The world knows and celebrates Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers as the national champions. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was also decorated with the Heisman Trophy and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. But there is a unit in the Indiana team that Ohio State head coach Ryan Day believes has mostly gone under the radar when the program is being lauded for its achievements in 2025.

“Well, I think it’s going to be a great environment,” Day said during his Big Ten Media Days press conference when asked about the 2026 game between Ohio State and Indiana. “We haven’t played since Coach Cignetti’s been at Indiana, but I know that the atmosphere there has changed, and it’s really ramped up there. So, that will be another game on the road that we’re going to have to really prepare for and play well.”

“But you’ve got to give them a lot of credit. It starts with the quarterback and how he played last season. And then, I don’t think enough people give enough credit to that defense and how well they played. We look back on the game that we played in the Big Ten championship game and look at some of those key situational things that we should have done a much better job with, and we take ownership of that. We had to get that better. They won those situations. If we win those situations, the outcome is different.”

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes were firsthand witnesses to the Hoosiers’ watertight defense, and they do not have particularly favorable stories to tell about it. In a game between two undefeated teams in the regular season, where both offenses could not manage more than one touchdown each, it was the Indiana defense that stole the show. The Hoosiers restricted the Buckeyes to just 322 total yards and a disappointing 58 rushing yards. They also registered five sacks against quarterback Julian Sayin, forcing a total loss of 29 yards on the ground. Their most mind-blowing feat was locking down the Ohio State offense after halftime, allowing 0 points in the final two quarters to seal their 13-10 comeback victory.

Mendoza threw a touchdown pass in the game, but the biggest threat to the Buckeyes was the Indiana defense. However, the defense has received little of the praise it deserves. In the 2026 NFL Draft, eight Indiana players were drafted, but only two of them were defensive players. While D’Ángelo Ponds was drafted in the second round with the No. 50 overall pick, Aiden Fisher was drafted in the seventh round with the No. 243 overall pick.

In 2026, Ryan Day and his players would be visiting Bloomington for the first time in Cignetti’s tenure in what should be a revenge game for the Buckeyes. Coming off a national championship win, the Indiana fans will make it as unbearable as possible for the Buckeyes, but Ryan Day knows what he is in for.

“But that’s football, and that’s where we got to be better and make sure that we’re ready next time when those opportunities come up that we make the plays,” he said.

Day learns from mistakes in the latter games of the 2025 season

While Indiana’s defense was brilliant against the Buckeyes, Day was heavily criticized for his play-calling during the latter games of the season. He seems to have learned a lesson from that, and one major mistake that will not happen in the October 17 game vs. Indiana is Day taking over play-calling duties from his offensive coordinator.

“I’d love to get involved with the quarterbacks, the offense, and things like that, but I need to make sure I’m doing the things that only the head coach can do. I don’t think that was always the case early on, quite honestly,” Day said on the Austin & Birm Show.

Last year, Day took over play-calling duties after Brian Hartline got a head coaching job at South Florida.