Josh Hoover throws 4 TD passes as No. 6 Indiana opens title defense with a 52-16 rout of North Texas
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Josh Hoover threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns, including a 15-yard score on his first pass with No. 6 Indiana, and Turbo Richard rushed for two more scores to help the defending national champs open the season with a 52-16 rout of North Texas on Saturday.
Hoover finished 13 of 16 with no turnovers despite having blood covering his face mask at one point. He's replacing Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.
After celebrating last year’s title during a pregame ceremony, Indiana extended the Football Bowl Subdivision’s longest active winning streak to 17 games and the FBS’ longest active home winning streak to 16.
“I thought Josh was sharp and our receivers did a nice job of separating and were making some blocks downfield, which was a point of emphasis,” two-time Associated Press Coach of the Year Curt Cignetti said. "You never know what to expect, I thought he made a significant stride in fall camp with confidence, and I thought he played with a lot of confidence today.”
Richard, a transfer from Boston College, had 15 carries for 58 yards and one catch for 38. Charlie Becker had four catches for 64 yards and two scores while Nick Marsh and Davion Chandler each had TD receptions.
Jahiem White rushed 14 times for 61 yards and one score as well as catching seven passes for 36 yards in his North Texas debut.
The Hoosiers led 24-6 at halftime before White’s 9-yard TD run to open the second half.
Hoover responded four plays later with a nifty 35-yard strike to Becker for his second TD of the day to make it 31-13. North Texas never recovered.
“For 3 1/2 quarters, I thought our guys went toe-to-toe with the national champs, and I thought we represented UNT well,” new coach Neal Brown said. “We just didn’t finish it."
North Texas: No, this Mean Green team isn't the high-scoring machine of years past, but new coach Neal Brown was able to keep Indiana's offense on the sideline by dominating the time of possession. It didn't pay off Saturday, but it could in the near future. North Texas limited the Hoosiers to 46 offensive plays.
Indiana: The passing offense and kickoff returns looked strong, but coach Curt Cignetti won't be happy with the penalties, the rushing game or the defense's inability to get stops. Those will be areas to focus on this week.
North Texas quarterback Tayven Jackson returned to his home state and played well though he did leave briefly in the second half with an injury. Brown said after the game, Jackson was dealing with cramps. He was 22 of 28 for 192 yards with one interception while rushing six times for 22 yards. Jackson played two seasons at Indiana before transferring to UCF last year.
Indiana lost three key players in the first half — running back Khobie Martin and defensive backs A.J. Harris and Jamari Sharpe, whose sealed the title game win with a late interception.
This week has been one of the hottest all summer, and there was no respite Saturday. The Fox broadcast crew said the field temperature reached 152 degrees during the second half.
“One-hundred, fifty-two, you have to be kidding me,” Cignetti said in disbelief until two people he was with started nodding. “Wow!”
North Texas: hosts UNLV next Saturday in its home opener.
Indiana: hosts Howard next Saturday.
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