Week 3 of the 2026 college football season put 18 games on the board for Indiana's programs on Saturday, Sept. 19, and the state's teams went 11-8 (Indiana State and Valparaiso played each other). Indiana posted the only shutout, 38-0 over Western Kentucky. The widest margin was Trine's 59-7 win at Bluffton. The wildest game was Purdue's 52-38 loss at UCLA, 90 combined points, and the closest was Marian's 27-25 win over Madonna on a last-second field goal.
Four Indiana programs are still unbeaten: Indiana (3-0), Notre Dame (3-0), Wabash (3-0) and Indiana Wesleyan (4-0). Below you'll find every score, the best individual lines, where Indiana and Notre Dame sit in the polls, and the full Week 4 slate, headlined by the Shillelagh Trophy game between Notre Dame and Purdue. For the conversation behind the numbers, listen to the Get IN. Sports podcast.
Week 3 by the numbers
| Stat | Week 3 |
|---|---|
| Games involving Indiana programs | 18 |
| Indiana programs' record | 11-8 |
| Total points | 1,088 |
| Widest margin | Trine 59, Bluffton 7 (52) |
| Most combined points | UCLA 52, Purdue 38 (90) |
| Closest game | Marian 27, Madonna 25 |
| Shutouts | 1 (Indiana 38, Western Kentucky 0) |
| Unbeaten Indiana programs | 4 |
Every Indiana score from Week 3
| Team | Level | Result | Opponent | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FBS | W 38-0 | vs. | 3-0 | |
| FBS | L 38-52 | at | 1-2 | |
| FBS | W 27-10 | vs. | 3-0 | |
| FBS | L 15-51 | at | 1-2 | |
| FCS | W 39-16 | vs. | 2-2 | |
| FCS | W 47-20 | vs. | 3-1 | |
| D2 | L 31-35 | at | 1-3 | |
| D3 | W 56-21 | vs. | 2-1 | |
| D3 | W 34-7 | at | 3-0 | |
| D3 | L 10-27 | vs. | 2-1 | |
| D3 | L 7-41 | vs. | 1-2 | |
| D3 | W 38-24 | vs. | 2-1 | |
| D3 | L 33-56 | vs. | 1-2 | |
| D3 | W 59-7 | at | 2-1 | |
| D3 | L 17-42 | vs. | 1-2 | |
| NAIA | W 27-25 | vs. | 3-1 | |
| NAIA | W 59-17 | at | 4-0 | |
| NAIA | W 48-14 | at | 3-1 |
Every score and schedule lives on the Get IN. Sports college football scoreboard.
Indiana 38, Western Kentucky 0
After a scoreless first quarter in Bloomington, the Hoosiers scored 14 in the second, 17 in the third and seven more in the fourth to close non-conference play 3-0. Indiana has outscored its three opponents 145-16. Josh Hoover completed 18 of 24 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns. Turbo Richard ran 15 times for 149 yards and a score, Lee Beebe Jr. added two rushing touchdowns, and Charlie Becker caught five passes for 127 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. The defense held Western Kentucky quarterback Brock Glenn to 120 yards on 17-of-32 passing with an interception.
Indiana still slipped one spot in the AP Top 25, from No. 4 to No. 5 (with four first-place votes), as Ole Miss jumped from No. 8 to No. 4. They are No. 4 in the AFCA Coaches Poll with nine first-place votes. Next up is the Big Ten opener: Northwestern visits Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 25, at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
Notre Dame 27, Michigan State 10
The Irish took control in the second half, outscoring Michigan State 10-0 after the break and holding the Spartans to 40 yards of offense over the last two quarters. It was Notre Dame's 13th straight win dating to last season, every one by double digits, a school record for consecutive double-digit wins that passes the 12 Knute Rockne's teams put together in 1921-22. Micah Gilbert caught eight passes for 170 yards, the most by a Notre Dame receiver since 2019. CJ Carr went 18 of 24 for 234 yards and ran for a touchdown, and Nolan James Jr. carried 26 times for 121 yards and a score.
Notre Dame is 3-0 and No. 3 in both the AP poll and the Coaches Poll. The Irish head to West Lafayette on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 2 p.m. ET for the Shillelagh Trophy game, streaming on Peacock. Our Purdue-Notre Dame preview has more on the rivalry.
UCLA 52, Purdue 38
Purdue scored on its first snap at the Rose Bowl, a 75-yard crossing route from Ryan Browne to Xavier Townsend that was the longest scoring play of the Barry Odom era. The offense kept producing. Browne threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-30 passing, his third straight career high, and joined Jim Everett (1985) as the only Boilermakers to throw for 300-plus yards in each of the first three games of a season. Townsend finished with six catches for 162 yards and two scores, and Asaad Waseem added eight catches for 149 yards.
The defense could not keep up. UCLA's Wayne Knight ran for 177 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, and Nico Iamaleava threw for 276 yards and three scores. Purdue is 1-2 and 0-1 in the Big Ten, and its losing streak against Big Ten opponents is now 19 games. Catch up on the double-overtime loss to Wake Forest that came before it.
Liberty 51, Ball State 15
Ball State traded touchdowns with Liberty in the first quarter in Lynchburg, Virginia, then gave up 31 unanswered points. TJ Horton ran eight times for 79 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals, who are 1-2. Ball State plays at Kent State on Saturday at noon ET. To hear from the man running the program, listen to how getting fired led Mike Uremovich to his dream job on Get IN. Sports.
FCS: Indiana State runs past Valparaiso, Butler rolls
Aaron Ball ran for a career-high 182 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, with scoring runs of 59 and 58 yards, as Indiana State beat Valparaiso 39-16 in Terre Haute. The Sycamores ran for 313 yards as a team and held the Beacons to minus-7 rushing yards. Indiana State has won two straight and is 2-2. Valparaiso is 1-2.
Butler scored 23 points in the first quarter of its Homecoming win over Chicago State, 47-20. Desmin Jackson ran for a career-high 164 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and Gabe Passini threw three touchdown passes. The Bulldogs are 3-1 and open Pioneer Football League play at Valparaiso on Saturday. Coach Kevin Lynch told Get IN. Sports why Butler could break out in 2026.
Division II: UIndy's GLVC streak ends
UIndy lost 35-31 at McKendree in its Great Lakes Valley Conference opener, a game moved to 8 p.m. ET because of the heat. The loss snapped the Greyhounds' 17-game winning streak in GLVC play and dropped them to 1-3. Coach Chris Keevers laid out the program's goals on Get IN. Sports before the season.
Division III roundup
Wabash is the last unbeaten Indiana team in Division III after a 34-7 win at Oberlin. The Little Giants have allowed 27 points in three games. DePauw, which came into the week No. 25 in the AFCA Division III poll, beat Ohio Wesleyan 56-21. Trine won 59-7 at Bluffton, the widest margin by any Indiana team this week, and Rose-Hulman beat Albion 38-24 for its second straight win.
Heartland Conference teams went 1-4 against Michigan schools. Rose-Hulman was the lone winner. Hanover lost for the first time, 27-10 to Hope, which came in ranked No. 18 in the AFCA poll. Calvin beat Franklin 41-7, Olivet won 56-33 at Manchester, and Kalamazoo beat Anderson 42-17.
NAIA: Indiana Wesleyan stays perfect
Indiana Wesleyan improved to 4-0 with a 59-17 win at Saint Xavier, and Taylor won its third straight, 48-14 at Union Commonwealth. Alex Amburgy went 12 of 20 for 182 yards and two touchdowns for the Trojans, Evan Barker ran nine times for 86 yards and two scores, and Nathan Munson caught three passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. Marian survived Madonna 27-25 on a last-second field goal in its first home game of the season, on Family Weekend, to move to 3-1.
Where Indiana and Notre Dame rank
| Poll | Team | Rank | Last week | First-place votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Top 25 (Sept. 20) | No. 3 | No. 3 | 0 | |
| AFCA Coaches Poll (Sept. 20) | No. 3 | No. 3 | 2 | |
| AP Top 25 (Sept. 20) | No. 5 | No. 4 | 4 | |
| AFCA Coaches Poll (Sept. 20) | No. 4 | No. 4 | 9 |
Full national and small-college polls are on our college football rankings page.
Week 4 games to watch
| Away | Home | Kickoff |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Sept. 25, 8 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Sept. 26, Noon ET | ||
| Sat., Sept. 26, 1 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Sept. 26, 1 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Sept. 26, 1 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Sept. 26, 2 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Sept. 26, 2 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Sept. 26, 2 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Sept. 26, 6 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Sept. 26, 6 p.m. ET |
No. 3 Notre Dame at Purdue is the headliner, and it is an in-state rivalry game with a trophy on the line. Indiana's Friday-night Big Ten opener against Northwestern and Butler's trip to Valparaiso, the Pioneer Football League opener for both, are the other in-state games to watch.
Listen to Get IN. Sports
Get IN. Sports covers Indiana football from Friday nights to Saturdays in Bloomington, South Bend and West Lafayette. Find every episode on the Get IN. Sports show page, including conversations with Butler coach Kevin Lynch, Ball State coach Mike Uremovich and UIndy coach Chris Keevers. Standings and team pages for all of Indiana's programs are on the college football hub.
