Carter Smith entered the transfer portal Nov. 27, 2023, one day after Indiana football fired head coach Tom Allen. The Hoosiers’ starting left tackle rescinded his entrance just over two weeks later.
Now, Smith is reaping the rewards. A staple on Indiana’s offensive line, Smith has not only witnessed but played an important part in the No. 8 Hoosiers’ program-record 9-0 start.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti preaches the mindset of going 1-0 each week — a battle set to continue at 3:30 p.m. Saturday against Michigan (5-4) inside Memorial Stadium in Bloomington and televised on CBS.
And while the Hoosiers have their eyes set forward, it’s difficult for holdovers like Smith not to reflect on the strides the program has made over the past year.
“Spent a lot of time on that,” Smith said in a press conference Tuesday. “It all started around Week 5 — we were going into Maryland for our first Big Ten home game. It was really good to see the stands packed. Seeing the fan base rally around the team was really special. Trusting the process, staying here, it really warmed my heart to see that.”
Memorial Stadium is again sold out for Saturday’s game — and with the defending College Football Playoff National Champions entering Bloomington, the Hoosiers have a chance to secure their first-ever 10-win season.
But Indiana isn’t approaching Saturday any different than it has all season.
“This is the biggest game because it’s the next game,” senior defensive tackle CJ West said Tuesday, reciting a line Cignetti’s spoken often this season. “That’s how it is every week.”
Who are the Wolverines?
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh left last spring for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers. A nation-high 13 players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. Three different players earning starts at quarterback.
Michigan is a far different team than it was the last time it played Indiana, when the Wolverines took a 52-7 victory over the Hoosiers on Oct. 14, 2023, at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Led by first-year head coach and former offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore, Michigan started the season 4-1 but has lost three of its last four games. The Wolverines suffered a 38-17 home loss to No. 1 Oregon on Nov. 2.
Among 18 teams in the Big Ten, Michigan’s offense ranks No. 14 in total yards (299.4 per game) and scoring (21 points per game) and No. 17 in passing yards at 134.3 yards per game.
Cignetti touted Michigan senior quarterback Davis Warren, noting he “can spin it,” while saying Michigan’s offense — which averages 165.1 rushing yards per game, eighth best in the conference — will present challenges to Indiana’s defense.
“They haven't scored points; they're not in the 40s and 50s,” Cignetti said Monday. “But they can run the ball from 11, 12 and 13 personnel. They've got weapons. They've got good backs. They've got good players, and they're a good football team coming in here with a lot of tradition, a lot of history, a lot of pride, and it's part of the reason it's on national TV.”
Junior tight end Colston Loveland is perhaps Michigan’s most dangerous offensive weapon. Voted first-team All-Big Ten by the league’s coaches in 2023, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Loveland has caught 49 passes for 523 yards and four touchdowns this season.
“You've got to be aware of him, for sure, down the field and on screens, various things, because when you've got size and speed like that, you can create personnel mismatch,” Cignetti said. “So, he's an excellent football player. They've got a lot of really good football players.”
For as offensively challenged as the Wolverines are on paper, their defense has been better — if only marginally. Michigan ranks No. 13 in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing 23.3 points per game, and No. 11 in total defense, giving up 345.1 yards per game.
The Wolverines boast a stout defensive line, led by a pair of potential first-round NFL Draft picks in juniors Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. Michigan is sixth in the conference with 21 sacks, spearheaded by senior defensive end Josaiah Stewart’s team-high 6.5.
Michigan defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale spent nearly two decades in the NFL, calling defensive plays for seven years in stints with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants.
Martindale’s defense throws various looks at opposing offenses, Cignetti said.
“When you put the tape on, you see a defense that's very multiple and tries to create problems for offenses and [has] good players that fly around, play hard,” Cignetti said. “It all starts up front with them. They're good inside, good on the edge and they're an aggressive defense.”
Indiana’s high-powered offense leads the NCAA in scoring and tops the Big Ten in total yardage. Cignetti is confident the Hoosiers’ offensive success can carry over into Saturday.
Indiana’s College Football Playoff aspirations
The College Football Playoff committee released its first rankings Nov. 5, and the Hoosiers were ranked No. 8. Due to seeding rules, which put conference champions as the top four seeds, Indiana slid to the No. 9 seed.
Indiana is in the midst of a dream season, one that’s broken several program records and appears poised to shatter a handful more. Making the College Football Playoff and having a chance to fight for a title is suddenly within reach.
But Cignetti said getting caught up in the playoff rankings and losing focus would be “the kiss of death” for the Hoosiers.
“I'll see the rankings, but the only thing that really matters is you get the result when you play,” Cignetti said. “To do that, you've got to keep the main thing the main thing and eliminate the noise and the clutter.”
Indiana puts its perfect season on the line at 3:30 p.m. Saturday inside Memorial Stadium.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Jhett Garrett (@jhettgarrett) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
