IU Will Raise the Victory Flag vs. Howard If…

Indiana Football opened the season with a 52-16 win over North Texas, offering a glimpse of what fans can expect from the Hoosiers moving forward. On Saturday, the Hoosiers will take on the (1-1) Howard Bison for the first time in program history. Memorial Stadium will again play host to the Bison, and the Hoosiers will look to use that to their advantage. Indiana will raise the flag if….

Josh Hoover and the Indiana Offense

Josh Hoover controlled the pace against North Texas last weekend. The 6-foot-2 quarterback completed 13 of 16 passes for 231 yards, recording an 83.1% completion rate, averaging 14.4 yards per attempt. He found the end zone four times, the most by an Indiana quarterback in a debut in program history. Hoover propelled the team forward, even through a bloodied face. He found wide receiver Charlie Becker, who recorded 4 receptions for 64 yards, averaging 16.0 yards per reception. Running backs Lee Beebe Jr. and Turbo Richard also had a big impact, recording 33 and 58 yards, respectively. Richard tallied his fifth career multi-touchdown game with two. After missing 13 games of 2025 with an injury, Beebe Jr. made his presence known with an opening 67-yard kickoff return. Hoover felt comfortable in the pocket and answered many uncertainties last week. Hoover and his offense will have to build off their successes last weekend and control the pace to secure the win.

Taking Care of the Football

The Hoosiers will need to create point separation early, which will create momentum for the rest of the game. Hoover and his offense will have to capitalize in the red zone and search for seven points, instead of three. Clearly, when this Hoosier offense gets going, it is difficult for teams to keep up. A fast offensive start also requires zero turnovers. Hoover did not have any turnovers against North Texas, and hopefully he can continue the streak against the Bison.

Stronger Defensive Performance

As mentioned earlier, offense came to play against North Texas, but the Hoosier defense wasn’t as impactful. North Texas outgained Indiana in total yardage, recording 367 yards on 67 plays. On the other side of the ball, the Hoosiers gained 365 yards on 46 plays. They also allowed 79.3 passing yards on 29.0 attempts.

Mean Green quarterback Tayven Jackson completed 22 of 28 attempts for 192 yards. The Hoosiers suffered secondary losses in the first quarter, as Jamari Sharpe and A.J. Harris were both out for the rest of the game due to injuries. After their departure, Indiana’s defense struggled to get off the field. Many of these mishaps were a result of unexpected adjustments and depth pieces being forced to integrate quickly.

Jaylen Bell and Ryland Gandy filled in for the two corners, and it is unconfirmed whether Harris and Sharpe will be back for Saturday’s game. However, better open-field tackling and not giving up chunk plays will be a must for the Hoosiers on Saturday.

If Sharpe and Harris are ruled out, Gandy and Bell will be forced to step up and account for Bison quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins. So far in 2026, Scroggins has completed 28 of 64 passes for 424 yards and has recorded four touchdowns. He also leads the team in yards on the ground, averaging 27 carries for 88 yards.

As a dual-threat quarterback, the Hoosier defensive line will have to prevent scrambles off of broken plays, especially in third-down situations. Se’Quan Osborne has tallied 4 receptions for 101 yards and recorded one touchdown. Running back Travis Kerney will also look to contribute on the ground, and the Hoosiers can’t afford to give up big plays.