Before Indiana’s game versus North Texas started, Hoosier head coach Curt Cignetti said he was confident in transfer quarterback Josh Hoover.
Hoover, a former TCU Horned Frog, showed why by throwing a 15-yard touchdown on his first pass as a Hoosier, a portend of things to come in the team’s 52-16 win over North Texas in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday.
Hoover completed his first six passes and finished with 231 yards passing with four touchdowns.
It was the ninth game of his college career with four or more touchdowns, the most among active college football players.
It wasn’t all roses for Hoover, though. He got hurt in the second quarter after a Mean Green defender grabbed his facemask and busted his nose open, and Hoover’s nose was bleeding profusely.
However, Hoover didn’t miss a step, throwing a touchdown to Charlie Becker a few plays later to put the Hoosiers up 21-3 early in the second quarter.
Hoover was also tested for a concussion protocol after the drive, but remained 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.
The Mean Green stuck around for a while and played tough, but the Hoosiers outscored them 21-0 in the fourth quarter to secure their first win of the season as they start their national-title defense.