The Hoosiers are 3-2 on the year and coming off back-to-back road losses to the University of Cincinnati and Nebraska. With a highly ranked opponent coming to town in No. 4 Michigan, things are not getting any easier.
It will be a difficult game for the Hoosiers but given how they tend to play on homecoming weekend, don’t be shocked if it ends up being a close one.
Now that homecoming is on the mind of the students and alumni coming to Bloomington, let’s look back at the last five Indiana homecoming games.
[Related: Indiana football welcomes No. 4 Michigan for homecoming weekend faceoff]
2021 vs Michigan State
When Indiana played Michigan State last year for homecoming, it was a tight one. The Spartans entered the game ranked No. 10 in the nation with an undefeated record. They sported a new look offense with transfer running back Kenneth Walker III and quarterback Payton Thorne.
Indiana’s defense played incredibly and held Michigan State to just one score, heading into the locker room ahead 9-7. A strong third quarter propelled the Spartans to the win, as the Hoosiers couldn’t mount a late game drive, losing 20-15. In what was a disappointing season for Indiana, the team put up a good fight.
2020
No homecoming game due to COVID-19.
2019 vs Rutgers
This Indiana football season was one filled with optimism. It was the university's bicentennial year, and there was plenty to celebrate both on and off the field for homecoming.
Indiana hosted a 1-4 Rutgers program on a sunny fall day and came out with the shutout victory, 35-0. The Hoosier’s scored 21 points in the first quarter and never turned back for Tom Allen’s first homecoming win. Then-redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr. went 20-29 for 282 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Then sophomore running back Stevie Scott ran the ball 12 times for an enormous 164 yards rushing. Indiana went on to finish the season with an 8-5 record.
2018 vs Iowa
Facing the Iowa Hawkeyes who came into the game sporting a 4-1 record, 2018 was a rough game for Indiana. The Hawkeyes crushed the Hoosiers by a score of 42-16 in a one-sided game. It was Tom Allen’s second homecoming at the helm, and after the game he said he felt he had let Hoosier’s fans down. Iowa junior quarterback Nate Stanley threw for six touchdowns and a 199.0 passer rating to put Indiana away.
2017 vs Michigan
In 2017, Indiana faced the same opponent they face this Saturday — the Michigan Wolverines. Led by Jim Harbaugh in what was his second season as head coach, the Wolverines came to Bloomington having lost just one game that season. Indiana fell behind 13-3 heading into halftime but were able to tie the game in the second half to force overtime. Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, they were unable to come out on top, falling 27-20.
2016 vs Nebraska
The homecoming game in the 2016 season was Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson’s last appearance on homecoming; he parted ways with the university at the end of the regular season. The Indiana team was 3-2 heading into the game — the same as this season’s team — and was hosting the No. 10-ranked team in the country, Nebraska. Also keeping with the trend from the current Hoosier football season, Indiana fell behind early in the first quarter of the game before storming back to make it close. The Hoosiers would erase a 17-point deficit but eventually fall to Nebraska 27-22, missing out on its opportunity to hand the Cornhuskers their first loss of the season.
