One way or another, this one is going to be an early marker for the direction of Indiana’s 2023 season.
There wasn’t much doubt about how weeks one and two might go, but Saturday’s game will leave IU fans feeling very positive or very negative by late afternoon.
It’s Indiana and Louisville playing in front of a split crowd in downtown Indianapolis.
Here’s everything you need to know about Indiana’s week three matchup against the Cardinals:
LOUISVILLE (2-0) vs. INDIANA (1-1)
- Kickoff: Noon Eastern, Saturday
- Location: Indianapolis, Ind., Lucas Oil Stadium (67,000)
- Television: BTN — Connor Onion (pbp), Brock Vereen (analyst), Meghan McKeown (sideline)
- Stream: Fox Sports
- Radio: IU Football radio network
- Odds: Louisville is a 10-point favorite
- Weather at kickoff: Indoors (roof closed)
- Series: Indiana leads 2-0
- The Coaches:
- Tom Allen is in his seventh year as the head coach at IU. He holds a 31-41 record.
- Jeff Brohm has a career record of 68-44, and he’s 2-0 at Louisville.
- Brohm holds a 4-1 edge in head-to-head meetings with Allen.
When you elevate yourself, you elevate the ones around you. pic.twitter.com/0JvG5NYxOC
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) September 15, 2023
IU Football Week Three Coverage:
- IU football’s cancellation of remainder of Louisville series can be both unpopular and the right move
- ‘Sweet Lou’ Moore overcame obstacles to become key player on Indiana’s defense
- What TJD said to Tayven when he was named starting QB | Lucas Oil familiar to Jackson
- Promising: Tom Allen says WR Cam Camper practiced this week
- Watch: Tom Allen gives final Thursday thoughts on Louisville
- Tom Allen wants to see more of IU football’s “legit, heavy, big” WWE takeaway belt
- Radio Show: Tom Allen previews Louisville with Don Fischer
- “You’re going to get his best every single day” — Josh Henderson continues to deliver for IU
- Watch: IU football coordinator Q&A — Louisville week
- IU football notebook: What they’re saying about Tayven, Guerrieri starting strong
- Indiana vs. Louisville: What Jeff Brohm said this week about the Hoosiers
- Watch: IU football’s Henderson, Cooper, Casey, Burris, Carr and Moore — Louisville week Q&A
- Once a quarterback-receiver tandem, Donaven McCulley and Omar Cooper Jr. now share a position room
- Watch: IU football coach Tom Allen Monday Q&A — Louisville week
- “It’s everything you want to hear from a coach” — Tayven Jackson reacts to being named starter
- IU football: Tom Allen announces Tayven Jackson as starting QB going forward
TALE OF THE TAPE
THE COMPLETE BIG TEN WEEK THREE SLATE
| Away | Home | Result | Location | Links | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Virginia14
|
Maryland42
|
Final
|
College Park, MD | Box Score |
| Away | Home | Time | Location | Links | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3:30 P.M.
|
Iowa City, Iowa | ||||
|
4:00 P.M.
|
Columbus, Ohio | ||||
|
TBA
|
Chapel Hill, NC | TV: ESPN Stats Radio: Gopher Radio Network Video | |||
|
12:00 P.M.
|
Madison, WI | TV: BTN Stats Radio: Badger Sports Network | |||
|
12:00 P.M.
|
Indianapolis, Ind. (Lucas Oil Stadium) | TV: BTN Stats Radio: Indiana Sports Radio Network | |||
|
12:00 P.M.
|
Champaign, Ill. (Conf.) | TV: FOX Stats Radio: Penn State Sports Network | |||
|
3:30 P.M.
|
Durham, NC | TV: ACC Network Stats Radio: WGN Radio 720 Video | |||
|
3:30 P.M.
|
Piscataway, N.J. | TV: Big Ten Network Stats Radio: WFAN 101.9-FM/660-AM, FOX Sports New Jersey 93.5-FM/1450-AM, SiriusXM 108 or 202, SXM app, Audacy app, Scarlet Knights app Video | |||
|
5:00 P.M.
|
East Lansing, MI | TV: Peacock Stats Radio: Spartan Media Network | |||
|
7:00 P.M.
|
Lincoln, Neb. | ||||
|
7:30 P.M.
|
West Lafayette, Ind. | TV: NBC Stats Radio: WAZY (96.5 FM) Video | |||
|
7:30 P.M.
|
Ann Arbor, Mich. | TV: Big Ten Network Stats Video |
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LOUISVILLE NOTES AND NUMBERS
- The Cardinals play at their second neutral site in only their third game of the season, a first in program history that the Cards will play two neutral site regular season games. It’s also the Cards’ first Saturday game of the season.
- Louisville is 16-15-1 all-time in neutral-site contests after a 39-34 win over Georgia Tech to open the season.
- Louisville has totaled 1,164 yards of total offense in the first two games of the season, an average of 582.0 yards per game. It’s the best two-game total to open the season since 2016 when Louisville averaged 754.0 yards per game.
- In the 56-0 win over Murray State last Thursday, the Cardinals recorded 690 yards of total offense, the ninth-best total in school history and the most since registering 687 yards in a 2021 win over Duke.
- Louisville will play a Big Ten opponent this weekend for the first time since defeating Jeff Brohm’s Purdue team 35-28 in Lucas Oil Stadium to the open up the 2017 season. The Cards are 12-20-1 all-time against teams from the Big Ten.
- The Cardinals couldn’t be more balanced in the win over Murray State, registering 344 yards rushing and 346 yards passing in the 56-0 win. It marked only the 10th time in school history that the Cards recorded a 300-300 game and the first since a 62-22 win over Duke in 2021. Louisville rushed for 384 yards and passed for another 303 yards in the conference win.
- The Cardinals are averaging a solid 8.1 yards per play through the first two games, with 36 plays of 10
or more yards and 16 of over 20 yards. Louisville is one of two schools in the country with three plays of over 70 yards — two coming from running back Jawhar Jordan. - Quarterback Jack Plummer has been consistent in a pair of games, throwing for 247 yards in both contests. On the year, the redshirt senior is completing 64.2 percent of his throws and has tossed four touchdowns. He has five completions of 30 or more yards and one of 70+ yards in his first 53 throws.
- Wide receiver Jamari Thrash has 10 receptions for 170 yards and three scores — the first wide receiver to record three touchdown receptions in the first two games since Dez Fitzpatrick had three in 2017. Thrash also has rushed for a score to become the first wide receiver to score four touchdowns since Deion Branch in 2000.
- Louisville rushed for six touchdowns in a game for the first time since rushing for seven touchdowns versus both Syracuse and Florida State in back-to-back games in Sept. 2016. Louisville has seven rushing scores in the first two contests this year.
- After serving in a special teams role last season, linebacker T.J. Quinn leads the team with 12 tackles
and one fumble recovery. - Louisville has already forced five turnovers through the first two games, recording three fumbles and a pair of interceptions. Ramon Puryear and Devin Neal have each recorded interceptions this year.
PREDICTIONS
There’s a path for Indiana to win this game. It begins with a good performance by quarterback Tayven Jackson in his first go as the full-time starter. Jackson and the offense must be able to sustain drives and shorten the game. And the IU defense has to be able to force some punts.
They’ll get some of all that, but it won’t quite be enough.
TDH PREDICTION: LOUISVILLE 27 INDIANA 23
ESPN SP+ (Computer): Louisville will win 34-18
ESPN FPI (Computer): IU has a 25.6 percent chance to win
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