Indiana football secured a 52-16 victory Saturday over the University of North Texas at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. While the Hoosiers put up 21 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to blow open the contest, questions loom for the Hoosiers heading into week two.
Here’s how each position group for Indiana performed on an A+ to F- grade-scale according to my analysis:
Quarterbacks: A
It was essentially a perfect debut for redshirt senior quarterback Josh Hoover, the Hoosiers’ replacement for now-graduated reigning Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. The Heath, Texas, native’s first pass as a Hoosier was a 15-yard touchdown on a perfectly placed back-shoulder pass to junior wide receiver Nick Marsh 1:24 into the game.
Hoover wasn’t asked to do too much as the game continued, completing 13 of his 16 passes. He finished the game with 231 passing yards and four passing touchdowns — posting a 284.4 passer rating. Even seventh-year backup quarterback Grant Wilson, who relieved Hoover on the last drive, chipped in with a 43-yard rushing touchdown with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter.
Running Backs: C
Indiana’s running game was considered one of the best in the nation heading into the season. But redshirt sophomore running back Khobie Martin — who head coach Curt Cignetti called a “starter” postgame — picked up a shoulder injury in the first quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
With Martin sidelined, junior running back Turbo Richard and redshirt senior running back Lee Beebe Jr. split carries. Richard finished with 15 rushing attempts while Beebe Jr. had 14. Still, it was an underwhelming performance from both. Despite Richard putting up two touchdowns, both running backs combined to average only 3.4 yards per carry, posting 99 total rushing yards.
Receivers: A-
If it wasn’t clear already, Hoover has a plethora of weapons surrounding him. That was put on display Saturday. Junior wide receiver Charlie Becker led the Hoosiers with four receptions, 64 yards and two touchdowns. Marsh had only two catches for 17 yards but made a spectacular one-handed catch to open the scoring. He was also heavily involved in blocking with the run game. Sophomore wide receiver Davion Chandler had only one target but brought it in for a 42-yard touchdown to give Indiana a 38-16 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter. If not for the contest being a blowout late, this overall performance could’ve been an A or A+ grade.
Offensive Line: B
North Texas committed to stopping the run-pass option Indiana presented, stacking seven players in the box for most of the contest. All things considered, the offensive line held up well for the Hoosiers.
It didn’t allow a sack and gave Hoover enough time to feel comfortable in the pocket. Yet, there were some costly penalties, including a holding by graduate student Bray Lynch that erased a would-be 43-yard touchdown run from Beebe Jr. in the first quarter.
Defensive Line: C+
It was a lackluster day for a group littered with stars, despite constant rotation up front. Graduate student Tyrique Tucker and junior Mario Landino combined for only one sack, two total tackles, and had 1.5 tackles for loss, though Tucker was double-teamed most of the game. Redshirt senior Tobi Osunsanmi posted four tackles while graduate student Josh Burnham had three. Fifth-years Kellan Wyatt and Stephen Daley — who were ruled eligible to play in the opener Friday — saw limited-to-no action. Wyatt didn’t play any snaps, while Daley played 13 of the 71 total defensive snaps and had one total tackle.
Linebackers: B+
Redshirt senior Isaiah Jones and junior Rolijah Hardy led a linebacker group that posted 23 total tackles. Both Jones and Hardy combined for 19 of the 23 tackles, shutting down a North Texas running game that was labeled as a potential cause for concern by Cignetti heading into the contest. The unit allowed open crossing patterns to hurt them in the first half but locked into their assignments in the passing game in the second half.
Secondary: C
It’s hard to grade Saturday’s performance when redshirt senior Jamari Sharpe and senior A.J. Harris both departed with minor injuries in the first quarter and didn't return to action. That left graduate student Ryland Gandy, seventh-year Preston Zachman and sophomore Jaylen Bell all rotating snaps. Bell tackled well on the perimeter and played well in coverage but Gandy and Zachman struggled.
There was some miscommunication in the back as well, with senior defensive back Amare Ferrell being late in coverage and missing plenty of tackles. The bright spot was sophomore defensive back Byron Baldwin Jr., who had a career-high seven tackles. North Texas fifth-year quarterback Tayven Jackson carved up the Hoosiers' secondary, finishing the day 22 for 28 with 192 passing yards.
Special Teams: A+
The last — and most underrated facet of the game in my opinion — was clicking on all cylinders for the Hoosiers. The opening play of the game was a 67-yard return by Beebe Jr., who snagged the ball out of the air in front of Richard, which eventually led to the early touchdown pass. Richard also had a 41-yard kick return later in the contest. Graduate student wide receiver Tyler Morris had a 36-yard punt return as well. Senior kicker Nico Radicic drilled his only kick of the game, a career-long from 49 yards near the end of the second quarter to make it a three-possession game.
Indiana returns to action against Howard University at noon Saturday inside Memorial Stadium.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
