Indiana football is looking to make more history on Saturday.
The second-ranked Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) take on Wisconsin (3-6, 1-5) at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, kicking off at noon ET on Big Ten Network. This is IU’s final home game of the regular season, so the program will honor its seniors on the field before the contest.
Curt Cignetti has led Indiana to a 10-0 start for the second straight season. But this was where the run ended for the Hoosiers last year, as they fell to Ohio State in Columbus in their penultimate game in 2024. So an IU win over the Badgers would give the program its first-ever 11-0 start.
Here are three key matchups to watch for on Saturday.
Omar Cooper Jr. vs. Geimere Latimer II
Cignetti, on Monday, said Elijah Sarratt remains day to day. So it seems likely he’ll be questionable for Saturday’s game.
Indiana missed Sarratt against Penn State, although Charlie Becker stepped up in a huge way with his first collegiate 100-yard game. The Badgers won’t present the same challenge as the Nittany Lions, but IU would certainly prefer Sarratt to be available sooner rather than later.
That said, if Sarratt can’t go, Omar Cooper Jr. becomes IU’s clear top choice in the passing game. And Wisconsin’s secondary has been leaky this season — the Badgers rank 13th in the Big Ten with 219.6 passing yards allowed per game, and they’re 100th in the country in coverage grade (69.3).
Cooper will likely be matched up with Wisconsin slot cornerback Geimere Latimer II for most of the game Saturday. Latimer has posted rough individual grades this season, and Cooper will be one of the best slot receivers he’s faced all year. Wisconsin has seen a lot of strong offenses throughout its difficult schedule, but many of those units don’t have slot receivers as prominent as Cooper. One of the teams who does — Alabama, with Ryan Williams in the slot — had his biggest game of the year against UW. Williams caught five passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns against the Badgers; Latimer allowed three catches for 110 yards and both touchdowns.
Cooper made waves around college football with his spectacular game-winning catch against Penn State last week, but he finished with just 32 receiving yards on the day. Look for the Indianapolis native to rebound with a stronger overall game here.
Fernando Mendoza vs. Wisconsin defense
Some of the numbers relevant for Cooper’s individual matchup apply for Indiana’s passing game, as a whole.
Wisconsin’s defense is coming off its best performance since September in its win over Washington last week. The Badgers gave up 134 passing yards to the Huskies, and allowed just 132 to Oregon the week before — although UO quarterback Dante Moore left that game with a broken nose.
UW has faced the other two top contenders for the Heisman Trophy, along with Mendoza, in Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and Alabama’s Ty Simpson. Both threw for four touchdowns and high yardage (382 for Simpson, 393 for Sayin) against the Badgers.
Wisconsin’s defense has the second-worst tackling grade in the Big Ten, just another factor that could help Indiana’s offense put up big numbers.
All of that suggests Mendoza could be in line for a big day on Saturday. Some of the biggest critics of his Heisman candidacy point to his passing numbers this season, as he’s gone over 300 yards just once, against Michigan State. Mendoza has often not played full games, subbing out for his brother, Alberto, in the fourth quarter of blowouts. And statistical comparisons, of course, should include rushing statistics to paint a complete picture.
IU’s had a few game scripts, recently, that favored the run more so than the pass. But this matchup should set up well for Mendoza to record some strong passing numbers.
Indiana run defense vs. Wisconsin rushing game
Wisconsin’s offense, as a whole, has been one of the worst in the country this year.
UW is second-to-last in FBS in total offense, averaging just 255.6 yards per game. The Badgers aren’t the worst passing offense in the Big Ten — Iowa still holds that distinction, but by only seven yards per game. Wisconsin, for so long, was built around a strong running game, but the Badgers rank No. 116 in the country with 115 rushing yards per game.
Even in victory last week, Wisconsin recorded only 48 passing yards — and its punter, Sean West, was the team’s leading passer with 24 yards.
Indiana’s entire defense should be licking its lips at this matchup. The Hoosiers, in just about every way, should dominate Wisconsin’s offense.
But we’ll center in on the running game here. The Badgers have won three games this season, and they’ve gone over 150 rushing yards in all of those victories. But they’ve yet to win a game in which they didn’t pick up 150 yards on the ground.
Wisconsin’s run blocking has struggled, overall, this year, ranking 116th in PFF grade — and a good performance in the season-opener against Miami (Ohio) is doing a lot of heavy lifting to prevent UW’s grade from being even lower.
Indiana just needs to handle the Badgers’ running backs the way they’re capable of. IU displayed some poor tackling at times against Penn State last week, so that should be a key for this game — don’t give UW extra opportunities by not finishing plays properly.
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