No. 5 Indiana isn’t dwelling on a shaky defensive opener. The Hoosiers have already moved on to the film room, the practice field and, now, Howard.
After North Texas pushed IU around enough to expose some early-season rough edges, Indiana’s veterans said the response has been immediate. The corrections started Monday, and they’ve stayed front and center all week as the Hoosiers prepare for Saturday’s matchup.
“Monday we watched film…to make those corrections,” veteran linebacker Rolijah Hardy said Tuesday. “We’ve been hammering those corrections really hard in practice.”
The issues against North Texas were hard to miss. Indiana gave up 367 yards of total offense, tied for the second-most the Hoosiers have allowed in any game in 2025. North Texas also controlled the ball for more than 37 minutes, nearly 15 minutes longer than Indiana.
Head coach Curt Cignetti pointed directly to the problems after the game.
“Defense had a hard time getting off the field…combination of some critical missed assignments and poor tackling,” Cignetti added Monday. “There’s things we have to do better.”
The tackling in particular stood out, with Indiana finishing with 13 missed tackles. That kind of slippage won’t fly once Big Ten play arrives later this month.
Howard brings its own test, and Cignetti made it clear that the Bison’s quarterback is the player Indiana has to account for first. Ja’Shawn Scroggins is not just a passer, but a threat in the run game as well.
“He’s their leading rusher…a really good athlete. They’ve got good team speed,” Cignetti added Monday. “He’s played a lot for them…a dual (threat) guy.”
Scroggins backed that up in Howard’s opener against Alabama A&M, throwing for 315 yards while also leading the Bison on the ground. That combination gives Indiana another mobile quarterback to sort out as it tries to clean up its own execution.
For Hardy, the fix is less about a dramatic overhaul and more about stacking good reps early in the season. The Hoosiers believe that chemistry on defense grows through live snaps, and that progress comes one step at a time.
“As you continue to play, you gain chemistry with your brothers,” Hardy added. “The biggest thing is getting better every day…one percent (better).”
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Against Howard, Becker did most of his damage before halftime, catching three touchdown passes in the first half and putting his name squarely in the middle of Indianas title conversation. For a team trying to defend its place atop the league, having another playmaker emerging this fast only raises the ceiling, and it is starting to look like Becker will be hard to ignore as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]