Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
5 Things To Watch: Indiana
10/11/25 | Football
The Ducks host the Hoosiers on Saturday (12:30 p.m., CBS).
EUGENE, Ore. — The No. 3 Oregon football team is at home for the first time in conference play this season as the Ducks return from their bye week.
The Ducks will play their second straight top-10 matchup, and for the second game in a row with ESPN's "College GameDay" on hand, when they host No. 7 Indiana on Saturday in Autzen Stadium at 12:30 p.m.
Oregon enters the game at 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten, having had a week off following a monumental double-overtime win at Penn State. Indiana also is 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten, with conference wins over Illinois and Iowa on the road before also enjoying a bye last week.
Oregon leads the all-time series with the Hoosiers, 2-1, but Indiana won the only previous matchup in Eugene, 30-24 in 2004 — the last time the two programs played.
Saturday's game will be televised by CBS, with Brad Nessler providing play by play, analysis from Gary Danielson and sideline reporting by Jenny Dell.
Some storylines to watch when the game kicks off …
1. Two weeks after playing in an elite college football environment at Penn State, the Ducks return to the friendly confines of Autzen Stadium for the first time since mid-September.
Oregon brings the longest active home win streak in the country into the game, at 18 games, and is looking for its homefield advantage to provide an edge Saturday.
"We're counting on our fans to be part of what makes this environment great," UO coach Dan Lanning said this week. "It's an exciting weekend in Eugene. A lot of people coming to town to watch this game because it's a premier game between two really good teams, and I'm counting on our fans to have a big impact on the game."
2. To beat the Hoosiers, Oregon will try to slow down the nation's most efficient passing offense so far this season.
Led by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a transfer from Cal, Indiana has a team pass efficiency rating of 200.92 through five games; the Ducks and QB Dante Moore at ninth, at 178.93.
"Their timing is really impressive," Lanning said. "They know where guys are going to be at. They do a really good job of shaping their routes. He's got a great delivery. He's able to throw the ball extremely well, but he knows where his wideout is going to be and knows what coverage he's throwing into. That's an indicator of a really well coached player that knows his system extremely well."
3. But to beat the Ducks, the Hoosiers will have to contend with one of the nation's most effective pass defenses.
Despite starting two freshmen at corner, Brandon Finney Jr. and Ifo Obidegwu, the UO secondary has been remarkable through five games, holding opponents to 92.80 passing efficiency — the third-lowest in the nation.
"These guys work really, really hard," Lanning said. "We pitch a lot at them every single week about understanding how we're going to play certain coverages or adapt those changes. Those guys have worked really hard and prepared really hard. They push themselves in practice to get the results you want on the field on Saturdays."
4. Oregon's offense, meanwhile, will contend with an Indiana defense that causes havoc. The Hoosiers are eighth in the country in turnover margin, at plus-1.2 per game, they're third nationally in tackles for loss with 49 in five games, and that includes 16 sacks already.
"They're aggressive by nature," Lanning said. "They do a good job of eliminating explosive plays, but they run a lot of simulated pressures and fire-zone pressures that create havoc up front. The paths change quite a bit with the D line — a lot of different stunts that they use — and the guys win at the point of attack when they do blitz. They do a good job of that."
5. Both teams are coming off a bye, so neither has an advantage in that regard. But coming off the emotional win at Penn State, the Ducks put the extra time to use the last two weeks.
"It was just a little bit more focused on recovery, on some of the work we had to do," Lanning said. "I think you check boxes as a coach, like, OK, do we have a physical team? So, what do you need to ramp up during a bye week and what do you need to dial back? I feel like we have a physical team, and it was important for us to be able to recover and train ourselves with more mental reps more than physical practice reps at times."
The Ducks will play their second straight top-10 matchup, and for the second game in a row with ESPN's "College GameDay" on hand, when they host No. 7 Indiana on Saturday in Autzen Stadium at 12:30 p.m.
Oregon enters the game at 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten, having had a week off following a monumental double-overtime win at Penn State. Indiana also is 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten, with conference wins over Illinois and Iowa on the road before also enjoying a bye last week.
Oregon leads the all-time series with the Hoosiers, 2-1, but Indiana won the only previous matchup in Eugene, 30-24 in 2004 — the last time the two programs played.
Saturday's game will be televised by CBS, with Brad Nessler providing play by play, analysis from Gary Danielson and sideline reporting by Jenny Dell.
Some storylines to watch when the game kicks off …
1. Two weeks after playing in an elite college football environment at Penn State, the Ducks return to the friendly confines of Autzen Stadium for the first time since mid-September.
Oregon brings the longest active home win streak in the country into the game, at 18 games, and is looking for its homefield advantage to provide an edge Saturday.
"We're counting on our fans to be part of what makes this environment great," UO coach Dan Lanning said this week. "It's an exciting weekend in Eugene. A lot of people coming to town to watch this game because it's a premier game between two really good teams, and I'm counting on our fans to have a big impact on the game."
2. To beat the Hoosiers, Oregon will try to slow down the nation's most efficient passing offense so far this season.
Led by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a transfer from Cal, Indiana has a team pass efficiency rating of 200.92 through five games; the Ducks and QB Dante Moore at ninth, at 178.93.
"Their timing is really impressive," Lanning said. "They know where guys are going to be at. They do a really good job of shaping their routes. He's got a great delivery. He's able to throw the ball extremely well, but he knows where his wideout is going to be and knows what coverage he's throwing into. That's an indicator of a really well coached player that knows his system extremely well."
3. But to beat the Ducks, the Hoosiers will have to contend with one of the nation's most effective pass defenses.
Despite starting two freshmen at corner, Brandon Finney Jr. and Ifo Obidegwu, the UO secondary has been remarkable through five games, holding opponents to 92.80 passing efficiency — the third-lowest in the nation.
"These guys work really, really hard," Lanning said. "We pitch a lot at them every single week about understanding how we're going to play certain coverages or adapt those changes. Those guys have worked really hard and prepared really hard. They push themselves in practice to get the results you want on the field on Saturdays."
4. Oregon's offense, meanwhile, will contend with an Indiana defense that causes havoc. The Hoosiers are eighth in the country in turnover margin, at plus-1.2 per game, they're third nationally in tackles for loss with 49 in five games, and that includes 16 sacks already.
"They're aggressive by nature," Lanning said. "They do a good job of eliminating explosive plays, but they run a lot of simulated pressures and fire-zone pressures that create havoc up front. The paths change quite a bit with the D line — a lot of different stunts that they use — and the guys win at the point of attack when they do blitz. They do a good job of that."
5. Both teams are coming off a bye, so neither has an advantage in that regard. But coming off the emotional win at Penn State, the Ducks put the extra time to use the last two weeks.
"It was just a little bit more focused on recovery, on some of the work we had to do," Lanning said. "I think you check boxes as a coach, like, OK, do we have a physical team? So, what do you need to ramp up during a bye week and what do you need to dial back? I feel like we have a physical team, and it was important for us to be able to recover and train ourselves with more mental reps more than physical practice reps at times."
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