Indiana
Michigan State football searches for answers amid QB question vs surging Indiana
MSU football analysis after Jonathan Smith’s presser ahead of Indiana
The Lansing State Journal’s Graham Couch and the Detroit Free Press’ Chris Solari discuss the situation surrounding Jonathan Smith and MSU football.
EAST LANSING – There remain a lot of questions about why Michigan State football fell apart against UCLA. And about the future of the coaching staff.
Offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren knows its his job to find the answers. In a hurry. With a dominating and punishing Indiana defense waiting.
“I told the offense I’m gonna do all I can to put together an awesome plan this week, to put you guys in the best position to go make plays and go win a game on Saturday,” Lindgren said Tuesday, Oct. 14.
As Year 2 with coach Jonathan Smith and Lindgren continues to spiral, with the Spartans mired in a three-game losing streak, the Hoosiers and second-year coach Curt Cignetti are flourishing. After earning a College Football Playoff berth last season, No. 3 Indiana is 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten as it prepares to host MSU (3-3, 0-3).
The Spartans are coming off a humiliating 38-13 homecoming loss to the Bruins on Saturday in which the offense fell apart after opening with a touchdown drive for the fifth time in six games this season. MSU had 253 yards of total offense, six drives of four or fewer plays and watched starting quarterback Aidan Chiles get knocked out of the game early in the third quarter. Chiles is questionable for the 3:30 p.m. game in Bloomington, Indiana (Peacock).
Lindgren and Smith had the entire team watch the UCLA game back together rather than as position groups. Both he and Lindren felt that helped create better accountability.
As for why the Spartans, playing at home, lacked the competitive bounce-back and fight they showed in their previous losses on the road at USC and Nebraska?
“I don’t know if I completely have the answer,” tight end Jack Velling said Tuesday. “I think we still have the fight, just it wasn’t clicking. Really, I don’t have the answer to that. But we still got full confidence in this team and this staff.”
The Spartans scored fewer than 18 points against a conference opponent for the seventh time in 15 Big Ten games under Smith and Lindgren. Chiles has started every game since arriving with the staff as a transfer from Oregon State before last season. MSU is 3-9 in conference play and 8-10 overall under Smith.
But it was the dismal, lifeless showing against UCLA that enraged MSU fans and have them calling for changes. Smith and Lindgren hear it and have said the need to improve is urgent.
“The pressure at this level comes with the job, it comes with the territory. It’s part of it,” Lindgren said. “You got people in the building that you trust and you’ve worked with before. When you get to times of adversity, you just gotta keep going to work and trust that those around you are gonna take care of their business and get the job done at a high level.”
Lindgren said Cignetti’s success has been structured around 13 players he brought with him from James Madison in 2024, when the Hoosiers went 11-2 and 8-1 in the Big Ten to finish No. 10 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Indiana lost in the CFP first round at Notre Dame, 27-17.
In the Hoosiers’ 47-10 blowout win at MSU last season, they sacked Chiles (who also left that game with an injury) and backup Tommy Schuster seven times.
Should Chiles be unable to play this week, the Spartans would give redshirt freshman Alessio Milivojevic his first career start against an IU defense tied for third in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 22 sacks this season, No. 4 in both total defense (229 yards per game) and scoring (11.3 points) and sixth in passing yards allowed (142.2).
MSU’s offensive line has given up 15 sacks of the elusive Chiles this season, which ranks tied for 25th-most allowed nationally. He finished 8-for-17 passing for 66 yards with a lost fumble on his one sack against the Bruins.
[ MUST LISTEN: State of the program. Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes weekly on Apple, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. ]
The less-mobile Milivojevic took over early in the third quarter, and finished 8-for-18 for 100 yards with a touchdown. However, the Bruins already were leading by 17 points when Milivojevic entered the game and stretched it to 31 by the end of the third quarter while mostly playing soft coverage with minimal front-seven pressure the rest of the way.
“Alessio, we’ve got a lot of trust in him,” Lindgren said. “I think it’s definitely gonna be a challenge. That defense gives you a ton of different looks in the secondary. They’re super-active up front. … It would be a challenging game but an opportunity that he would welcome.”
Milivojevic is 14-for-27 for 171 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in 50 career collegiate snaps the past two seasons (24 against UCLA, 12 against Nebraska, 12 against Western Michigan and two last season against Rutgers).
Also if Chiles is ruled out, that likely would mean true freshman Leo Hannan – who has yet to play – would be the backup. Lindgren said he did not consider giving Hannan a series late in the UCLA game to give him his first experience in college.
“It wasn’t necessarily discussed,” Lindgren said. “I think Leo would be ready if we put him in there. Looking back at it, that would’ve been something that I think would have been good. It’s always nice to get a young guy a little taste of action before he’s maybe forced into action at some point.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
Indiana
Heavy rain soaks central Indiana, but drought relief uneven across the state
Central Indiana has seen a very wet start to March, with several rounds of rain and storms moving through the region over the past few days. In fact, the city of Indianapolis has already received more rain in the first four days of the month than it typically gets during the entire month of March.
So far this month, Indianapolis has recorded 3.90 inches of rainfall, which already exceeds the normal March monthly average of 3.79 inches. Much of that rain came during a widespread soaking on Tuesday, when a strong system pushed steady showers and thunderstorms across the state.
Some of the highest totals over the past three days have been recorded across central Indiana. Rain gauges show 5.86 inches in Marion County, 5.02 inches in Morgan County, 4.97 inches in Hancock County, 4.95 inches in Shelby County, 4.57 inches in Johnson County, and 4.26 inches in Hendricks County. These totals represent a significant amount of rainfall in a short period of time and have left many areas with saturated ground and standing water in low spots.
Despite the widespread rainfall, the impact on drought conditions has been somewhat uneven across the state. According to the latest drought monitor, the areas that received the heaviest rain over the past few days are largely the same areas that were already in relatively good shape in terms of moisture levels. Meanwhile, parts of northern Indiana that have been dealing with more persistent dryness have seen much lighter totals.
Cities such as Kokomo, Lafayette, and Muncie have generally picked up less rain compared to areas farther south. Forecast models suggest that pattern may continue over the next several days.
Additional rainfall is expected through Thursday, with another round possible around midday Saturday. Current projections show the best chance for another inch or more of rain focusing once again across the southern half of the state, while northern Indiana may see lower totals.
That means while the recent rain has certainly helped improve soil moisture in many areas, it may not fully address the lingering dryness farther north. For now, the pattern remains active, and Hoosiers should expect more wet weather before the system finally begins to move out later this weekend.
Indiana
Watch Indiana basketball’s Lamar Wilkerson give his mom a Cadillac
Indiana basketball sharpshooter Lamar Wilkerson is known for his generosity.
Upon joining the Hoosiers, he gave a tidy sum of his NIL earnings to his previous program, Sam Houston State.
“I was blessed to be able go from that, from not having a lot, to being here, having a lot more than I even knew what to do with,” Wilkerson said at the time. “I just thought, I can give them this.”
He upped the ante on IU’s Senior Night, giving his mother a Cadillac after the Hoosiers throttled Minnesota.
You could imagine her reaction.
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
Indiana
Indiana basketball vs. Minnesota score, updates tonight: Start time, where to watch
Indiana basketball coach Darian DeVries breaks down what went wrong in loss to MSU
Indiana basketball coach Darian DeVries shares his thoughts on his team’s struggles against MSU and his message to the locker room.
Indiana (17-12, 8-10 Big Ten) has no room for air as it hosts Minnesota (14-15, 7-11). The Hoosiers have lost four in a row, leaving them on the NCAA Tournament bubble, while the Golden Gophers have won three of their last four. Minnesota beat IU in a conference opener.
We will have score updates and highlights, so remember to refresh.
What time does Indiana basketball play Minnesota tonight, March 4? Start time for Minnesota basketball vs Indiana on Wednesday, March 4, 2026
- The Indiana-Minnesota game is at 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.
Where to watch Indiana vs. Minnesota tonight, March 4? What channel is the Minnesota-Indiana on college basketball game today?
Watch college basketball with a free Fubo trial
Indiana vs. Minnesota predictions tonight, March 4
- Zach Osterman, IndyStar: Indiana 75-69
- “Indiana is on the ropes. Minnesota has nothing to lose. Gophers already beat IU once this year. So picking Minnesota here is going to be trendy. Too trendy. The Ohio State game is tougher to forecast, but the Hoosiers win here.”
- Michael Niziolek, Herald-Times: Indiana 78-70
- “Can Minnesota spoil IU’s Senior Night? The Gophers upended Indiana in Darian DeVries’ Big Ten debut earlier this season and have been a tough out in conference play. They are just 7-11, but six of those losses are by single digits and two of those came in overtime. The Hoosiers need to do a better job of locking down the perimeter while getting a more balanced scoring effort. Indiana should be able to pull this one out and keep its NCAA Tournament chances alive for another night.”
Where to listen to Indiana vs. Minnesota tonight, March 4, 2026
How much are Indiana vs. Minnesota tickets tonight, March 4, 2026?
IU basketball tickets on StubHub
Basketball rankings college: Indiana vs. Minnesota
As of March 2
(all times ET; with date, day of week, location and opponent, time, TV)
- 0, Jasai Miles
- 1, Reed Bailey
- 2, Jason Drake
- 3, Lamar Wilkerson
- 4, Sam Alexis
- 5, Conor Enright
- 6, Tayton Conerway
- 7, Nick Dorn
- 10, Josh Harris
- 11, Trent Sisley
- 12, Tucker DeVries
- 13, Aleksa Ristic
- 15, Andrej Acimovic
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
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