How to Watch Indiana's Game with Ole Miss in Outback Bowl
TAMPA, Fla. – Indiana's hype video for the Outback Bowl game with Ole Miss on Saturday is the perfect clip to absorb one last reminder from Hoosiers coach Tom Allen.
Finish.
That's the passionate plea from Allen, whose Hoosiers have arrived in Tampa with a 6-1 record during an unforgettable season that has Indiana among the college football elite for the first time.
But none of it matters without one last win, and "finish'' is the word of the day. It's been used often all season, because the Hoosiers had fallen short in games in the past few years by letting leads slip away in the fourth quarter.
That hasn't been the case this year, and it's gotten them to a New Year's bowl game in January for the second year in a row.
And this one is big, partly because Indiana is continuing to play with a chip on its shoulder. Despite being ranked No. 7 in both the Associated Press and Coaches Poll, the College Football Playoff committee had them at No. 11 and left them out of a higher-profile bowl game.
Even Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin sees that.
"I don't know how they're not in a New Year's Six bowl,'' Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. "They're 6-1, had a one-touchdown score ballgame with Ohio State and they're a legitimate top-10 team for sure. Tom's done a great job and they are a heck of an opponent, that's for sure. They are really, really good.''
Here's how to watch the Indiana-Ole Miss Outback Bowl game:
No. 7 Indiana vs. Ole Miss
- WHAT: 35th annual Outback Bowl
- WHEN: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET
- WHERE: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- POINT SPREAD: Indiana is favored by 10 points on Saturday morning, according to the DraftKings.com gambling website. That line has bounced from 6.5 to 8.5 in the past week after a few opt-outs by Ole Miss. The over/under is 66, which has gone down after opening at 69.5.
- TV: ABC
- STREAMING: ESPN-Plus
- TV ANNOUNCERS: : Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst) & Cole Cubelic (sideline).
- RADIO ANNOUNCERS: IU Radio Network; Sirius 138, XM 195, Internet 957: Don Fischer, Buck Suhr & Joe Smith
- RECORDS: Indiana (6-1); Ole Miss (4-5)
- RANKINGS: Indiana is ranked No. 7 this week in the Associated Press poll, and they've been ranked for eight straight weeks, the longest such streak in school history. The Hoosiers are also No. 7 in the Coaches Poll, but No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Ole Miss is not ranked.
- LAST GAME: Indiana beat Wisconsin 14-6 on Dec. 5 in Madision, Wis. Ole Miss lost to LSU 53-48 on Dec. 19 in Baton Rouge, La.
- ALL-TIME SERIES: First meeting
- COACHES: Indiana's Tom Allen is in his fourth full season at Indiana, and it is his first college head coaching job. He has a 24-21 overall record at Indiana. Allen is the first Indiana coach to have a winning record since Bo McMillin retired in 1947. Lane Kiffin is in his first year as head coach at Ole Miss. At the college level, he has been a head coach at Tennessee, USC and Florida Atlantic. He has a 65-39 overall record.
Here are 3 things I want to see from Indiana against Ole Miss in the Outback Bowl
1. A big day from the Indiana offense
The Ole Miss defense has struggled to stop people all year, allowing a whopping 40.3 points per game that ranks 122nd out of 127 teams, and is second-worst in Power 5, with only Kansas allowing more. So this is a golden opportunity for Indiana's offense to put up some big numbers.
That might start with the running game on Saturday. Stevie Scott hasn't had a 100-yard rushing game yet this season, and this might be a good time to check that goal off the list. His best outing was 97 yards against Michigan. More today would be nice, to keep the pressure off of quarterback Jack Tuttle, who's making his second career start. He says he feels good though, and will be looking to make big plays himself. Here is our Jack Tuttle profile from earlier in the week. CLICK HERE
2. Keep Matt Corral in the pocket
Indiana has had a history of getting burned too often by quarterbacks on the run, and that needs to be a focus with Ole Miss QB Matt Corral, too. He's got good wheels, and doesn't mind taking off and running if you've left him an open window to burst through.
Penn State's Sean Clifford has hurt Indiana the past couple of years, and Justin Fields had some big runs in the loss at Ohio State, too. Indiana's defense, which leads the nation in creating turnovers, needs to dictate the terms in this game. Here is our Matt Corral profile from earlier in the week. CLICK HERE
3. Celebrate like its 1991
Indiana hasn't won a bowl game since 1991, and it's time for that streak to end on Saturday. Ole Miss had issues before several players opted out last month, so the Hoosiers do indeed have a huge talent edge. They need to play like, and turn this into a rout.
This is Indiana's fifth bowl game against an SEC opponent, and they are only 1-3 overall. There's a lot of great publicity that can come from beating an SEC foe, especially since Indiana recruits in that footprint so much. It's time to put a nice big bow on this season and go out in style. Tom Brew prediction column: CLICK HERE
