BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti arrived in the Big Ten in the same coaching cycle as Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith.
They have their programs going in vastly different directions.
The No. 3 Hoosiers (6-0; 3-0 Big Ten) are coming off the biggest win in program history, a 30-20 upset victory over Oregon, while Smith is trying to pick up the pieces for a Michigan State team (3-3; 0-3) that’s lost three straight games by double-digits.
Smith dealt with a series of job security-related questions at his weekly press conference with speculation building he could be on the hot seat that could be even hotter after visiting Memorial Stadium this weekend.
For more on IU’s Week 8 matchup, jump into our weekly preview, The Runout, for what stood out during the week, players to watch, a prediction and more.
Indiana football vs. Michigan State: Tale of the tape
- When: Saturday, Oct. 18 at 3:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Memorial Stadium (56,626), Bloomington, Indiana
- TV/Streaming: Peacock
- Line: Indiana -27.5
- Series: Michigan State leads 50-19-2
- Last meeting: Indiana beat Michigan State, 47-10, on Nov. 2, 2024, in East Lansing
Indiana football players to watch vs Michigan State
Isaiah Jones, LB: Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones has made his presence felt right at the start of the team’s recent wins over Iowa and Oregon.
What will he do for an encore?
He’s quickly become IU’s biggest playmaker with numbers to back up the claim — 32 tackles, 4.5 sacks (tied for third in the Big Ten) and 10 tackles for loss.
Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines is using his three-linebacker package with much more frequency and rotating Jones at each linebacker spot as well. Jones is playing with a lot of confidence, whether he’s blitzing (he has a pass-rush win rate of 27.3% over the last two games) or dropping back in coverage (he’s forced two turnovers in the secondary during that stretch).
It will be hard for Haines to Jones off the field if he continues to be this disruptive.
Elijah Sarratt, WR: What hope does Michigan State have if Oregon’s talented secondary struggled to contain Sarratt?
He put up his 12th career 100-yard game against the Ducks and scored the game-winner on a back-shoulder throw from Fernando Mendoza in the fourth quarter. It was his third straight game with at least seven catches and a touchdown.
Sarratt is tied for third in the Big Ten in receptions (39), fourth in receiving yards (533) and tied for first in receiving touchdowns (7). He also leads the FBS with 31 first downs, ranks sixth in yards per route run (3.12) and second in quarterback rating when target (146.9).
The Spartans should be more than a little worried about facing Sarratt on Saturday.
Indiana’s offensive line: Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been pressured on 39% of his drop backs over the last two games. He’s only been sacked three times during that stretch with his mobility limiting some of the damage.
The Hoosiers needed to do a better job protecting going forward while also eliminating some of the pre-snap penalties that popped up against Oregon. Some of those issues were unique to the Ducks with the way they were motioning before the snap — a technique Cignetti thought should have been flagged — and crowd noise.
Michigan State got almost no pressure against UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava (three pressures on 28 drop backs) but had a decent game the previous week against Nebraska with a season-high five sacks. This should be a game where IU is able to dominate in the trenches.
Indiana football Week 8 Odds and Ends
Welcome to the show: Smith told reporters that starting quarterback Aidan Chiles is questionable for this weekend’s game with an undisclosed injury he suffered in a 38-13 loss to UCLA. If Chiles isn’t able to play, redshirt freshman Alessio MIlivojevic would be in line to make his first career start. Smith said the coaching staff has confidence in MIlivojevic’s “capabilities and preparation,” but his lack of experience (27 career pass attempts) and MSU’s struggles on the offense line (15 sacks allowed) could make it a long afternoon for the Spartans.
Waiting in the wings: Indiana’s starting receivers combined for 180 snaps against Oregon while the rest of the room played 14 snaps. Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. combined for 20 of the 28 targets (71.4%) against the Ducks and 89 of the 156 targets on the season (57.1%). It doesn’t sound like the veterans will get a lighter workload anytime soon either. “We just had more experienced depth, guys that had done it successfully at this level,” Cignetti said. “Our backups now are a little younger, still developing.” Indiana had six players with 25 or more targets last season (five receivers) but might only have three this season.
Extra points: Special teams miscues had contributed to Michigan State’s recent meltdowns. Nebraska returned a block punt for a touchdown against MSU and recovered a muffed punt. UCLA converted a fake punt that set up a score near the end of the first half that helped turn the game into a blowout. Indiana’s special teams units have been remarkably consistent this season and come through in big moments. Against Oregon, kickoff specialist Brendan Franke tied the team record with a 58-yard field goal.
Indiana football stat of the week
0: Indiana held Oregon without a touchdown on three trips inside the red zone. The Ducks settled for field goals each time they got inside IU’s 20-yard line and missed one of those attempts right before halftime. Oregon came into the game 23 of 23 on scoring chances in the red zone (tied for first in the FBS) with a touchdown percentage of 82.6%. Indiana ended the Ducks’ streak of 45 straight games with a red zone touchdown that dated back to the 2022 season opener, the first game of Dan Lanning’s tenure, in a matchup against No. 1 Georgia.
Indiana football quote of the week
Prediction: Indiana 44, Michigan State 14
Indiana lived in Michigan State’s backfield during last year’s matchup between the teams.
The Hoosiers finished with 35 quarterback pressures and knocked Spartans starting quarterback Aidan Chiles out of the game in the third quarter. That’s become a common occurrence for Chiles, who is questionable for Saturday’s matchup against Indiana after exiting MSU’s two most recent games early with an injury.
Chiles was hoping to have a bounce back season in East Lansing after putting up more turnovers (14) than touchdowns (13) in 2024, but that hasn’t happened and it’s hard to imagine his backup, redshirt freshman Alessio MIlivojevic, will have much of a chance to knock off IU at Memorial Stadium.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.