BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Josh Hoover attempted a total of 16 passes in Indiana debut, a 45-16 win over North Texas on Saturday afternoon.
Out of those 16 pass attempts, 13 were completed, and four went for touchdowns. Not only did the TCU transfer exceed expectations, he absolutely flourished in his first game under Curt Cignetti’s system.
“I thought he (Josh) played really well…I’m sure he earned the respect of his teammates based on his performance,” head coach Curt Cignetti said postgame. “When you ask why players play good, it’s because they’re good players.”
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound QB made his mark immediately on Saturday. On the opening drive, after two straight runs, Indiana faced a third-and-5 from the North Texas 15-yard line.
Hoover dropped back, and floated one in the end zone for fellow newcomer Nick Marsh. The Michigan State transfer, despite heavy contact, reeled it in with one hand for the touchdown. The crowd went absolutely bonkers.
But, for Hoover, that was just the beginning of his afternoon. He didn’t throw his first incompletion until the 1:38 mark of the second quarter, finishing the first half 7-for-8 for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
His second touchdown pass was a 9-yard connection with Charlie Becker with blood coming out of his nose after a hard hit earlier in the drive.
The new Indiana signal caller showed no signs of slowing down in the second half. His first throw of the half was a 35-yard touchdown connection, once again to Becker.
“It’s been really fun to watch the progression of our wide receiver room,” Hoover said postgame. “It’s exciting because anybody that goes out there can make big plays…I love those guys to death.”
As the game progressed, he began to take more shots downfield. Hoover threw his fourth and final touchdown of the day to wide receiver Davion Chandler, a 42-yard connection early in the fourth quarter that effectively put the game away for Indiana.
Not only was Hoover’s arm talent on full display, but so was his efficiency. North Texas outgained Indiana in time of possession by nearly 15 minutes, mainly because of how quickly IU’s offense was moving the football.
With Hoover under center, the Hoosiers only failed to score on one drive, putting up seven touchdowns and a Nico Radidic field goal across the first 60 minutes of the season. He finished 13-for-16 for 231 yards and four passing touchdowns.
Despite Hoover’s impressive outing on paper, he believes that there is still room for improvement in his game and the offense overall.
“There’s some things we could’ve done a lot better…the ball to Nick wasn’t the best throw I could’ve made in that situation,” Hoover added. “We’re going to keep fine-tuning those details, and I think we got a chance to be explosive.”
IU will be back home next Saturday, Sept. 12, to face the Howard Bison. Kickoff is scheduled for noon Eastern on Big Ten Network.
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