Indiana Hosts Indiana State: 3 Notes to Know as Hoosiers Welcome Sycamores

Indiana closes the non-conference portion of the season Friday night as it hosts Indiana State for the second time in three seasons. The Hoosiers hold a 7-0 series advantage over the Sycamores and by 10:00 p.m. ET Friday night, that will certainly move to 8-0.

Just how quick of work will Indiana make of Indiana State? Can the Hoosiers hang another 77-spot like they did last year against Western Illinois? And just how long should we expect to see Indiana's starters?

Here's what you need to know for Friday night's in-state clash as the Hoosiers have their final work sheet before the weekly Big Ten tests start coming.

Indiana State's Familiar Head Coach

Indiana State will be lead by head coach Curt Mallory on Friday night and before you ask, yes, yes he is.

The question is obviously, "Is he any relation to all-time great Indiana head coach Bill Mallory?"

Curt is indeed related as he's Bill's son. Mallory has been the head coach at Indiana State since 2017 and gone 26-55 overall during that time and has just one winning season to date, that coming back in 2018.

Hoosiers Offense: Light 'Em Up?

Friday night should be a game that Indiana is able to pick a number on Indiana State, just like last year's 77-3 drubbing of Western Illinois was. After starting somewhat slow against Old Dominion in Week 1, Indiana erupted for 56 points last week against Kennesaw State, 35 of which came after halftime.

How fast can Indiana start Friday night and in turn, how quickly will it be able to get its starters out of action in what should be a one-sided affair.

One Super Confident Sycamore

Just how big of a favorite is Indiana for Friday night's game? ESPN FPI gives the Hoosiers a 99.0% chance of victory. Don't tell the fine young men in Terre Haute that, though, because they're not listening.

At the start of the week, Indiana State linebacker Braxton Sampson was asked about this Friday's trip to Bloomington. He made it clear that he and his teammates aren't coming to post pictures to their Instagram stories.

“There’s a lot of talk outside like, ‘Man, you guys went 2-0, but (it) stinks you’re playing an FBS team.’ That’s not the mindset in the room,” Sampson said. “We plan on going to IU to win. That’s just how it is.”

Uhh, OK. Well, good luck with that, Mr. Sampson.

Kickoff for Friday night's game is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday night at Memorial Stadium and can be seen on Big Ten Network.