Matchup To Watch: Indiana’s Passing Attack vs. Minnesota’s Secondary

The reigning National Champion Indiana Hoosiers continue their title defense this Saturday against the Minnesota Golden Gophers as the Hoosiers look to find a rhythm on offense after a gritty and low scoring win over Michigan the Saturday prior. The rhythm is especially needed, as the Michigan game represented the 2nd lowest passing yards total of the Cignetti era (81 passing yards), only falling behind Indiana’s loss against Ohio State in 2024 where the Hoosiers put up 68 total passing yards.

There is some nuance to consider here, however. We know Josh Hoover is not 100% healthy – Head Coach Curt Cignetti confirmed that himself. The key distinguisher is what percent he is actually at on Saturday and what percent would give Offensive Coordinator Mike Shanahan and the Indiana offense confidence that he can efficiently and accurately throw the ball, which we didn’t see much of in the 2nd half against Michigan.

For some context, Michigan’s pass defense ranks 2nd in the Big Ten with 154.6 passing yards allowed per game. Right behind the Wolverines? The Minnesota Golden Gophers, who rank 3rd in the Big Ten with just 165.1 passing yards allowed per game. It’s not as if Minnesota’s rushing defense is poor either, where teams just attack them in that way and don’t need to pass, as Minnesota’s run defense is just about average across the Big Ten.

Thus, this is a good defense the Hoosiers will be facing and it will be yet another test for a passing attack that has been lackluster and at times inefficient over the past three games. If Josh Hoover is healthy enough to start, he needs to be healthy enough to sling the ball with confidence. If not, it is of my personal opinion that Grant Wilson should start the game to prevent the Hoosiers from becoming too one dimensional. Too often over the past three games opposing defenses would crowd the box and force the Hoosiers to throw. With Hoover not being 100%, this became an issue. Regardless of how potent Indiana’s rushing attack is, it’s difficult to gain yards when eight defenders are stacked against you.

Of course, Indiana still won these games (and should have won against Ohio State), but it removes Indiana’s dominance-factor from the equation and creates more of a coin flip outcome when Indiana is this one dimensional. Thus, if Hoover indeed starts on Saturday, he will need to be able to make enough throws around the field to cause danger and threat against this strong Minnesota secondary. If he is unable to do that due to him not being 100%, then the outcome of this matchup may very well end up tense, just like Nebraska, Ohio State, and Michigan.

The passing attack will need to be locked in and prove to the nation that they deserve respect. Hoover has the talent and has the weapons. Now, it’s fighting through adversity and putting some of the pieces back together again. As of this writing, I’m predicting a 31-13 win for the Hoosiers as Indiana University celebrates homecoming this weekend.

As always, thanks for reading! Stay locked in with Hoosier Huddle for all things Indiana football – and Indiana sports in general – all season long. Go Hoosiers!