Welcome to the second edition of Two Game Tuesdays where we dive into the IU football schedule two games at a time! We are previewing weeks 3 & 4 of the football season for IU, including the start of Big Ten play.

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Week 3: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

All time series: IU leads 5-0

Indiana hosts the Hilltoppers at 4 P.M. on September 19 on Peacock.

Western Kentucky Recap

WKU went a very solid 9-4 last year, including a 3 point loss to LSU in Baton Rouge. The Hilltoppers are always towards the top of Conference USA, and last year was no different. Under Tyson Helton, Western Kentucky has been a model of consistency in the G5, something to be lauded in this day and age of college football. In Helton’s eight years as head coach, the Hilltoppers are 58-35. It is shocking that Helton has not expressed interest in a Power 4 job, or vice versa. The defense last year was the definition of a rollercoaster. They held LSU to 13 points, but gave up 45 to Toledo, and 37 to Jacksonville State to bookend the season.

Western Kentucky Season Preview

ESPN’s Bill Connelly has projected WKU to top their conference once again this year, and it is easy to see why. Wide Receiver K.D. Hutchinson returns for WKU as a top option for QB last season’s starter Rodney Tisdale Jr. There is a battle at this QB, as WKU also brought in Brock Glenn from Florida State to compete for the starting job. Western Kentucky must replace all five starters on their offensive line, and they brought in transfers from Alabama, Pittsburgh, and Mississippi State in order to bolster that unit.

On defense, nine of their projected starters were with the team last year, a drastic continuity shift from the other side of the ball. Davis Merritt, who was a co defensive coordinator last year, assumes the full time role this season. I expect the defense to benefit from another year of experience together, and consequently play more consistent football.

Hilltoppers vs Hoosiers

Last time IU and WKU faced off, Indiana won a classic 33-30 overtime matchup! This will be an interesting test for the Hoosiers, and they will get to face a squad that played Georgia between the hedges a week prior. I am interested to see how the defense of Indiana matches up with the high powered offense and system of Western Kentucky. Because WKU is bringing in five new starters on the line, they might not have had the full time to gel that they need, especially playing at Georgia in week 2. This is a win that will look better and better as the season progresses against one of the Conference USA favorites. At 86th in SP+, Western Kentucky will be the toughest opponent IU faces in the non conference portion of the schedule, and a great final tune up before taking on Northwestern on a short week.

Week 4: Northwestern Wildcats

All time series: Northwestern leads 47-36-1

The Hoosiers open Big Ten conference play against the Northwestern Wildcats on Friday, September 25, at 8 P.M. This game will be played in Bloomington, and will be on Fox as part of their “College Football Friday” series.

Northwestern Football Recap

After starting the year out 1-5, Northwestern went 7-6 last year on the back of a defense that ranked 23rd in the country in points allowed. It was a classic Northwestern season, highlighted by a thrilling 22-21 win over Penn State in Happy Valley (AKA The Game That Got James Franklin Fired). Offense was where the Wildcats struggled, only scoring 23.4 points per game, good for 5th worst in the Big Ten. Northwestern was 5-2 when they scored at least 19 points, which is a pretty low bar. Turnovers plagued the offense. They gave up the ball 21 times in 13 games, which is obviously not a winning formula in the Big Ten, or anywhere in college football. Despite the lack of offense, last season was one of their best years since COVID. The Wildcats are looking to keep that momentum as they open their new stadium in October.

Northwestern Season Preview

To fix the offense, the Wildcats hired Chip Kelly to call the plays. He brings in Aidan Chiles, the transfer from Michigan State, to take the snaps this season. Chiles has presented problems in the past for Indiana, as he is very mobile and has a lot of arm talent. The issue for Chiles this year will be who is catching his passes. Northwestern is always a team that relies on game control to offset some of the talent disparity, and Chip Kelly is the perfect man to maximize the talent that Northwestern possesses.

Defensively, Northwestern loses a lot on the line, namely standout Anto Saka, who transferred to Texas A&M. They need some of their young lineman to step up and fill the gaps left by Saka, Aidan Hubbard, and Najee Story, both of whom are currently working out for NFL teams. Oklahoma transfer Kobie McKnzie will man the middle, along with safety Robert Fitzgerald, who was second in the Big Ten with 115 tackles a season ago. The Northwestern defense does not have the reputation of Iowa’s, but they are about as reliable as they come. If the offense can take a major step forward, this could be a 7-8 win team, which is super impressive given the opponents they face. Overall, Northwestern has definitely improved their roster from top to bottom, but their schedule means that this won’t necessarily translate to more checks in the win column.

Wildcats vs. Hoosiers

I think this will be a gritty, low scoring affair, as Northwestern is going to control the clock. How IU responds to P4 competition is something to watch, and this might be a season defining game for Northwestern. They have a brutal schedule, starting with South Dakota State, Ball State, and then Colorado before heading to Bloomington. If Northwestern slips up and is 1-2 instead of 2-1 heading into this game, things could get ugly in Evanston. They also have trips to East Lansing, Columbus, and Eugene, as well as Penn State and Iowa at home. Northwestern is good for a few upsets a year, and Indiana must make sure that they do not fall victim. Chip Kelly will have a good gameplan to beat the Hoosiers’ defense, but the Wildcats do not have the personnel to do it.

This game will be a blueprint for more talented Big Ten opponents to model their own offensive gameplans after, so watch how Bryant Haines adjusts throughout the game. On the other side of the ball, I want to see Hoover make some big throws against a solid defense. There will be times in this game, unlike the previous three, where Hoover needs to make a throw to keep a drive going. How he performs in clutch situations will be an indicator of just how far this team can go.

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Cover picture courtesy of The Daily Hoosier