Written by: TJ Inman
On a gorgeous Thursday evening in Bloomington, fans poured into Memorial Stadium to watch the reigning national champions wrap up the spring with the annual Cream versus Crimson Spring Game. The offense was wearing the red tops with every quarterback wearing a non-contact black uniform while the defense donned the white jerseys. The Hoosiers were without a number of key contributors including Charlie Becker and multiple starting offensive linemen but fans were treated to two quarters of football plus celebrations for multiple coaching awards from the 2025-2026 season and the drafting of Fernando Mendoza. The offense was able to string together some nice drives and touchdowns for Tyler Morris and Khobie Martin helped lead the Crimson unit to a 26-16 triumph.
The defense drew first blood as they scored three points for getting a stop after a first down for Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh but the offense did not waste anytime striking back. On the first play of the second drive, backup quarterback Grant Wilson connected with Tyler Morris for a long touchdown to hand the Crimson team a 7-3 advantage.
The defense responded with two straight stops and took a 9-7 lead before Josh Hoover entered came back into the game and led a nice drive that mostly featured the running game. Turbo Richard and Khobie Martin both had nice runs and a deep pass to Nick Marsh gained 15 yards as Marsh was held in the end zone. Hoover was under pressure on third and goal and put a ball behind a receiver, nearly throwing a pick to Jaylen Bell but the ball fell harmlessly to the turf and Nico Radicic gave the Crimson team the lead back at 10-9 just before the end of the first quarter.
The defense got another stop as they mostly overwhelmed the backup offensive linemen. With the Cream unit leading 13-10 after a forced turnover on downs, Josh Hoover threw a laser to Davion Chandler to get the ball inside the five-yard line and Khobie Martin finished the drive with a plunge into the end zone to make the score 17-13 in favor of the Crimson squad. Tyler Cherry moved the offense into scoring territory and Nico Radicic showcased his increased range with a kick from 50 yards out that he made look easy to put the Crimson team ahead 20-13. With less than 8 minutes remaining in the contest, Josh Hoover reentered the action and connected with Nick Marsh for a first down and then another to Tyler Morris to put the offense into scoring territory. Morris’ catch put the Michigan transfer well over 100 yards in his first action since returning from injury. The drive stalled as Tobi Osunsanmi ripped into the backfield for a sack but long-distance kicker Paddy McAteer drilled a 56-yard field goal to give the Crimson team a commanding 23-13 advantage. Jacob Bell saw his first action at quarterback and the defense forced a quick three and out to grab another three points and move the score to 23-16. A gain of 11 yards on fourth down gave IU a first down and Jacob Bell followed it up with a strike to Shazz Preston and Curt Cignetti took a timeout with three seconds left to setup another field goal for Nico Radicic but the snap was mishandled, prompting an order for a second attempt from the disgruntled head coach. Radicic connected and the Crimson team prevailed 26-16.
It was a successful night for the Hoosiers as no significant injuries occurred and spring practice was completed with the team now eyeing a break before summer conditioning begins. Hoosier Huddle will have continuing coverage of tonight’s Spring Game festivities.