrees, Wind 9 MPH NE
TV: Big Ten Network Guy Haberman (play-by-play), Yogi Roth (analyst), Rhett Lewis (sideline)
Radio: IU Radio Network, Don Fischer (play-by-play), Buck Suhr (analyst), John Herrick
Vegas: IU -6.5, o/u 52.5
ESPN SP+: Indiana 32-22, 73% chance of Hoosier victory
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