After Indiana absolutely torched Western Kentucky 38-0 this past weekend, you’d think quarterback Josh Hoover would be riding high. Nope. He was already rattling off missed throws, and it got a reporter wondering if that ownership makes a coach’s life easier. That’s when head coach Curt Cignetti stepped in, and what he said hit HARD: “I think there is too much scrutiny of Josh Hoover right now,” Cignetti told reporters, calling it “Unfair scrutiny.”
Cignetti Goes To Bat For His Guy, And The Internet Notices
Cignetti wasn’t just whistling Dixie either; he was likely responding to the social media firestorm surrounding his young quarterback. Listen, Indiana is 3-0, outscoring opponents 145-16 in their first three games. Three-and-oh! But it doesn’t matter how good your squad is, right? Fans and pundits are always gonna nitpick, compare, and demand more. That’s just the nature of the beast. Win a national championship and the bar gets set impossibly high, which is exactly what Indiana did. Gerry DiNardo, a former Indiana coach and current Big Ten Network analyst, put it perfectly: “Three years ago, nobody knew who Indiana’s quarterback was. Now, not only do they know, they’re an expert about him.” Cignetti’s willingness to push back on that noise and defend Hoover immediately made waves, becoming a viral moment as we head into Week 4 of the season.
Living In The Shadow Of A Legend Is No Joke
Here’s the real gut punch for Hoover: He transferred to Indiana from TCU in the offseason, a coveted QB in the portal. But he stepped into the biggest shoes in college football, replacing Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza, you remember him, right? Led Indiana to its first national championship, snagged the Heisman Trophy, and went No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft. That’s not just a shadow; that’s a whole solar eclipse. It’s incredibly rare for the next guy up to even come close to that kind of dominance. Oklahoma had a crazy run with Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray winning back-to-back Heismans, and then Jalen Hurts was a finalist. But that’s the exception, not the rule. DiNardo doesn’t think Hoover expected to just walk in and win a Heisman, saying, “I’d be surprised if Josh came there thinking that because Fernando won the Heisman, ‘That’s my next step.’ I think we’re too realistic to think that.” Garrett Gilbert, who had the unenviable task of following Vince Young and Colt McCoy at Texas and got famously thrust into the 2009 national championship as a freshman, knows the feeling. “It was difficult for me during my time at Texas, not just being the guy who came after Colt, but just expectation in general is tough for a young kid to deal with.”
How Hoover handles that immense pressure, and how Cignetti continues to defend his guy, will be the real story to watch unfold for the rest of the season.
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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