Washington
Indiana football vs Washington preview in Big Ten action
BLOOMINGTON — The real Hoosier Hysteria is happening at Memorial Stadium this weekend.
Indiana football will welcome ESPN’s College GameDay to campus and have another sold out crowd on hand for its game against Washington.
The No. 13 Hoosiers (7-0; 4-0 Big Ten) have a chance to match the program’s best ever start as one of just nine unbeaten teams left in the country.
Jump into our weekly preview, The Runout, for what stood out during the week, players to watch, a prediction and more:
Indiana football vs. Washington: Tale of the tape
- When: Saturday, Oct. 26 at 12:00 p.m. ET
- Where: Memorial Stadium (52,626), Bloomington, Indiana
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Line: Indiana -6.5
- Series: Indiana leads 2-1
- Last meeting: Washington def. Indiana, 38-13, on Sept. 6, 2003
More: Indiana football: How QB Tayven Jackson compares to other Big Ten backups
Indiana football players to watch vs Washington
Tayven Jackson, QB: Who else?
Jackson steps into the starting lineup while Kurtis Rourke recovers from a thumb injury he suffered against Nebraska. The redshirt-sophomore looked sharp in his most extended action of the season in the second half as he closed out a 56-7 win over the Cornhuskers.
It was still a limited sample size — he only dropped back to pass nine times — and he benefited from coming into the game with a 28-7 lead.
Jackson’s goal against Washington will be to avoid the type of uneven performance that cost him the starting job last year. He’s still known for bouts of inconsistency in practice as Cignetti has noted on multiple occasions.
One way Jackson can do that is by taking a page from Rourke and avoiding negative plays. In seven starts, Rourke was only sacked six times on 202 drop backs and turned it over four times (three interceptions).
The good news for Jackson is that Cignetti has upgraded just about every facet of the offense from last season. The Hoosiers have a much improved run game — they averaged 6.5 yards per carry last week against one of the best run defenses in the country — and their offensive play-calling has been tremendous.
Justice Ellison, RB: That aforementioned rushing attack will be as important as ever on Saturday.
Ellison had his fifth ever 100-yard game (second for IU) last week despite only carrying the ball nine times, but it was his early success — he had a 43-yard gain and a touchdown on the opening drive — that set the tone in the win.
The Cornhuskers hadn’t allowed a rushing touchdown all season before the Wake Forest transfer punched it in from the 5-yard line.
Washington comes to Bloomington having struggled against the run this season. In the team’s three losses, the Huskies have given up 540 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and six touchdowns. They have allowed only 3.4 yards per carry and one rushing touchdown in four wins.
That stark difference lays out a clear path to victory for the Hoosiers.
Terry Jones Jr., S: The change Indiana made in the starting secondary was a notable one since the team had kept the same starting lineup on both sides of the ball through the first six games.
Amare Ferrell shifted over to strong safety in place of Josh Sanguinetti and Jones took over Ferrell’s spot at rover. It was the Old Dominion transfer’s first start for the Hoosiers, but he didn’t play like someone who sat on the bench for a half the season.
Jones had six tackles (four solo) with four quarterback pressures. He allowed a two-yard game the only time he was targeted.
“He’s done a nice job on special teams,” Cignetti said. “Got an opportunity on Saturday. An aggressive player. Played a lot of football. Had over a hundred tackles at ODU last season.”
Washington starting quarterback Will Rogers will be a big test for the group. Rogers is one of the highest graded quarterbacks in the country (96.3) on throws of 20-yards or more, according to Pro Football Focus. He is 12 of 23 at that passing depth with 399 yards and six touchdowns.
Mind Your Banners: Rourke out, Jackson in for GameDay visit from Washington
Indiana football: Week 8 Odds and Ends
NSYNC: Indiana’s offensive line bullied Nebraska’s talented front seven. They only allowed two tackles for loss on 33 rush attempts and one sack. “I’m not surprised by what they did on Saturday,” Cignetti said. “Not at all.” The starting line has played every snap together outside of mop up time and that’s made a real difference, according to Cignetti. “They’re on the same page,” he said. “They function really well together.”
Stress relief: Washington coach Jedd Fisch said a benefit of IU outscoring opponents 80-0 in the first quarter is that they haven’t faced any of the “play caller anxiety” that pops up when a coach sees a deficit on the scoreboard. Fisch said the Hoosiers playing out front all season — they are only one of two teams in the country that haven’t trailed yet — has allowed them to settle into an impressive offensive rhythm.
Frequent fliers: Big Ten teams have struggled on cross-country road trips. Indiana is one of the few teams that avoided a let down after traveling multiple time zones when it visited UCLA earlier this season. Through the first seven weeks of the season, the visiting team was 2-11 in those conference games. Washington will face the added challenge of a noon kickoff (9:00 a.m. local time). The Huskies faced the same scenario in a 40-16 loss to Iowa.
More: Indiana football’s new-look starting secondary helps defense reach new heights
Indiana football stat of the week
245: Per ESPN’s Max Olson, Indiana has the largest margin of victory through seven games since 2020. The number ranks ahead of the last three national champions — 2023 Michigan (229), 2022 Georgia (228) and 2021 Georgia (223). Indiana has the top ranked scoring offense in the country (48.7 points) and seventh ranked scoring defense (13.7 points allowed).
More: ‘We riding with him’: Indiana football QB Tayven Jackson has backing of his teammates
Indiana football quote of the week
“We have 100% confidence and the team has 100% confidence, I have confidence, the staff has confidence in Tayven Jackson,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti
More: After spending lives in football, Sunseri brothers finally share a field for IU-Washington
Prediction: Indiana 28, Washington 20
Washington is capable of spoiling IU’s undefeated season if it can get past the reoccurring red zone woes that have plagued its offense this season. The Huskies have outgained every single one of their opponents — they have a top 25 offense that’s averaging more than 450 yards per game — but just haven’t been able to put enough points on the board.
They also have a quarterback in Will Rogers that’s more experienced (47 career starts) than anyone the Hoosiers will face all season.
Why still give Indiana the edge? Cignetti has earned the benefit of the doubt even with a backup quarterback in the starting lineup. He’s coached this team into a playoff contender and has passed every test thrown his way.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
On a perfect day in Seattle for football, Washington took the field inside Husky Stadium for its first scrimmage of spring practice, and ahead of his third season at the helm, Jedd Fisch seemed pleased with the results.
“Guys played and competed their ass off,” he said after the Huskies ran 120 plays. “That’s the type of day we want to have…We have a lot to work on, but we’re excited that today gave us this opportunity.”
The 120 plays had a little bit of everything, but the biggest thing the Huskies showed during the day was that, despite the inexperience that Fisch’s coaching staff is looking to lean on at several positions, there’s plenty of talent littering the roster. The best example of that is sophomore safety Paul Mencke Jr., who had his best practice in a Husky uniform after Fisch announced on Saturday that senior CJ Christian is out for the year after suffering a torn Achilles tendon during Tuesday’s practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
“Paul’s done a great job of competing and being physical and playing fast, and you could see over these three years, he’s really grown into understanding now the system, and what’s asked of him as a safety,” Fisch said. “I think there’s a lot of in him that he wants to be like (safeties coach Taylor) Mays. He sees himself as a tall, linear, big hitter. So when you have your coach that is known for that type of play, I think Paul has done a great job.”
Mencke was all over the field. Not only did he lay some big hits, just like his safeties coach did during his time at USC, but the former four-star recruit also tallied a pair of pass breakups, an interception in a 7-on-7 period, and multiple strong tackles to hold ball carriers to limited yards.
While the defense did a good job getting pressure throughout the day and making the quarterbacks hold the ball with different looks on the back end, with safety Alex McLaughlin, linebacker Donovan Robinson, and edge rusher Logan George all among the players credited for a sack, quarterback Demond Williams Jr. got an opportunity to show off how he’s improved ahead of his junior year.
Early on, he showed off his well-known speed and athleticism, making the correct decision on a read option, pulling the ball and scampering for a 25-yard gain before displaying his touch. Throughout the day, his favorite target was junior receiver Rashid Williams, whom he found on several layered throws of 15-plus yards in the various scrimmage periods of practice.
On a day when every able-bodied member of the team was able to get several reps of live action, here are some of the other noteworthy plays from the day.
Spring practice notebook
- Freshman cornerback Jeron Jones was unable to participate in the scrimmage and was spotted working off to the side with the rest of the players rehabbing their injuries.
- The running backs delivered a pair of big blows on the day. First, cornerback Emmanuel Karnley was on the receiving end of a big hit from redshirt freshman Quaid Carr before the former three-star recruit ripped off a 13-yard touchdown run on the next play. Later on, every player on offense had a lot of fun cheering on freshman Ansu Sanoe after he leveled Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, letting the sophomore linebacker hear all about it when the play was whistled dead.
- Sophomore wide receiver Justice Williams put together a strong day with several contested catches, showing off his strong hands and 6-foot-4 frame, including a 25-yard catch and run off a drag route from backup quarterback Elijah Brown.
- Of all the tackles for a loss the Huskies were able to rack up throughout the day, two stood out. First, junior defensive tackle Elinneus Davis burst through the middle of the line to wrap up freshman running back Brian Bonner. Later on, freshman outside linebacker Ramzak Fruean wasn’t even touched as he shot through a gap in the offensive line to track down a play from behind, letting the entire offensive sideline know about the play on his way back to his own bench.
- The Huskies experimented with several defensive line combinations on Saturday, and for the first time this spring, it felt like freshman Derek Colman-Brusa took the majority of his reps alongside someone other than Davis, who he said has taken on an older brother role to help mentor the top-ranked in-state prospect in the 2026 class.
“Elinneus is a phenomenal guy. Great work ethic. He’s kind of taken on that older brother mentor for me. He’s been a great help just to learn plays and learn the scheme. Can’t say enough good things about the guy.”
- Ball State transfer Darin Conley took a handful of reps with the first team, while rotating with Colman-Brusa, who got a lot of work in alongside Sacramento State transfer DeSean Watts.
Twenty Sioux Falls School District art teachers have their own original pieces on display at the Washington Pavilion’s University Gallery now through May 31.
The “Teachers as Artists” exhibit showcases their work not just as educators, but as artists inside and outside of the classroom, and highlights how art education builds critical thinking, creative problem-solving and self-expression skills.
Edison Middle School art teacher Meagan Turbak-Fogarty said she dreamt of such a showcase since her first year teaching.
She and Kathy Dang, an art teacher at Marcella LeBeau Elementary School who also serves on the city’s Visual Arts Committee, partnered with the city and Washington Pavilion to bring the showcase to life.
Turbak-Fogarty has taught at Edison for five years and said her passion for art is “instantly felt” on her classroom walls, but that students have asked where they could see her art in the classroom, or what kind of art she creates in her own time.
“I always felt the feeling that I stand in front of all these kids every single day and preach about how much I love art, and how art has changed my life,” Turbak-Fogarty said. “That got me thinking, ‘I want to show them.’”
Some of her works on display at the Pavilion include art she created in her first year teaching, including a large Cheetos bag she created as an example for her eighth grade classroom when they were working on a large chip bag project. Turbak-Fogarty said she loves painting, working with acrylics and unconventional materials.
“I wanted to show my students that art can be anything,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be hanging up in a museum to be considered art.”
Continuing to do her own art while teaching the subject helps keep her inspired, Turbak-Fogarty explained, adding that it helps her push her own creativity when it comes to projects she works on with students.
Samantha Levisay, an art teacher at John Harris Elementary School, showed three pieces in the show — “Moments in Time,” “Midnight Butterfly Garden” and “Whimsy” — with the same mixed media, watercolor and printmaking skills that she teaches in different units at every elementary grade.
Levisay educates her students that “art is everywhere.” She said her favorite memories as an art teacher are “moments when I show students a lesson, and they take it even further.”
“Kids are so creative; I marvel at them all the time,” she said. “They inspire me every day with their endless creativity and imagination.”
Roosevelt High School art teacher Ruth Hillman showed two pieces in the show: “The Potato on the Wall,” a mixed media work, and a collection of her handmade clay charms in a shadow box.
She also wore some of her art — miniature potato earrings made of clay.
Hillman is in her third year at RHS. When she’s not teaching art, she’s also making art, and sells her charms at shows like the Art Collective.
Washington High School art teacher Mollie Potter displayed a three-part painting series at the show that she said were inspired by her English language learner students’ stories, and how teachers help students “take flight,” as represented by balloons, parachutes and kites in her work.
Porter said she is often inspired by her students’ art in the classroom; for example, one former student was obsessed with swans, and Porter said she later created a painting inspired by one of the student’s stories about swans.
At an April 17 reception, Mayor Paul TenHaken emphasized the arts as an “important economic driver in the community,” and said the show honored educators “who are artists in and of themselves,” but who might not have had a chance to display their art outside the classroom before.
“This is a way for us to honor them and show their incredible work,” TenHaken said.
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