Game preview: IU football to conclude non-conference play against Western Kentucky
- Ian Plaskoff
- 52m ago
At last, the final non-conference game of the 2026 slate is upon us.
The first two showings have gone about as expected. Two inferior opponents, two big wins and two games to learn about what needs to improve and what to be pleased with.
As Indiana hosts Western Kentucky on Saturday, it will be one more opportunity to do so before Big Ten play begins.
Game information
Who: No. 4 Indiana (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. Western Kentucky (0-2, 0-0 C-USA)
Where: Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium
When: Saturday, September 19, 2026. 4 p.m. EST
TV: Peacock/NBCSN, Dan Hicks (Play-By-Play), Yogi Roth (Analyst), Caroline Pineda (Sideline)
Radio: Don Fischer (Play-By-Play), Buck Suhr (Analyst)
The line: Indiana -44.5 (DraftKings)
SP+ prediction: Indiana 48, Western Kentucky 7 (100 percent chance of an IU win)
Hello to the Hilltoppers
Western Kentucky and Indiana have some recent history on the gridiron. Indiana is 5-0 all-time in the series, most recently played in 2021 and 2022. The Hoosiers have never beaten the Hilltoppers by more than 20 points and the last three meetings have been decided by a combined eight points.
The two programs are in much different spots now.
Western Kentucky is 0-2 on the season with a 49-14 loss at Nevada and a 70-20 loss at No. 2 Georgia. The preseason poll picked it to finish second in Conference USA.
Offensively, the big headline is the newfound quarterback battle. Rodney Tisdale Jr. was named the starter in the offseason after being the starter for the majority of last season at WKU. He has only completed 55.6 percent of his passes for 234 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in two games. He was replaced mid-game against Georgia by Brock Glenn.
Glenn was 12-of-23 passing for 84 yards, but did rush for 70 yards and two touchdowns against the Bulldogs. Both will be available against Indiana, but who will start is up in the air. Despite the messy passing situation, the Hilltoppers have rushed for 137 yards per game, led by Ajay Allen.
While WKU put up 14 points against Nevada and 20 against Georgia, the big majority came late in the game, when the Hilltoppers trailed big.
Defensively, Western Kentucky has been awful, to be frank. It has allowed 489.5 total yards and 278.5 rushing yards and 59.5 points per game in its first two contests. It has yet to get a stop in the red zone, has no sacks, has only five tackles for loss and racks up penalty yardage.
The Hilltoppers have 41 transfers and 24 freshmen along with numerous key returners, looking to build on the 9-4 season and New Orleans Bowl victory a season ago.
Injury update
During the week, Curt Cignetti said Indiana was optimistic about starting cornerback Jamari Sharpe, freshman defensive tackle Blake Smythe and freshman tight end Trevor Gibbs on the injury front. All three appear close to returning and could see the field on Saturday.
Cornerback AJ Harris was not included in the list of names Cignetti feels optimistic about. His status is still up in the air. In his absence, Jaylen Bell and Ryland Gandy have played well. Especially against Western Kentucky, there is no reason to rush him back.
Storylines
Indiana’s offense is efficient, but can Josh Hoover clean it up?
Indiana has not thrown the ball much. It has not had to, yet the passing game has been ultra-effective. Indiana’s quarterbacks have completed 22 passes this season. Ten are touchdowns. Fourteen have gone for 10-plus yards. Ten for 20-plus yards. Seven for 30-plus yards.
Six of the eight players who have recorded a catch have an average yards-per-reception mark over 20. Charlie Becker has seven receptions and five touchdowns. Nick Marsh has four receptions and two touchdowns. Davion Chandler has two receptions and two touchdowns. The list can continue.
Despite the ridiculous efficiency, Josh Hoover has not looked perfect. His ball placement can improve. His decision-making on scrambling can be cleaner. His forced passes can be eliminated. Cignetti has let him know that.
Pair a cleaned-up Hoover with the run game that improved drastically in Week 2 and rushed for 296 yards and Indiana has an offensive juggernaut.
What further steps can Indiana’s defense take?
Indiana’s defense received high praise from Cignetti last Saturday, deservedly so. The Hoosiers recorded 12 tackles for loss and five sacks and held Howard to just four first downs, 57 total yards and 13 rushing yards.
It was visibly much quicker, more physical and more aggressive.
Western Kentucky has two mobile quarterbacks and a strong running game. That concept gave Indiana fits against North Texas.
Especially if Sharpe, Smythe and potentially Harris are back in the mix, Indiana’s defense can take another step up. It improved from Week 1 to Week 2. That was expected with the dip in opponent quality. Now, with a better opponent in town, will the defense keep and improve its aptitude from a week ago?
One last chance to get cleaned up
Following Saturday’s game, the margin of error and wiggle room to make mistakes shrink significantly. This will be Indiana’s last low-pressure game of the season, as Big Ten play awaits next week.
Cignetti has made it clear that Indiana is still trying to hone what it does best and improve on what it has already done. Errors have not hurt Indiana in non-conference play, but they certainly will in the big games. Those will look to be eliminated.
Outlook
Do not be surprised if this game feels very similar to the prior two.
Indiana is expected to win convincingly. The playbook on both sides of the ball will likely stay vanilla to accomplish that result.
The players and coaches will keep, and likely ramp up, the intensity as Indiana aims to get cleaned up before conference play. Indiana has a strong focus on itself and what it can accomplish on Saturday rather than the opponent.
Maybe the Hoosiers will try some new concepts or players out in different spots. Even so, this game will be much the same as the prior two weeks.
The Hoosiers should easily cruise to 3-0 on Saturday.
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