Josh Hoover’s right arm is a major question mark for fourth-ranked Indiana after he visibly struggled at Michigan last weekend, even though they somehow pulled off a gritty 13-6 overtime victory. The Hoosiers’ head coach Curt Cignetti said Monday he expects his quarterback to start against Minnesota and, frankly, deliver a better performance.
Hoover’s Grit vs. His Numbers
You saw it if you watched the game, Hoover was not himself. The former TCU star went just 8 of 18 for 81 yards, threw no touchdowns, and tossed his first interception of the season. Ouch, right? He was battling through that right arm injury, which he picked up in the second half of their previous game, a 19-15 loss to then-No. 4 Ohio State. He left that Buckeyes game briefly, but came back to nearly rally the Hoosiers from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit.
Against Michigan, despite those tough numbers, Hoover’s toughness was undeniable. He delivered a huge 21-yard pass to Charlie Becker on the first play of overtime, setting up his own 4-yard winning touchdown run. The defense then shut down Michigan to seal the win. That victory was massive, Indiana’s first at Michigan since 1967, and their first time winning two straight in the series since way back in 1958-59. It also meant avoiding back-to-back losses for the first time in Cignetti’s three seasons. You gotta love that kind of grit from the guy under center, even when he is clearly not 100%.
Coach’s Expectations and What’s Next
Hoover downplayed the injury after the game, saying, “It was a tough week. This is a tough league and that’s something everybody goes through… I had to battle through some things this week to get out here (Saturday), and I knew I was going to find a way to get out here and find a way to win this game for this team regardless of how I feel.” Talk about a warrior mentality! Cignetti acknowledged they considered pulling Hoover for seventh-year quarterback Grant Wilson and ran a more run-heavy offense against Michigan, but they stuck with Hoover, and he delivered.
But Cignetti is also looking for more, and not just from Hoover. “I expect him to be fine and better this week,” Cignetti said Monday. “Quite frankly, in practice last week, the pass game, we weren’t very good, and I expect it to be better this week.” He also called out the receivers, saying, “We didn’t separate at receiver in this game. And we obviously didn’t throw the ball very well or often and a lot of that was because of the type of game it became.” They finished the Ohio State game on a 22-game winning streak overall and a 19-game home winning streak, both the longest active streaks in the FBS, so this team knows how to win. Hoover himself has rallied them before, throwing two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to come back from a two-score deficit at Nebraska in Week 6.
Now, the Hoosiers, sitting at 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten, host the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday. Minnesota is 5-2, 3-1 in conference, and has won four of their last five, though they got smacked 41-13 at Purdue earlier this season. This is a crucial game. Cignetti is expecting Hoover to be sharper, and those receivers better be ready to separate. This team needs to fire on all cylinders to keep their momentum going and show they are truly a top-tier contender!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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