Indiana opened its national title defense on Saturday at noon EDT against North Texas, and the first big swing belonged to the Hoosiers in more ways than one.
Lee Beebe set the tone immediately by taking the opening kickoff back to give Indiana the ball at the Mean Green’s 20-yard line. Three plays later, Josh Hoover dropped a pass into the left side of the end zone, and Nick Marsh turned it into the kind of grab that stops everyone in their tracks. Marsh had his left hand tied up with the defender, then reached out with his right hand to secure the ball for what will stand as one of the wildest touchdown catches of the college football season.
The catch put Indiana on the board first and gave fans an early look at why Marsh has been such an intriguing addition for the Hoosiers. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound receiver arrived after two seasons at Michigan State, where he was a four-star member of Jonathan Smith’s first signing class.
He flashed right away in 2024 with 41 catches for 649 yards and three touchdowns, including 100-yard outings against Maryland and Iowa. His 2025 season wasn’t as explosive, but it was steadier from week to week, as he finished with 59 receptions for 662 yards and three touchdowns and earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.
Marsh became available when Michigan State moved on from Smith after two seasons and hired Pat Fitzgerald, leading to a January wave of departures. Indiana, meanwhile, kept doing what it has done well under Curt Cignetti: finding impact talent in the transfer portal.
That track record already includes eventual 3,000-yard passers in each of Cignetti’s first two portal cycles, with the most recent being 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. With Mendoza gone, Indiana brought in former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, who threw for 9,629 yards across four seasons with the Horned Frogs, the third-most in program history behind Trevone Boykin and Andy Dalton.
The Hoosiers also turned to the portal to bolster the rest of the offense. Boston College transfer Turbo Richard is the new starting running back after rushing for 1,027 yards and 11 touchdowns on 200 carries over two seasons with the Eagles. Up front, Wisconsin transfer Joe Brunner was added at guard after starting every game in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons for the Badgers.
In Other News...
Rodney Bullard's Michigan State Debut Raised One Big Question
Rodney Bullards path to Michigan State took a strange turn before he ever caught a pass for the Spartans, when a clerical error tied to his academic credits initially left him ineligible. The issue was reversed by the NCAA before a scheduled court appearance, and once Bullard finally got on the field in the season opener, he made the most of the moment with seven catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Even with a few drops mixed in, Bullard showed why Michigan State wanted him involved so quickly, because his touchdown and two-point conversion helped build a late lead. The debut also did something else: it raised the obvious question of how much more there is in his game once he and the offense settle in, especially after he already topped his previous season totals in one afternoon. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Marsh Just Reopened A Painful Michigan State Conversation
Nick Marshs move from Michigan State to Indiana was already the kind of transfer that lingers in East Lansing, and his debut made it sting a little more. After leaving the Spartans in January 2026, the highly ranked recruit stepped into his first game with Indiana and immediately looked like a natural fit in the new offense, giving the Hoosiers an early jolt against North Texas.
For Michigan State fans, the uncomfortable part is less about one play than what it says about what Marsh brought with him out the door. He spent two seasons in green and white as one of the programs most productive receivers, and his departure reopened a familiar conversation about talent, retention and what the Spartans lost before he ever got a chance to fully define his college career. [Read more 🡒]
Alessio Milivojevic Gave Michigan State A Reason To Believe Again
Alessio Milivojevics first start at quarterback gave Michigan State something it badly needed in its 2027 season opener against Toledo: a steady hand. Working within a conservative game plan, he handled the job efficiently, showed good poise and decision-making, and helped move the offense with enough consistency to keep the Spartans on track for a season-opening win.
He finished by distributing the ball around and making life manageable for a team that still had some issues turning red zone chances into touchdowns. Even so, the performance mattered for a program looking for proof that the position could be stable again, and Milivojevic gave the Spartans a reason to think the answer might already be in-house. [Read more 🡒]