Hoosiers Stampede Past Howard Bison 55-0

The #5 Indiana Hoosiers stampeded past the Howard Bison (1-2) 55-0 and improved to 2-0. Charlie Becker scored all three times he touched the ball in the first half and touchdowns were added by Turbo Richard, Shazz Preston and Rolijah Hardy as the Hoosiers rolled to a 41-0 halftime lead. IU outgained Howard 325 yards to 48 in the first 30 minutes of action before cruising in the second half and giving valuable experience to backups. Grant Wilson added a pair of touchdown throws and the Hoosiers led 55-0 after three quarters. The head coaches agreed to shorten the fourth quarter to ten minutes and played a scoreless fourth quarter.

Hoosier Happenings

• Josh Hoover wasn’t perfect this afternoon and he missed a couple of throws but he was very efficient, showed some good wheels to pick up yardage when plays broke down and went over 10,000 yards for his career. That is a fantastic accomplishment.
• The IU coaches were not pleased with the running game in the opening-week win over North Texas. The Hoosiers were focused on stopping the run better and controlling the line of scrimmage on offense and it paid off. IU outgained the Bison 301-13 on the ground.
• The only negative for the Hoosiers came at punt return as Tyler Morris muffed a pair of punts, including one that was recovered by Howard in IU territory. We shall see if Morris retains his spot as the primary punt returner moving forward.
• Injuries are now a mild concern for Indiana. Khobie Martin is out until at least midseason (forearm), cornerbacks AJ Harris and Jamari Sharpe both missed today’s game and kicker Nico Radicic was unable to play due to tightness in his back.

Standout Stats From IU’s 2-0 Start

• Turbo Richard: 11 carries for 108 yards, 1 TD / Lee Beebe: 16 carries for 117 yards
• IU had 12 tackles for loss and five sacks
• Charlie Becker: 3 catches for 81 yards and 3 TDs plus a couple of nice blocks
• Rolijah Hardy was tied for the team lead with five tackles (four solo) including one TFL and he had an interception that he returned for a score 
• Total Yards: 510-57 in favor of IU

What’s Next?

Hoosier Huddle will have ongoing coverage of IU’s dominant win over Howard and the 2-0 start for the reigning National Champions. Next Saturday, IU concludes the non-conference portion of the schedule as they host the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at 4 pm.