Two of the nation’s most well-rounded college football teams will go head-to-head when No. 7 Indiana takes on No. 3 Oregon at a raucous Autzen Stadium on Saturday. Both sides are undefeated, sitting at 5-0 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play after well-earned bye weeks.
The Hoosiers and the Ducks are, on paper, very evenly-matched: Top-flight rushing and passing attacks, lockdown defenses and coaches who have galvanized their respective fanbases. The winner of Saturday’s game will cement itself as a contender not just in the Big Ten title race but in the quest for a top seed in the College Football Playoff.
“This is exactly why you come to Indiana,” linebacker Aiden Fisher said Tuesday. “You want to play in games like this against really good football teams. This is what Indiana football is now.”
Curt Cignetti’s team has taken its lumps on the biggest of stages — last season’s trips to Ohio State and Notre Dame are living proof — but he feels those experiences have served their purpose as he looks to make Indiana the first team to defeat Oregon in a Big Ten regular season game. While it wasn’t pretty, the Hoosiers handled the noise at Kinnick Stadium well enough to escape with an ugly win over Iowa.
“Any time you do something a second time, it helps that you’ve been through it one time before,” Cignetti said Monday. “Iowa was a sellout. It was loud. To have that kind of preparation going into this game will help.”
The difference between Iowa and Oregon is that Oregon has a Heisman Trophy candidate running its offense with plenty of skilled running backs and receivers. After sitting out last season behind southpaw Dillon Gabriel, Dante Moore has emerged as one of the best signal-callers in the country.
His 74.6% completion percentage ranks third nationally among quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts and he has thrown 14 touchdowns to just a single interception. Moore remained poised in one of college football’s toughest environments when he led the Ducks to a double-overtime win at Penn State, and Cignetti knows what challenges he poses for Indiana’s defense.
“He’s very athletic,” Cignetti said. “Very fluid, can run and extend plays. As he’s played more, you can see he’s building on his success, confidence, belief, and he’s one of the great quarterbacks in the country.”
Oregon’s offensive line has been nearly perfect at protecting Moore, allowing one sack through five games. The Ducks’ strength up front has also allowed them to rush for 6.3 yards per carry, which ranks eighth nationally.
Head coach Dan Lanning primarily uses a four-man running back rotation which is led by star freshman Dierre Hill Jr., who is averaging a team-best 10.4 yards per carry. Hill is one of many true freshmen and redshirt freshmen to emerge as an essential piece for Oregon.
Others include fellow running back Jordon Davison, who leads the team with seven rushing touchdowns, along with star wide receiver Dakorien Moore, who leads all Oregon receivers with 19 receptions for 296 yards. On the defensive side, cornerbacks Brandon Finney Jr. and Ify Obidegwu have helped replenish a secondary that lost all five of its starters from 2024.
Lanning, who was described by Cignetti as “one of the most impressive young coaching phenoms to come around in a while,” knows what Saturday will bring.
“They do a lot of things really well,” Lanning said Monday. “They know what they’re good at. They’re rushing and throwing as well as anyone in the country, and they have a lot of weapons they can use.”
Indiana, like Oregon, is averaging over six rushing yards per carry this season. Indiana also has a Heisman candidate in quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Wide receivers Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. are tied for the Big Ten lead with six touchdown catches this season.
Led by edge rusher Mikail Kamara and defensive tackles Tyrique Tucker, Mario Landino and Hosea Wheeler, the Hoosiers’ front seven has been as problematic as any unit in the FBS. It posted an 84.7 run defense grade against an extremely physical Iowa offensive line.
After falling short on the biggest stages in 2024, Indiana is eager to prove that it belongs. Fisher remembers the criticism that detractors heaped onto the Hoosiers when they failed to perform while the lights were at their brightest.
“A lot of these guys in here felt the disrespect from last year (and) carried it in this year with a chip on their shoulders,” Fisher said. “We’re going to play in these big games and expect great outcomes.”
Indiana and Oregon are set for a 3:30 p.m. Eastern/12:30 p.m. Pacific kickoff from Autzen Stadium in Eugene. The game will be broadcast on CBS, the IU Sports Radio Network and WIUX Sports, the latter of which will feature Ben Haller and Nick Rodecap on the call.
Photos: No. 7 Indiana 30, No. 3 Oregon 20
