Week 4 of the 2026 college football season put 10 games on the board for Indiana's programs on Friday, Sept. 25, and Saturday, Sept. 26, and the state's teams went 7-6 (three of the games matched Indiana teams against each other). Indiana held off Northwestern 29-23 in its Big Ten opener, Notre Dame kept the Shillelagh Trophy with a 49-10 win at Purdue, and Butler won the Hoosier Helmet game at Valparaiso for the fifth straight time. The widest margin was Trine's 58-12 win at Kalamazoo. The highest-scoring game was North Dakota's 42-35 win at Indiana State, 77 combined points, and the closest was Truman State's 29-27 win at UIndy.
Four Indiana programs are still unbeaten: Indiana (4-0), Notre Dame (4-0), Wabash (4-0) and Indiana Wesleyan (4-0), which had the week off. Eight programs were idle, including all five of the state's Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference teams. Below you'll find every score, the best individual lines, the new polls and the full Week 5 slate. For the conversation behind the numbers, listen to the Get IN. Sports podcast.
Week 4 by the numbers
| Stat | Week 4 |
|---|---|
| Games involving Indiana programs | 10 |
| Indiana programs' record | 7-6 |
| Total points | 557 |
| Widest margin | Trine 58, Kalamazoo 12 (46) |
| Most combined points | North Dakota 42, Indiana State 35 (77) |
| Closest game | Truman State 29, UIndy 27 |
| Games decided by 7 or fewer | 4 |
| Shutouts | 0 |
| Unbeaten Indiana programs | 4 |
| Indiana programs on a bye | 8 |
Every Indiana score from Week 4
| Team | Level | Result | Opponent | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FBS | W 29-23 | vs. | 4-0 | |
| FBS | W 49-10 | at | 4-0 | |
| FBS | L 13-26 | at | 1-3 | |
| FCS | L 35-42 | vs. | 2-3 | |
| FCS | W 33-28 | at | 4-1 | |
| D2 | L 27-29 | vs. | 1-4 | |
| D3 | W 31-3 | at | 3-1 | |
| D3 | W 34-7 | vs. | 4-0 | |
| D3 | W 58-12 | at | 3-1 | |
| NAIA | W 54-14 | at | 1-3 |
Idle this week: Anderson, Franklin, Hanover, Manchester, Rose-Hulman, Indiana Wesleyan, Marian and Taylor. Every score and schedule lives on the Get IN. Sports college football scoreboard, and last week's results are in our Week 3 recap.
Indiana 29, Northwestern 23
Lee Beebe Jr. ran for a career-high 203 yards on 24 carries as Indiana beat Northwestern in its Big Ten opener Friday night in Bloomington. He carried the load after Turbo Richard left with a first-half injury and did not return. Richard finished with 68 yards on nine carries. When Northwestern cut the lead to 22-20 with 5:10 left, Beebe answered with a 70-yard run to the 5-yard line, and Josh Hoover scored on a 1-yard keeper six plays later to make it 29-20 with 1:56 to go.
The Hoosiers led 12-0 at halftime on a first-quarter safety, a 43-yard Nico Radicic field goal and Hoover's 8-yard touchdown pass to Nick Marsh. Hoover finished 19 of 29 for 201 yards, Charlie Becker caught seven passes for 98 yards, and Indiana ran for 271 yards. Northwestern's Aidan Chiles went 22 of 29 for 293 yards and two touchdowns, both to Griffin Wilde, and ran for another score. Luke Dehnicke caught seven passes for 140 yards. The Wildcats' third-quarter touchdown ended Indiana's run of 11 straight quarters without allowing a point.
Indiana has won 20 straight games dating to last season, the longest streak in the country since Washington won 21 in a row from 2022 to 2024, and the win was Curt Cignetti's 150th as a head coach. The Hoosiers still slipped one spot in both polls, to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 and No. 5 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. Miami and Ohio State both moved past them in the AP poll. Indiana plays its first road game Saturday, Oct. 3, at Rutgers at 8 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
Notre Dame 49, Purdue 10
Notre Dame kept the Shillelagh Trophy and beat Purdue for the 11th straight time, building a 35-0 halftime lead at Ross-Ade Stadium behind first-half touchdowns from five different players. CJ Carr went 14 of 22 for 237 yards, threw three touchdown passes and ran for another. His 27-yard strike to Micah Gilbert opened the scoring, and Aneyas Williams went 22 yards untouched for a touchdown on his first carry.
The defense set the tone. Bryce Young sacked Ryan Browne on the first play of the game, and his second sack forced a fumble that Drayk Bowen returned 15 yards for a touchdown. Purdue ran for 40 yards on 31 carries. Notre Dame is 4-0 and has won 14 straight games dating to last season, every one by double digits. The Irish stayed No. 3 in both the AP poll and the Coaches Poll and play at North Carolina on Saturday at noon ET on ESPN. Notre Dame leads the all-time series with Purdue 62-26-2 after the 90th meeting. Our Purdue-Notre Dame preview has more on the rivalry.
Purdue heads to Illinois at 1-3
Purdue has lost three straight since its opening win over Indiana State. Browne completed 18 of 28 passes for 111 yards against Notre Dame before Evans Chuba came on and threw a 14-yard touchdown to Bisi Owens with six seconds left, the first career touchdown pass for Chuba and the first career touchdown catch for Owens. Freshman Jacobo Echeverria Lozano made a 47-yard field goal, the longest by a Purdue freshman since Carson Wiggs hit a 53-yarder in 2008. Dylan Drennan averaged 52.2 yards on six punts, second-best for a single game in school history, and linebacker Charles Correa picked off Carr for his first career interception.
The Boilermakers are 0-1 in the Big Ten and play at Illinois on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network for the Cannon Trophy.
Kent State 26, Ball State 13
Tyler Mizzell made his first start for Ball State and went 16 of 27 for 164 yards and a touchdown, but the Cardinals trailed 17-0 at halftime and lost their Mid-American Conference opener at Kent State. Mizzell's 6-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Hamilton in the third quarter was the first career receiving touchdown for Hamilton, who finished with seven catches, tying his career high, and a career-best 80 yards. Jalen Bonds added a 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth. Ball State ran for 46 yards. Kent State quarterback Dru DeShields threw for 189 yards and two scores and ran for 76 yards and another.
Ball State is 1-3 and hosts Toledo on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+. 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: Butler keeps the Hoosier Helmet, Indiana State falls to North Dakota
Nick Munson caught five passes for a career-high 114 yards and a career-high three touchdowns as Butler won 33-28 at Valparaiso for its fifth straight win in the Hoosier Helmet rivalry. Gabe Passini threw all three of those scores, finishing with 155 passing yards, and ran 20 times for 104 yards. Desmin Jackson scored for the fifth straight game on a 17-yard run with 2:44 left that made it 33-21. Valparaiso answered with a touchdown at the 1:56 mark and later reached the red zone, but Kian Kelly broke up a last-second pass in the end zone. Michael Rumoro had a 78-yard touchdown run for the Beacons, and Rowan Keefe threw two touchdown passes.
Butler is 4-1 and 1-0 in the Pioneer Football League and has a bye before hosting San Diego on Oct. 10. Valparaiso is 1-3 and 0-1 and plays at Morehead State on Saturday. Coach Kevin Lynch told Get IN. Sports why Butler could break out in 2026.
Indiana State lost its Missouri Valley Football Conference opener 42-35 to North Dakota, which came in ranked No. 8 in the FCS Coaches Poll. Jerry Kaminski threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns and ran for two more. The Sycamores trailed 42-21 with 9:37 left, then pulled within a touchdown: Jayden Reed caught a 33-yard score, BJ Wuest recovered the onside kick, and Wuest caught a 17-yard touchdown pass with 6:36 to play. Indiana State got the ball back but turned it over on downs. Brady Allen threw four touchdown passes, and Reed, a freshman, caught eight passes for 129 yards and two scores. Indiana State is 2-3 and plays at No. 16 South Dakota on Saturday.
Division II: Truman State edges UIndy
UIndy pulled within 29-27 when Nick Patterson found Callen Okerson for an 11-yard touchdown on third-and-9 with about eight minutes left, but Truman State never gave the ball back. The Bulldogs ran it 11 straight times and took the final 8:03 off the clock. The loss ended UIndy's 10-game winning streak against Truman State and was the Greyhounds' fourth straight. Giovani Laurent caught five passes for 90 yards, and linebacker TJ Cothron had a career-high 11 tackles.
UIndy is 1-4 and 0-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and plays at William Jewell, 3-0 and 2-0 in the league, on Saturday. Coach Chris Keevers laid out the program's goals on Get IN. Sports before the season.
Division III roundup
Wabash stayed unbeaten with a 34-7 Homecoming win over Wooster. Cole Dickerson carried a career-high 27 times for 178 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, and the Little Giants ran for a season-high 296 yards, held the ball for 40:33 and limited Wooster to 116 total yards. Wabash is 4-0 and 3-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
DePauw, No. 22 in the AFCA Division III poll, won 31-3 at Kenyon. The Tigers held the Owls to 86 total yards and minus-45 rushing yards and had six sacks, three by Vince Chappuis. Backup quarterback Jack Kazmierczak threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes. DePauw is 3-1 and 2-1 in the NCAC.
Trine opened Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play with a 58-12 win at Kalamazoo, the widest margin by any Indiana team this week. RJ West II completed 29 of 38 passes for 339 yards and four touchdowns and ran for two more. Bo Skidmore returned an interception for a touchdown, and the Thunder led 48-6 at halftime. Trine is 3-1.
Anderson, Franklin, Hanover, Manchester and Rose-Hulman all had a bye. Heartland play starts Saturday, when Franklin visits Rose-Hulman for the Engineers' Homecoming and Hanover hosts unbeaten Mount St. Joseph.
NAIA: Saint Francis gets its first win
Saint Francis beat Saint Mary-of-the-Woods 54-14 for its first win of the season. Chris Mullen went 16 of 19 for 265 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another, Kaven Tislow caught four passes for 103 yards and a score, and Walter Mabon returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown. Zy'Eiar White ran for 143 yards for the Pomeroys. Saint Francis is 1-3 and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods is 0-3.
Indiana Wesleyan, Marian and Taylor were off. Indiana Wesleyan moved up to No. 3 in the NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 released Sept. 28, and Marian held at No. 11. Taylor is receiving votes. Indiana Wesleyan's Ryan Whitwell leads the NAIA at more than 178 rushing yards per game, and quarterback Arjun Lothe is a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. On Saturday, Taylor visits Marian and Indiana Wesleyan hosts Judson.
Where Indiana teams rank
| Poll | Team | Rank | Last week | First-place votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Top 25 (Sept. 27) | No. 3 | No. 3 | 0 | |
| AFCA Coaches Poll (Sept. 27) | No. 3 | No. 3 | 3 | |
| AP Top 25 (Sept. 27) | No. 6 | No. 5 | 1 | |
| AFCA Coaches Poll (Sept. 27) | No. 5 | No. 4 | 8 | |
| NAIA Coaches' Top 25 (Sept. 28) | No. 3 | No. 4 | 0 | |
| NAIA Coaches' Top 25 (Sept. 28) | No. 11 | No. 11 | 0 | |
| AFCA Division III (Sept. 21) | No. 22 | No. 25 | 0 |
No Indiana team is ranked in the FCS or Division II coaches polls released Sept. 28. The AFCA Division III poll had not been updated for Week 4 as of Monday, Sept. 28, so DePauw's No. 22 and Wabash's spot among the teams receiving votes are from the Sept. 21 edition. Full national and small-college polls are on our college football rankings page.
Week 5 games to watch
| Away | Home | Kickoff |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 3, Noon ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, Noon ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, Noon ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, 1 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, 1 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, 1 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, 1 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, 1 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, 1 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, 1:05 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, 1:30 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, 1:30 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, 2 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, 2 p.m. ET | ||
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| Sat., Oct. 3, 3 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, 4:15 p.m. ET | ||
| Sat., Oct. 3, 8 p.m. ET |
Wabash at Denison matches two teams that are 3-0 in NCAC play. Indiana makes its first road trip of the season to Rutgers, Notre Dame visits North Carolina, and Purdue goes to Illinois for the Cannon Trophy. Taylor at No. 11 Marian and Franklin at Rose-Hulman are the in-state matchups, and Indiana State faces a second straight ranked opponent at No. 16 South Dakota. Butler is off.
Listen to Get IN. Sports
Get IN. Sports covers Indiana football from Friday nights to Saturdays in Bloomington, South Bend and West Lafayette. In the newest episode, Dom Miranda and Greg Rakestraw react to the Colts' 0-2 start and run through the Indiana high school football contenders in all six classes at midseason. 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.
For Friday night results, read our Indiana high school football Week 6 recap.
