Indiana 2021 Football Schedule

Indiana's 2021 college football schedule includes nine Big Ten games, with the biggest a matchup against defending champion Ohio State on Oct. 23 in Bloomington. The nonconference slate is the best it's been in years, too.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Here is Indiana's football schedule for 2021, which includes nine Big Ten games and three nonconference games, two at home. 

Links to the game story, Tom Brew's column and the report card are attached for every game.

Sept. 4: Iowa 34, Indiana 6

• WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, Sept. 4 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
• RECORDS: Indiana 0-1 overall, 0-1 in the Big Ten; Iowa 1-0 overall, 1-0 in the Big Ten.
• GAME STORY: No. 17-ranked Indiana fell into a big hole early, allowing two touchdowns in the first two minutes, and never recovered in a 34-6 loss to No. 18 Iowa. CLICK HERE
• TOM BREW COLUMN: Sure it was ugly and it was very deflating after all the preseason hype, but it's still only one loss for the Hoosiers. CLICK HERE
• REPORT CARD: It was hard to find any positives in grading Indiana's performance against Iowa in the 34-6 loss. It led to a handful of failing grades, for sure. CLICK HERE

Sept. 11: Indiana 56, Idaho 14 

• WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, Sept. 11 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
• RECORDS: Idaho 1-1; Indiana 1-1
• GAME STORY: Indiana had two special teams touchdowns for the first time since 1969 and running back Stephen Carr rushed for 118 yards in the Hoosiers' easy 56-14 victory over Idaho. CLICK HERE
• TOM BREW COLUMN: Indiana dipped into the transfer portal to get D.J. Matthews and Stephen Carr from a pair of iconic football programs, but they've both found greener pastures in little ol' Bloomington, Indiana. Their imprint on the Hoosiers' football program is already immense. CLICK HERE  
• REPORT CARD: High marks for the Hoosiers -- and the rowdy students, too -- after a blowout win over Idaho. CLICK HERE

Sept. 18: Cincinnati 38, Indiana 24 

• WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, Sept. 18 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
• RECORDS: Cincinnati 3-0; Indiana 1-2
• GAME STORY: Indiana had four turnovers and had three trips into the red zone where they failed to score, letting a golden opportunity slip away against No. 8 Cincinnati in a 38-24 loss. CLICK HERE  
• TOM BREW COLUMN: Indiana linebacker Micah McFadden was ejected on a questionable targeting call late in the first half, and the Hoosiers' defense fell apart afterward. Yes, he was missed that much. CLICK HERE 
• REPORT CARD: Indiana continues to make far too many mistakes in all three phases of the game, and the errors cost them a victory on Saturday against No. 8-ranked Cincinnati. CLICK HERE

Sept. 25: Indiana 33, Western Kentucky 31

• WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, Sept. 25 at Bowling Green, Ky.
• RECORDS: Indiana 2-2; Western Kentucky 1-2
• GAME STORY: Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. throws for 373 yards with no interceptions and the Hoosiers hang on to beat pesky Western Kentucky 33-31 for a big road win. CLICK HERE
• TOM BREW COLUMN Indiana's lethal passing combination of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and Ty Fryfogle has struggled out of the gate in 2021, but Saturday night's big 10-catch performance by Fryfogle might be a sign that things are getting better. CLICK HERE
• REPORT CARD: Indiana got some record-setting nights from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and kicker Charles Campbell during a 33-31 win at Western Kentucky, but there were still several problems that arose, and they need to be fixed quickly as the Hoosiers head into October. CLICK HERE

Oct. 2: Penn State 24, Indiana 0

• WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, Oct. 2  at Beaver Stadium, State College, Pa. 
• RECORDS: Indiana 2-3, and 0-2 in the Big Ten; Penn State 5-0, and 2-0 in the Big Ten.
• GAME STORY: Playing their third highly ranked team in five weeks, Indiana had no answer for No. 4 Penn State on Saturday night, getting trounced 24-0 and losing quarterback Michael Penix Jr. ins the process to a shoulder injury. CLICK HERE
• TOM BREW COLUMN: Watching Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford's connection with his receivers is a stark contrast to what's going on with Michael Penix Jr. and Indiana's offense right now. So Saturday night, it was the best of times for the Nittany Lions and the worst of times for the Hoosiers. CLICK HERE
• REPORT CARD: Indiana was shut out on Saturday night at Penn State, losing to the No. 4 ranked Nittany Lions 24-0. Glaring problems re-emerged again, and the mistakes were too much to overcome for the 2-3 Hoosiers. CLICK HERE

Oct. 9: Bye week

Oct. 16: Michigan State 20, Indiana 15

• WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, Oct. 16 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
• RECORDS: Indiana 2-4, and 0-3 in the Big Ten; Michigan State 7-0, and 4-0 in the Big Ten.
• GAME STORY: Indiana kept Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker in check, but turnovers once again were an issue in the Hoosiers' fourth loss of the season to a top-10 team. CLICK HERE
• TOM BREW COLUMN: Indiana's offense is a mess right now, and it's not just the coordinator or line or QB that's the problem, it's everyone. And it needs to get fixed in a hurry. CLICK HERE
• REPORT CARD: Indiana's defense played well enough to beat No. 10-ranked Michigan State on Saturday, but the offense let them down in a big way in a 20-15 Homecoming loss. Here's our Week 7 report card. CLICK HERE

Oct. 23: Ohio State 54, Indiana 7

• WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, Oct. 23 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
• RECORDS: Indiana 2-5, and 0-4 in the Big Ten; Ohio State 6-1, and 4-0 in the Big Ten.
• GAME STORY: Indiana had no answer for Ohio State's top-ranked offense on Saturday night, getting blown out 51-7 for its fourth-straight Big Ten loss of the season. The Hoosiers scored a touchdown on their first possession but never threatened again. CLICK HERE
• TOM BREW COLUMN: Indiana was brutal in every way possible on Saturday in the 54-7 loss to Ohio State, and it goes far beyond the decimated quarterbacks room. The defense failed to show too, and that was even more disappointing. Flush it, and move on. CLICK HERE
• REPORT CARD: There really isn't anything good to say about Indiana's 54-7 loss to No. 5-ranked Ohio State on Saturday night, and our report card reflects that. It was a complete disaster in all phases, and now the Hoosiers are 2-5 and struggling with massive injury issues. CLICK HERE

Oct. 30: Maryland 38, Indiana 35

• WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, Oct. 30 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
• RECORDS: Indiana 2-6, and 0-5 in the Big Ten; Maryland 5-3, and 2-3 in the Big Ten.
• GAME STORY: Indiana's decimated secondary allowed 419 passing yards to Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, and lost their fifth straight Big Ten game, falling 38-35 to the Terrapins in College Park. CLICK HERE

Nov. 6: Michigan 29, Indiana 7

• WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, Nov. 6 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich.
• RECORDS: Indiana 2-7, and 0-6 in the Big Ten; Michigan 8-1, and 5-1 in the Big Ten.
• GAME STORY: Indiana remained winless in the Big Ten after a loss to No. 7 Michigan when the Hoosiers' offense only had one good drive all night. CLICK HERE
• TOM BREW COLUMN: The worst thing about Indiana's disappointing and frustrating 2021 football season has been that this team has no identity, nothing to hang its hat on. Both sides of the ball have let each other down, and it showed up again in an ugly loss to Michigan. CLICK HERE

Nov. 13: Rutgers 38, Indiana 3

• WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, Nov. 13 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
• RECORDS: Indiana 2-8, and 0-7 in the Big Ten; Rutgers 5-5, and 2-5 in the Big Ten.
• GAME STORY: Indiana committed six turnovers and its offense was non-existent once again in a brutal home loss to Rutgers. CLICK HERE
• TOM BREW COLUMN: Indiana talked about contending for a Big Ten title this season, but complacency and a slew of injuries to many of their best players has turned this season into a disaster. Tom Allen said he has no regrets over chasing lofty goals, even if the season didn't turn out the way he had hoped. CLICK HERE

Nov. 20: Minnesota 35, Indiana 14

• WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, Nov. 20 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
• RECORDS: Indiana 2-9, and 0-8 in the Big Ten; Minnesota 7-4, and 5-3 in the Big Ten.
• GAME STORY: True freshman quarterback Donaven McCulley led Indiana on a scoring drive on its first possession, but then struggled the rest of the day in a 35-14 loss to Minnesota that left the Hoosiers still winless in the Big Ten. CLICK HERE
• TOM BREW COLUMN: Since true freshman quarterback Donaven McCulley still seems a bit overwhelmed by the college game, it might be time for Indiana to turn to walk-on Grant Gremel at quarterback for the Purdue game, because he is more of a pass-first quarterback. CLICK HERE

Nov. 27: Purdue 44, Indiana 7 

• WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, Nov. 27 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.
• RECORDS: TIME/TV: Indiana 2-10, and 0-9 in the Big Ten; Purdue is 8-4, and 6-3 in the Big Ten.
• GAME STORY: The script remained the same for Indiana on Saturday, scoring an early touchdown but then not doing anything else in an ugly 44-7 loss to Purdue in West Lafayette in the Old Oaken Bucket game. The Hoosiers finished their 2-10 season with eight straight losses. CLICK HERE