Curt Cignetti walked into Saturday’s game against North Texas already sounding comfortable with his transfer quarterback, and Josh Hoover backed that up almost immediately.
The former TCU Horned Frog needed just one throw in his Indiana debut to get the Hoosiers rolling, hitting Nick Marsh for a 15-yard touchdown on his first pass in Bloomington. From there, Hoover settled in fast, completing his first six throws and steering Indiana to a 52-16 win.
By the time the day was over, Hoover had piled up 231 passing yards and four touchdowns. It was the ninth game of his college career with four or more touchdown passes, the most among active college football players.
There was a rough stretch in the second quarter when a North Texas defender grabbed Hoover’s facemask and left him with a broken nose and heavy bleeding. Even then, the quarterback stayed steady. A few plays later, he found Charlie Becker for another touchdown that pushed Indiana ahead 21-3 early in the second quarter.
Hoover was also checked for concussion protocol after that drive, but he stayed in the game.
“I thought he made a significant stride in fall camp, I was confident and thought he played with a lot of confidence today,” Cignetti said on the TV broadcast after the game.
North Texas hung around for a while and made Indiana work, but the Hoosiers closed strong, outscoring the Mean Green 21-0 in the fourth quarter to earn their first win of the season as they began their national-title defense.
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