Two weeks ago, Indiana’s ground game looked like a weapon. Now it looks like a problem the Hoosiers have to fix fast.
That’s the whiplash. Against Northwestern, Indiana piled up 6.8 yards per carry as a team, with Lee Beebe Jr. stepping in for an injured Turbo Richard and ripping off 203 yards on 24 carries. Richard then followed that up the next week against Rutgers with 204 yards on just 13 carries, an eye-popping 15.7 yards per attempt in a game where Indiana averaged 8.4 per carry overall.
Since then, the production has fallen off a cliff.
At Nebraska, windy conditions put even more pressure on the run game, and the Cornhuskers responded by loading up to stop it. Indiana finished with only 65 rushing yards as a team, averaging 3 yards per carry.
The Hoosiers also lost the time of possession battle and simply didn’t have enough offensive snaps to make up for it. Josh Hoover’s arm and processing, plus Nick Marsh’s playmaking, carried Nebraska to the win.
At the time, that felt like maybe a one-off. Weird weather, weird game. But then Ohio State showed up in Bloomington and Indiana ran into the same wall.
The Hoosiers managed only 73 rushing yards and 2.5 yards per carry against the Buckeyes. Richard finished with 46 yards and Beebe Jr. had 24, with neither back breaking loose.
Their longest runs of the day were tied at seven yards. Even with the criticism Hoover has taken, including from this very blog, it was Hoover who kept Indiana alive late.
The run game gave him almost nothing.
This isn’t about a lack of talent in the backfield. Richard and Beebe Jr. have both shown, this season and before, that they can produce.
What happened against Northwestern and Rutgers wasn’t a mirage. Those were real performances from real playmakers.
The bigger issue goes back to the offseason, when Indiana reworked its backfield through the transfer portal and brought back a key piece from injury.
Mike Shanahan and Curt Cignetti’s offense has evolved over time as personnel has changed, and it’s always been built to help the quarterback. But the run game still sets the table.
That was especially true for Indiana last season, when Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black gave the Hoosiers the kind of steady, downhill production that forces defenses to commit extra bodies and opens up the passing game. That’s how throws like those deep shots to Charlie Becker kept showing up throughout the postseason.
This offseason, Indiana clearly wanted something different. Richard, who was used as an explosive back at Boston College, gave the Hoosiers a chance to get more dynamic on the ground.
Beebe Jr. also brought explosiveness, based on both his limited work in 2025 and his long runs during his time at UAB. The fit made sense, and for a while it worked.
Heading into the Ohio State game, Indiana had one of the sport’s most explosive rushing attacks, even after the Nebraska stumble.
The problem now is that the pieces around the backs are different, and the level of opponent has changed.
Indiana lost center Pat Coogan and right tackle Kahlil Benson to the NFL this offseason, and tight end Riley Nowakowski also moved on to the professional ranks. That’s a significant chunk of blocking experience gone.
To replace Coogan, Indiana moved right guard Bray Lynch to center and slid Wisconsin transfer Joe Brunner into Lynch’s old spot. Adedamola Ajani, who played plenty during the postseason, took over at right tackle. At tight end, the Hoosiers added Brock Schott, a sophomore transfer from Miami, into a room that was already inexperienced.
The result is a reshuffled group that doesn’t match the standard of what came before it.
Lynch was probably the weaker link on last year’s line, which isn’t a disaster by itself when the rest of the unit is full of NFL talent. It becomes a bigger issue when he’s suddenly the man in the middle, at the most important spot for the run game.
Coogan brought experience and leadership to the position, and he had just helped guide Notre Dame’s offensive line to the National Championship Game. That’s a tough act to replace.
Indiana is still trying to run through the middle, just like it did a year ago. The difference is that the interior is weaker now, so the same approach isn’t producing the same results.
That wasn’t obvious against Northwestern and Rutgers, when the Hoosiers had more room to operate. It became obvious against Nebraska and Ohio State, where stronger fronts physically controlled the line of scrimmage and Indiana couldn’t generate much of anything.
Could schematic tweaks help? Sure.
Could a return to the more efficient style of rushing from last season make things easier? Maybe.
But the current personnel isn’t built quite the same way. The return of Khobie Martin, a back more in that mold, could help ease the issue.
In Other News...
Indiana Fans Just Got A Bigger Reason To Watch Josh Hoover
Josh Hoovers rise to the top of the Big Ten quarterback rankings adds another layer to a conference race that has already been thinned by injuries and uneven play. With the rankings pared down from eight quarterbacks to five, Hoover now sits ahead of a group that still includes Purdues Ryan Browne, whose recent performance was enough to push him into the top five despite a loss, along with Northwesterns Hunter Maiava and Nebraskas Jeff Colandrea.
For Indiana fans, Hoovers new standing gives them an even clearer reason to keep an eye on him as Week 8 approaches. The competition around him has shifted quickly, especially after Ohio States Julian Sayin was injured, and the latest shuffle underscores how much the Big Tens quarterback picture has changed in a short span. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Now Faces A New Michigan Wrinkle At Quarterback
Freshman Tommy Carr is suddenly the quarterback Indiana has to prepare for, and the change gives Michigan a different look heading into the matchup. After Bryce Underwood was benched because of accuracy issues and turnovers during his starts, Carr stepped in and helped spark a comeback win over Penn State, giving the Wolverines a reason to believe the offense can settle down.
For Indiana, the wrinkle is less about a mystery and more about adjusting to a new version of the same opponent on short notice. Carrs passing output was modest, but he also delivered a key rushing touchdown, and Michigan is hoping the switch leads to a more consistent operation under center. The Hoosiers now have to plan for a quarterback making his first real run at the job, which can change both the rhythm and the run-pass balance of the game. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Respect For Indiana Just Raised The Stakes In Ann Arbor
Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham spent part of his pregame availability giving Indiana a level of respect that usually tells you plenty about the matchup before anyone takes the field. He pointed to Curt Cignettis team as a balanced, veteran group that takes care of the ball, the kind of profile that tends to travel well and force opponents to stay sharp from the opening snap.
The other wrinkle is on Michigans side, where Whittingham said the Wolverines will turn to freshman quarterback Tommy Carr against Indiana. His mobility and efficiency were part of the rationale, but it also adds another layer to a game already carrying more intrigue because of what Indiana has built. When a conference opponent talks this carefully about your strengths, it usually means the margin for error gets a lot thinner in Ann Arbor. [Read more 🡒]