Josh Hoover’s first night as Indiana’s starting quarterback was anything but routine.
The senior transfer arrived in Bloomington from TCU after being selected by head coach Curt Cignetti to take over for Fernando Mendoza as the Hoosiers’ new starting quarterback.
Matching the impact Mendoza made at Indiana will be no small task, but Hoover wasted little time making a strong first impression in his debut.
The Indiana quarterback found himself at the center of a jarring moment midway through the second quarter, when North Texas defensive lineman Udoka Ezeani forcefully grabbed his face mask and tore his helmet off.
Only three plays later, Hoover responded in emphatic fashion, delivering a 9-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Becker as slow-motion replays showed blood streaming down his face while he released the throw.
Hoover brushed off the frightening incident and guided Indiana to a commanding 52-16 victory, finishing an impressive opener by completing 13 of 16 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT:
Josh Hoover opened his Indiana career with a victory and threw a touchdown while blood streamed down his face
After the game, head coach Cignetti said of the incident: ‘I was watching the pattern down the field so I didn’t see the hit. Then when they showed the replay, I didn’t see it either. I saw it on a tablet. Saw his face and his pants afterwards.
‘I thought he played well. Like, I’m sure he earned the respect of his teammates based on his performance today. He’s a veteran. I’m glad he had a good opener.’
Hoover said: ‘[It] Feels good. [It] Just got a little cut there, so it looked way worse than it felt. I didn’t even know it was bleeding like that. So now I feel good.
‘I’ve broken my nose a couple times. It happens in a sense. Like the chin strap catches it, or I don’t know what caught it. I think it was probably just inside the helmet. There’s a microphone in there, all that sharp stuff. So who knows?’.
The incident also made an impression on his new teammates. Running back Turbo Richard was in the game when Hoover jumped up pouring with blood.
Richard said: ‘Man, I was coming onto the field, and I looked at Josh for the play card, and I just was like “yo, you good?”.
‘He just kept going, but he has that warrior spirit in him. That’s inspirational to see. Even when I’m hurt, I tell myself that I just have to keep going.’
Linebacker Isaiah Jones said: ‘Yeah, I did see it. I didn’t see it all happening on the field, but I saw when I was walking past him on the sideline.
‘He had a big ol’ bandage, swollen nose, kind of bloodstained on his face, but that’s what you want to see from your quarterback. He’s going to still go out there and put his body on the line for his team, so it just shows his mental toughness.’
Hoover earned plenty of admiration from his teammates after playing through the bloody injury
Hoover has replaced Fernando Mendoza as Indiana’s starting QB after he entered the NFL
Indiana will host Howard next week, but all roads lead to a season-defining October, with the team hosting Ohio State in Week 7 on October 17 then traveling to Ann Arbor to face Michigan the following week.
Hoover said: ‘I think I’ve got to continue to build. We’re still early on in this process. I’ve only had one game and probably 30 practices.
‘So it’s just continuing to develop in the offense and understanding every single detail of the offense, and I think that, as we take this daily approach, maximize each day, to give us an opportunity to continue to improve on all the details.
‘It’s not just the big stuff, but the details that matter, like Coach (Cignetti) preaches. So I think with me, just my footwork and timing with the receivers, and then giving them really good opportunities to make plays down the field. I think I will continue to improve in some of those areas.’
