How to Watch Indiana's Football Game Against Idaho on Saturday
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – In the first team meeting this week, Tom Allen told the Hoosiers to erase any thoughts they have about Idaho from last year.
Indiana defeated Idaho 56-14 in Week 2 of the 2021 season, but the Vandals experienced major coaching staff and roster turnover this offseason. Jason Eck took over as head coach following six years at South Dakota State, where he made three semifinal appearances and reached the national championship game in 2021 as the offensive coordinator.
Idaho began the 2022 campaign as 28.5-point underdogs at Washington State, but the Vandals were driving with a chance to tie or win the game late in the fourth quarter. Idaho ultimately fell 24-17 in this game, but Allen is making sure his players don't take the Vandals lightly.
"It's been a major focus, probably one of the reasons my voice is more strained than normal on a Thursday," Allen said. "It was pretty intense today from start to finish ... Any level of focusing on what happened a year ago and thinking that's how it's going to be again is false. Fortunately, we've got a lot of new faces, and we've got a team full of guys that still have a really bad taste in their mouths about how the season went a year ago, so to me, that combination is going to create a focus and an edge that we have to have to play our best football ... We've got to play with a fever pitch of intensity, toughness, grit and fight."
Here's how to watch Indiana's game with the Idaho Vandals, with game time and TV information, the latest on the point spread and information on the coaches and the game.
- *** LIVE BLOG: And once the game starts, follow all the action on our live blog. To read that story, CLICK HERE.
How to watch Indiana Hoosiers vs. Idaho Vandals
- Who: Indiana Hoosiers (1-0, defeated Illinois 23-20 in Week 1) vs. Idaho Vandals (0-1, lost to Washington State 24-17 in Week 1)
- What: Week 2 of 2022 college football season
- When: 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 10
- Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
- TV: Big Ten Network – Important note: Michigan vs. Hawaii also airs at 8 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network, so fans are encouraged to visit btn.com/gamefinder in advance of the weekend for their local listings. While television coverage is regionalized and varies based on location and provider, all games will be available live via the FOX Sports app.
- Announcers: Matt Schumacker (play-by-play), J Leman (analyst), Shane Sparks (sideline)
- Stream: Watch fuboTV
- Radio: Indiana Hoosiers Sports Network, Sirius/Online: XM (134 or 196) // SXM App (958)
- Radio Announcers: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Rhett Lewis (analyst), Joe Smith, John Herrick
- Point spread: Indiana is a 24.5-point favorite over Idaho as of Saturday morning. The over/under is 52 points according to FanDuel
- Season totals: Indiana's 2022 regular season win total over/under was 4 prior to their 23-20 win over Illinois, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Last season's records: Indiana was 2-10 overall with a 0-9 record in Big Ten play in 2021. Idaho was 4-7 overall with a 3-5 record in the Big Sky conference in 2021.
- Series history: Indiana leads the all-time series 1-0.
- Last meeting: In the first ever meeting between Indiana and Idaho in 2021, the Hoosiers took down the Vandals 56-14. The Indiana defense forced a three and out on the first possession, and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. led the offense down the field for an 18-play drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown run from Stephen Carr. Penix completed 11-of-16 pass attempts for 68 yards with two touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown. Backup quarterback Jack Tuttle entered the game late in the third quarter, and went 2-for-4 with 91 yards and a touchdown. Carr finished the game with 22 carries for 118 yards and a touchdown, and backup running back Davion Ervin-Poindexter added a four-yard rushing touchdown. AJ Barner, Javon Swinton and Ty Fryfogle hauled in receiving touchdowns. The Hoosiers also scored on an 81-yard punt-return touchdown from D.J. Matthews and a blocked punt that Swinton returned for a touchdown. Linebackers Micah McFadden and Cam Jones each recorded a sack, and cornerback Tiawan Mullen led Indiana with nine tackles.
- Coaches: Jason Eck is in his first season as Idaho's head coach following six seasons at South Dakota State, where he made three semifinal appearances and reached the national championship game in 2021 as the offensive coordinator. Eck played offensive line on the 1998 Wisconsin Badgers football team that won the Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl, and he served as a graduate assistant from 2000 to 2002 on Barry Alvarez's staff at Wisconsin. Offensive coordinator Luke Schleusner and defensive coordinator Rob Aurich were part of the South Dakota State coaching staff last year, and made the transition to Idaho alongside Eck. Tom Allen is entering his sixth season as Indiana's head coach with a 27-32 total record. Allen's 27 wins rank seventh among all-time Indiana football coaches, behind John Pont's 31 wins from 1965-72. Allen's 26 wins over his first five seasons were tied for the most by a Hoosier head coach with the program's all-time winningest coach, Bill Mallory. Allen is 0-3 in bowl games, most recently losing 26-20 to Ole Miss in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2, 2021.
- Weather: According to weather.com, it's going to be 77 degrees with a 39 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms and winds from the southeast at 4 miles per hour at kickoff.
Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Cam Jones (4) stops Illinois Fighting Illini running back Chase Brown (2) on the goal line in the second half at Memorial Stadium.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Three things I want to see from Indiana in Week 2
1. Create running lanes for Shaun Shivers, others
Indiana generated just 32 rushing yards on 26 attempts in the season-opening win against Illinois last Friday. Indiana coach Tom Allen and offensive coordinator Walt Bell noted that Illinois stacked the box and was determined to stop the run, so Indiana was fortunate to win a Big Ten game gaining 1.2 yards per carry.
The biggest difference between Big Ten and FCS teams is typically seen in the trenches, meaning Indiana's matchup with Idaho likely comes with an advantage up front for the Hoosiers. They'll have to do with without starting right tackle Matthew Bedford, who is out for the season with a torn ACL and will be replaced by West Texas A&M transfer Parker Hanna.
Bell said Indiana's 52 pass attempts made for the most pass-heavy game of his coaching career, so I expect to see a stronger commitment to the run game from Indiana on Saturday. Shaun Shivers and Josh Henderson will be the first two options again, but it would be good to see freshman Jaylin Lucas enter the mix after receiving a lot of preseason hype from coaches and teammates.
2. Take care of the football
Idaho took Washington State down to the wire last week, and takeaways were a big reason why. The Vandals took the lead with scoop-and-score touchdown in the first quarter, which was one of their three fumble recoveries this game.
Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak threw one interception against Illinois on a ball that tipped off Andison Coby's hands and taken away by the Illini. Despite 11 catches for 156 yards, wide receiver Cam Camper fumbled the ball late in the fourth quarter, which could have cost Indiana the game.
Fortunately, the Hoosiers were able to overcome these second-half turnovers last week, but if they hope for a final score similar to 2021's outcome against Idaho, they'll have to hold on to the football.
3. Improved tackling
Tom Allen said Indiana missed 23 tackles in its win over Illinois, a number that has to go down moving forward. A big reason was Indiana faced one of the Big Ten's top running backs, Chase Brown, who rushed for 199 yards, as well as elusive wide receiver Isaiah Williams.
Another factor could be that Indiana did less live tackling throughout spring football and fall camp, according to Allen, in order to keep his team as healthy as possible following an injury-riddled season in 2021. Across 30 years of coaching, Allen said its hard to have great tackling in game one, and it's an area he knows needs improvement.
"We didn't stop the run near like it needs to be," Allen said at his coach's show on Wednesday. "As a matter of fact, I was really upset about that. I was watching the film the next day and the more mad I'm getting, I'm excited we won, but I'm just ticked because I know that's not how we're going to be moving forward. We've got to fix it and we will."
Related stories on Indiana football:
- HOOSIER ROUNDTABLE PODCAST: During the first episode of the ''Hoosier Roundtable'' podcast on HoosiersNow.com, we sat down and talked at length with Indiana linebacker Cam Jones and tight end AJ Barner to break down the Hoosiers' 23-20 win over Illinois. Here's the entire 33-minute podcast. CLICK HERE
- FOURTH QUARTER WARRIORS: Indiana's season-opening win will be remembered by Connor Bazelak’s game-winning two-minute drill, but the Hoosiers wouldn’t have been in position to win the game without three second-half takeaways by the Indiana defense. CLICK HERE
- MEET THE IDAHO VANDALS: Following a 23-20 win over Illinois in the season opener, the Indiana football team will host the Idaho Vandals at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. It's time to meet the Vandals. CLICK HERE
- BEAU ROBBINS' PATIENCE PAYS OFF: Indiana defensive end Beau Robbins was forced to be patient during his first three years as a Hoosier, but after steady commitment in the weight room, to his diet and on the practice field, he came through with a crucial sack on Illinois' final drive to help Indiana start the 2022 season with a 23-20 win. CLICK HERE
- FROM JUNIOR COLLEGE TO THE BIG TEN: After transferring from Trinity Valley Community College to Indiana this offseason, Cam Camper made an immediate impact for the Hoosiers on Friday night, posting 11 receptions for 156 yards in the 23-20 win over Illinois. CLICK HERE
