Iowa Football Opponent Preview: #11 Indiana Hoosiers

Believe it or not, like it or not, Indiana Football has become a force to be reckoned with. This week, the 11th-ranked Hoosiers will try their luck at Kinnick Stadium, a place notorious for upsets. It’ll be the 79th all-time meeting between the two programs, but just the second time in 33 years that Iowa faces a ranked Indiana squad.

The Hoosiers enter this week with a 4-0 record, fresh off of an impressive 63-10 thrashing of #9 Illinois that caught the attention of everyone around the country. Since sneaking out with a 27-14 win over Old Dominion in the opener, Indiana has been near perfect, outscoring Kennesaw State, Indiana State and Illinois by a combined 173 points. Under second-year head coach Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers have a 15-2 record, including a College Football Playoff appearance last season.

Last Week: Indiana 63 Illinois 10

The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series against the Hoosiers 46-28-4, including winning eight of the last nine meetings. That being said, this is tied for the highest-ranked Indiana has been when entering a matchup with Iowa since 1945. Indiana opened as a 7.5-point favorite (per BetMGM), and it will be just the ninth time in the last 11 years that the Hawkeyes are home underdogs (4-4 ATS). Meanwhile, as a head coach at James Madison and Indiana, Curt Cignetti has an 18-4 record against the spread as a less than 10-point favorite.

HOOSIERS OFFENSE

2025 Offense: 54.8 PPG, 308.8 RUSH, 279.8 PASS, 588.5 TOTAL

Quarterback

The Hoosiers struck gold last season with Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke throwing for over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns and it appears they’ve done it again with California Fernando Mendoza. After throwing for 3,000 yards and leading the Bears to a bowl game a year ago, Mendoza has hit another level with the dangerous Indiana offense. Over four games, he has completed 76-of-99 (76.8%) passes for 975 yards and 14 touchdowns to zero interceptions.

After facing two Group of 5 teams and an FCS opponent, Mendoza proved himself even further against the Illinois defense. In the Hoosiers blowout win over the Illini, he completed 21-of-23 passes for 267 yards and five touchdowns. He leads the country in passing touchdowns (14) and total touchdowns (16), while he is tenth in the country in yards per attempt (9.85). Per SIS DataHub, 85 of Mendoza’s 99 pass attempts (85.8%) have been deemed as on-target, which leads the country.

Running Back

Even though the quarterback has gotten a lot of the attention in the Indiana backfield, and deservedly so, they’ve also got a solid running back duo. Through four games, the Hoosiers top four rushers have combined for 1,002 yards on 146 carries (6.86 ypc), but they did lose RB3 UAB transfer Lee Beebe Jr to an injury after three games.

The go-to option out of the backfield is Maryland transfer Roman Hemby. He has gotten the largest share of the snaps through the first portion of the season, rushing for 265 yards on 50 carries (5.3 ypc), while he has also caught four passes for 71 yards. Senior Kaelon Black has earned a larger share of the touches this season, totaling 306 yards and two touchdowns on 44 carries (7.0 ypc). Hemby and Black have combined to play over 70% of the snaps this season.

A third name to know is redshirt freshman Khobie Martin. With Beebe out, Martin has moved up to RB3 and has made the most with his carries. Over the last two games, he has totaled 216 yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries (9.4 ypc), going over 100 yards against both Indiana State and Illinois.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

The Iowa defense faced a tough test going up against a trio of talented Rutgers receivers and this week, the test is even more difficult for the Hawkeyes secondary, as the Hoosiers have one of the best receiver rooms in the conference. Much like the Scarlet Knights, Indiana relies heavily on their top three, combining to earn 70-of-108 (64.8%) targets through four games.

It’s pick you poison with the Omar Cooper and Elijah Sarratt. Both are amongst the top receivers in the Big Ten and either of them could be considered the top pass catcher for the Hoosiers. The two combined for 81 receptions, 1,551 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, with Sarratt earning Second Team All-Big Ten honors. Cooper Jr has gotten off to an explosive start as the Hoosiers slot receiver catching 19 passes for 377 yards (19.8 ypr) and five touchdowns. He’s been particularly impressive after the catch, with 230 (61.0%) of his yards coming after the catch. As for Sarratt, he leads the team with 24 receptions going for 256 yards (10.7 ypr) and five touchdowns. The Cooper/Sarratt duo has averaged 7.29 receptions, 128.5 yards and 1.47 touchdowns per game over the last 17 games.

The other receiver you’ll see out wide in the formation is former Clemson transfer EJ Williams. He totaled just 330 yards in his first two years with the program, but has emerged as a true WR3 target this season. Williams has caught 13 passes for 116 yards (8.9 ypr) and two touchdowns, including a season-best five catches for 45 yards in the opener against Old Dominion.

A couple other names to know, California transfer Jonathan Brady caught 36 passes for 386 yards for the Bears last season. He’s got six catches on seven targets for 47 yards. At tight end, Wisconsin transfer Riley Nowakowski and Tennessee transfer Holden Staes have combined for eight catches for 114 yards (14.3 ypr) and two touchdowns.

Offensive Line

The Hoosiers were solid up-front last season ranking 17th in the country in run blocking and 36th in pass blocking per Pro Football Focus. They entered this season ranked 32nd in career starts returning, bringing in a couple of transfers to fill the gaps. Through four games, Indiana ranks 3rd in the country in pass blocking and 5th in run blocking, allowing 26 pressures on 128 quarterback dropbacks (20.3%).

Colorado transfer Khalil Benson has been the best of the group at right tackle. He ranks 9th in the country per PFF (83.6) and 6th in the Big Ten. Left tackle Carter Smith (75.7) ranks 18th in the conference, while left guard Drew Evans (72.7) ranks 23rd.

HOOSIERS DEFENSE

2025 Defense: 8.3 PPG, 87.0 RUSH, 118.8 PASS, 205.8 TOTAL

Defense Line

Last season, the Indiana defensive line generated 14.77 pressures per game, while they ranked 25th in the country in sacks per game (2.69). So far this year, with some transfers added to the group, they are averaging just 11.5 pressures per game, but have gotten to the opposing quarterback for 15 sacks, which ranks second in the country.

Starting with the edge rushers, First Team All-Big Ten end Mikail Kamara (117 snaps) led all Big Ten returners with ten sacks last season. He’s got six tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack, but has been credited with ten quarterback pressures, which is second on the team. Kamara led the Big Ten with 68 pressures last season. On the opposite side, Maryland transfer Kellan Wyatt (113 snaps) has been the starter after a respectable year with the Terps last season. Wyatt is second on the team in tackles (17) and tackles for loss (5.5) but has only been credited with four quarterback pressures. The other edge rusher to know is Kent State transfer Stephen Daley (81 snaps). He has totaled nine tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and four quarterback pressures.

In the interior, the Hoosiers have a couple of names to note, starting with Mario Landino (85 snaps) who has been a menace after tallying just nine tackles last season. The sophomore has nine tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks and leads the team with 12 quarterback hurries. Last season, just 11 of 69 interior defensive lineman in the Big Ten reached 25 pressures and Landino is halfway there after just four games.

He’s technically not even a starter, as junior Tyrique Tucker (106 snaps) and Western Kentucky transfer Hosea Wheeler (103 snaps) have been the starters through four games. Tucker has ten tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and seven quarterback pressures this year, after totaling 24 tackles and 21 pressures a year ago. As for Wheeler, he was a two-time All-CUSA selection at WKU, totaling an impressive 75 tackles last season for the Hilltoppers. He has ten tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and three pressures this year.

Linebackers

The only position, offense or defense, that hasn’t seen transfers make a noteworthy impact is at linebacker, where the top five in snaps played were all on the roster last season.

They are led by First Team All-Big Ten middle linebacker Aiden Fisher (168 snaps), who led all Big Ten returners with 118 tackles last season. He’s got 17 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack this season. Fisher has nine career games with 10+ tackles, including a career-high 17 tackles against Air Force in ’23 when he was at JMU. Alongside him at the weakside linebacker position is sophomore Rolijah Hardy (153 snaps). After totaling 22 tackles as a freshman a year ago, Hardy has taken over for Jalin Walker (UDFA LAV). He’s got 11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss so far this season.

The other name to know is junior Isaiah Jones (89 snaps). A prominent player off the bench, totaling 42 tackles last season, Jones is in the same role this season, but has gone from 15.9 snaps per game to 22.3 snaps per game. His production in a more limited role has been rather notable, tallying 16 tackles, a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Defensive Backs

The Indiana secondary, through four games, has allowed opponents to complete just 58.0% of 88 pass attempts, allowing just one touchdown, while grabbing five interceptions. Per PFF, their 90.5 coverage grade ranks 11th in the country.

Their top cover corner is junior D’Angelo Ponds (168 snaps). He was a Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year semifinalist at James Madison and followed it up with First Team All-Big Ten honors last season. Ponds allowed 32 receptions on 60 targets (53.3%) a year ago and has allowed nine catches on 15 targets (60.0%) for just 55 yards (3.6 ypt) this season. He’s got 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and one interception.

Opposite of Ponds at the other corner spot is junior Jamari Sharpe (175 snaps). He played in nine games last season, giving up just seven catches on 21 targets. As a starter this season, Sharpe has allowed six catches on eight targets for 84 yards (10.5 ypt) and has seven tackles, as well as a forced fumble. The Hoosiers slot corner spot is manned by NC State transfer Devan Boykin (159 snaps), who started ten games for the Wolfpack in 2023, totaling 51 tackles and three interceptions. He has allowed five catches on seven targets for 34 yards (4.9 ypt), while tallying 12 tackles and one tackle for loss.

Rounding out the Indiana defense with the safeties, Ole Miss transfer Louis Moore (174 snaps) has made a big impact on the back end of the defense. He tallied 36 tackles for the Rebels last season, but did allow 142 yards on 15 targets (9.5 ypt). So far this season, Moore leads the Hoosiers with 23 tackles and two interceptions, while he has given up seven catches on 12 targets for 41 yards (3.4 ypt).

The other name to know at safety is junior Amare Ferrell (176 snaps). The team leader in interceptions last season (4), Ferrell allowed just 135 yards on 25 targets (5.4 ypt) and totaled 49 tackles. In four starts this season, he has nine tackles and two interceptions. That being said, although he’s allowed just three catches on ten targets, they’ve got for 118 yards (11.8 ypt) and one touchdown.

HOOSIERS SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker Nicolas Radicic: 3/3 FG, 30/30 PAT, LNG 25

Punter Quinn Warren: 6 punts, 288 yards, 48.0 AVG, 3 In20, LNG 57

Kick Returner Roman Hemby: 3 returns, 79 yards, 26.3 AVG, LNG 34

Punt Returner Jonathan Brady: 12 returns, 238 yards, 19.8 AVG, LNG 91

FINAL THOUGHT

Over the last 25 years, 32 ranked teams have visited Kinnick Stadium. Just three have won by 10+ points (’00 OSU, ’06 OSU, ’22 Michigan), while eight top ten teams have lost in Iowa City during that span. Kirk Ferentz knows how to get his team ready for these.

This matchup looks a bit different than it did preseason when many expected Indiana to take a little bit of a step back. There were plenty of takeaways from the Hoosiers 63-10 bludgeoning of Illinois, but the main one was that Curt Cignetti did not get the memo about that expected step back. Indiana has a solid defense, but that is really beside the point. If the Hawkeyes are going to pull the upset at Kinnick, they need the defense that played the second half in Piscataway to show up because the one that played the first half will allow 40 points.