Curt Cignetti didn’t have much patience for the online chatter after Indiana’s 38-0 win over Western Kentucky.
The Hoosiers’ coach stepped in Monday to back quarterback Josh Hoover, who put up 275 yards and two touchdowns while completing 18 of 24 passes, but still drew criticism on social media for a few missed throws. Cignetti’s message was simple: the noise around Hoover has gone too far.
"All people want to talk about is Josh," Cignetti said. "We do have 21 other starters on the field, and 104 other players. Josh, I think, has thrown for more yards and touchdown passes than anybody currently playing, right?"
Cignetti said he went back to the film and came away believing Hoover really only missed one meaningful throw.
"After watching the game tape, he missed one throw" Cignetti said.
He pointed to one play in particular, a third-and-12 in the first quarter, when Western Kentucky brought a linebacker blitz up the middle. Hoover was pressured almost immediately and tried to get the ball to Charlie Becker, but the pass sailed high and behind him.
"The one he missed to (Charlie) Becker, we did a bad job picking up the blitz at running back," Cignetti said. "And he had a guy in his face. And he overthrew it."
Cignetti also walked through Hoover’s incompletions intended for Nick Marsh. One came late in the first half on a vertical route that could have gone for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Marsh had separation off the line, but Hoover released the ball a tick early and overthrew the target. Cignetti said that one was on the quarterback.
The other two, he said, were not.
Hoover missed Marsh on a fourth-down throw in the second quarter, then failed to connect on a sideline pass in the third quarter that was tightly defended. Cignetti said the first of those plays should have gone elsewhere in the progression and the second was affected by route issues.
"The one to the right, it was the third progression," Cignetti said. "Didn't run a good route to the field.
Should have been open but wasn't because of the route. Came back to No. 3, who didn't run a great route either and the ball got overthrown.
And the only other one would've been the one to Marsh maybe down the sideline, but really that read there should've taken him to the field, which was open."
Cignetti is not the kind of coach who avoids calling out his quarterbacks when they earn it, which makes his defense of Hoover notable. Through three games, Hoover has completed 72.5% of his passes, ranks 17th in the FBS in that category, sits second nationally in passer rating at 244.15 and has not turned the ball over. Indiana’s offense is averaging 48.3 points per game.
After all that, Cignetti said he’s not interested in the criticism.
"I'm glad he's our quarterback," Cignetti said.
In Other News...
TCU Gets Timely Boost As Two Key Frogs Trend Toward UCF Return
TCU got a welcome midweek lift as Sonny Dykes said receiver Jordan Dwyer and defensive player Zach Chapman both were back on the practice field Tuesday and are expected to be available when the Horned Frogs meet UCF. Dwyer was working at full speed and should give the offense another reliable weapon, while Chapman brings the kind of experience on defense that can steady a rotation in a big conference matchup.
The Frogs will still keep a close eye on both players as the week goes on, but the trend line is clearly moving in the right direction. For a team trying to stack together important league wins, getting two contributors trending toward a return can matter almost as much as what shows up on the final injury report. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Just Opened A Long-Term Recruiting Battle For Elite Receiver
TCU has jumped into the mix for one of Louisianas more coveted young receivers, extending a scholarship offer to four-star Abbeville High School standout Jacolby Campbell. The Horned Frogs are among a growing list of programs tracking him, and with Campbell already up to 13 offers, the race around him is only getting busier as he works through his high school season.
Campbell is still a long way from making his college choice, with a commitment expected in July or August 2027, which gives schools plenty of time to keep building the relationship. For now, his focus is on sharpening his game and adding to his frame during the offseason, the sort of long-term development plan that makes his recruitment worth watching well beyond the initial offer sheet. [Read more 🡒]
TCU May Have Found A Special Teams Edge At The Perfect Time
Through three games, John Hoyet Chance has given TCU something every coaching staff likes to discover early in a season: a specialist who can tilt field position. The Horned Frogs new punter and kickoff man is averaging 46.5 yards per punt, has put five kicks inside the 20 and has shown the kind of consistency that can quietly change the math of a game, especially when the offense is still finding its rhythm.
Chance also has been handling kickoffs for TCU, where 16 of his 20 boots have gone for touchbacks, another sign that the Frogs may have found a useful edge in the hidden-yardage battle. A former All-Conference USA selection at Louisiana Tech, he recently talked with the media about his progress and his role in Fort Worth, and TCU has to be encouraged by what it has gotten so far from a newcomer who already looks comfortable in his own skin. [Read more 🡒]