Indiana Football (1-0) looks to remain unblemished on the young season as the host Western Illinois (0-1) is first and only FCS opponent the Hoosiers face this season.
This will be the first meeting between the two teams. Indiana has won fourteen consecutive games against FCS opponents and is 17-1 overall.
With last week's 31-7 victory over Florida International, Curt Cignetti became the first Indiana coach to win their opening game since Bill Lynch did it in 2007.
Western Illinois is in the midst of a historic drought. The Leathernecks have lost 25 straight games, spanning nearly three years back from October of 2021.
Before kickoff comes Friday night, here's what you need to know regarding the Hoosiers' week two battle with the Leathernecks.
Injury Updates
Curt Cignetti announced on Monday that wide receiver Donovan McCulley would be day-to-day after taking a hard hit to the upper body in the second quarter of week one's victory.
JoJo Johnson, E.J. Williams Jr., and Brody Kosin were all ruled out for last week's game against Florida International and it is unclear whether or not they will play Friday night against Western Illinois.
The mandated availability report is set to release two hours before kickoff on Friday – around 5:00 p.m.
Storylines to watch
How long will the starters play?
In their season opener last week at Northern Illinois, the Leatherneck defense surrendered north of 700 yards of total offense in a 54-15 defeat in DeKalb on Saturday.
The combination of Indiana's versatile offense and Western's less-than-impressive defense will make this game ugly early on.
Despite the lopsided matchup, Cignetti will still trot out his starters, but the question is for how long?
Indiana will score a bunch of points in short order, leading to a lopsided score in the first half, but don't expect the Hoosiers to take out their starters until halftime. Cignetti still wants to see improvement after a tumultuous second half against FIU, and the best way to work out those kinks is by getting more reps.
Will Tayven Jackson make his season debut?
If the Hoosiers meet their expectations in the first half and enter the locker room with a comfortable lead, there will be wholesale substitutions in the second half, one of them being redshirt sophomore quarterback Tayven Jackson.
Jackson has been dealt a tough hand since his arrival in Bloomington last season. He lost a quarterback battle last season to now Cincinnati Bearcat Brendan Sorsby. This season, he is sitting behind veteran transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who was hand-picked by Curt Cignetti and his staff to be the starter.
The Center Grove alum will be auditioning for the starting position on next year's roster and will have to show out to prove to the coaching staff that they do not need to look to the transfer portal for a signal caller in the offseason.
Why is Indiana playing Western Illinois?
After looking at all the stats and streaks that Western Illinois is on, there is question as to why a Big Ten program such as Indiana would schedule a program in disarray like Western Illinois.
Before the game against the Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indiana announced they were backing out of the three-year deal that would have included a game at Memorial Stadium week two of the 2024 season.
Then Indiana coach Tom Allen cited 'conference expansion' as his main reason for backing out of the deal.
Instead of playing a measuring stick game against a power four opponent, Curt Cignetti and Indiana are stuck playing the worst team in the FCS.
Barring a change in scheduling, the Hoosiers aren't scheduled to play a power four non-conference game until 2027, when they head to Charlottesville to play Virginia.
Quick Hitters
Who?: Indiana (1-0) vs Western Illinois (0-1)
When?: Friday, September 6th, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where?: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana
TV: Big Ten Network, Lisa Byington (play-by-play), J Leman (analyst) Melanie Ricks (sideline)
Radio: IU Radio Network, Don Fischer (play-by-play), Buck Suhr (analyst), John Herrick
Vegas: NO LINE
ESPN SP+: Indiana 45-3, 100% chance of Hoosier victory
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