Iowa Hawkeyes 2025 Opponent Preview: Indiana Hoosiers

Iowa’s first home Big Ten game comes against a 2024 College Football Playoff squad.

The Hawkeyes will host Indiana on Sept. 27. The Hoosiers finished 11-1 in the regular season to reach their first-ever CFP.

Indiana has a reloaded roster this year, but the Hoosiers again have high hopes.

Here’s what to know about the Hoosiers:

2024 recap

The Hoosiers made history in their first season under coach Curt Cignetti.

Indiana set a school record with 11 wins, losing only one game to Ohio State in the regular season. The Hoosiers earned a CFP bid, but they were outmatched in their first-round game, falling 27-17 at Notre Dame.

Still, the season was monumental for Indiana.

The Hoosiers had missed bowl eligibility for three straight seasons before 2024. Indiana had never won double-digit games in the program’s history, which dates back to 1887.

Quarterback Kurtis Rourke, now on the San Francisco 49ers, paced Indiana’s offense with 2,827 yards, 27 touchdowns and only four interceptions. The Hoosiers averaged 43.3 points per game, while they allowed an average of 14.7 points to opponents.

Key returners

WR Elijah Sarratt (Sr.), LB Aiden Fisher (Sr.), DB D’Angelo Ponds (Jr.), DE Mikail Kamara (Sr.).

Notable transfer additions

QB Fernando Mendoza (Cal), OL Pat Coogan (Notre Dame), Amariyun Knighten (Northern Illinois), TE Holden Staes (Tennessee), RB Roman Hemby (Maryland).

Strengths

Even without Rourke, Indiana’s passing game should be stellar.

The Hoosiers brought in Mendoza to be their new starting signal caller. Mendoza threw for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions for the Golden Bears in 2024 with a 144.6 passer rating.

The Hoosiers return their top wideout from last year in Sarratt, who caught 53 passes for 957 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior in 2024.

Weaknesses

It’s more of a question mark than a weakness, but Indiana’s run game will look much different in 2025.

The Hoosiers will be without their two two running backs from last year, Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton. Their leading returning rusher from last year’s team is Kaelon Black, who ran for 219 yards and two touchdowns in 2024.

READ MORE OPPONENT PREVIEWS

• Albany Great Danes
• Iowa State Cyclones
• UMass Minutemen
• Rutgers Scarlet Knights

The Hoosiers also snagged Hemby, a Maryland transfer, and UAB transfer Lee Beebe Jr.

With so many unknowns, it’s possible that Indiana’s rushing offense could be one of the best units in the Big Ten. But it’s also possible that the group struggles to replicate the production of Ellison and Lawton.

How do the Hoosiers match up with the Hawkeyes?

Indiana’s game against Iowa is its second tough game in a row after starting the year with three cupcakes.

The Hoosiers’ first three games come against Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State before they open Big Ten play against Illinois — then they battle the Hawkeyes.

Between squaring off against a tough Fighting Illini squad the week before and Iowa’s home-field advantage, there are aspects of this game that work in the Hawkeyes’ favor.

But the Hoosiers shouldn’t be underestimated.

Cignetti has proven that he can coach at an elite level, leading a lackluster program to an 11-2 finish and a CFP appearance in his first season at Indiana. And before that, Cignetti posted a 52-9 record in five seasons as James Madison’s coach.

And while the Hoosiers’ offense has plenty of buzz heading into the season, their defense is arguably more notable with players like Fisher, Ponds and Kamara all looking to build on stellar 2024 campaigns.