Josh Hoover shined in his Hoosiers debut, and he made it look gritty with a busted nose

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Quarterback Josh Hoover came to Indiana knowing that in coach Curt Cignetti’s program, toughness isn’t optional.

He looked the picture of Hoosier grit as Indiana’s new starter Saturday.

He threw four touchdown passes, had only three incompletions, finished with no turnovers and delivered an indelible image during Saturday’s 52-16 victory over North Texas that is a lock to make this season’s highlights — his bloodied face and chin strap, after an opponent yanked hard on his facemask.

Hoover never flinched.

“It feels good, I just got a little cut there,” he said, referring to his injured nose. “It looked way worse than it felt. I didn’t even know it was bleeding like that, so, yeah, I feel good. I think it did me a favor, though. It looked worse than it was, so they were like ‘Hey, this guy’s tough,’ but it didn’t really do anything.”

Hoover finished 13 of 16 for 231 yards. This may be exactly the kind of start he needed after transferring from TCU back to the school he initially committed to in high school.

He’s replacing 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza, who led the Hoosiers to their first national championship last season and capped their perfect 16-0 run with his own iconic image — spinning into the end zone for the decisive score in January’s national championship game. It’s been replayed countless times since then, including during the Hoosiers’ pregame celebration on the large video board.

Now, Hoover already has a signature moment.

Midway through the second quarter, Hoover was under duress — it didn’t happen often Saturday — when Udoka Ezeani grabbed him by the face mask and spun him around, knocking him to the ground. Ezeani was called for the penalty, wiping out a sack and moving the ball to the North Texas 14-yard line, but the evidence was all over Hoover’s helmet.

Three plays later, he hooked up with Charlie Becker on a 9-yard TD pass, the first of two scores for the duo, to extend Indiana’s lead to 21-3.

“I didn’t see it either, I saw it on the tablet,” said Cignetti, the two-time Associated Press Coach of the Year. “I saw it on his face and his pants afterward. I thought he played well. I’m sure he earned the respect of his teammates based on his performance today, and he’s a veteran, and I’m glad he had a good opener.”

Hoover downplayed the injury, the scene and his own toughness for one reason — he wanted to celebrate the victory.

“Yeah, I’ve broken my nose a couple times, it happens,” Hoover said. “I don’t know what caught it, I think probably just inside the helmet there’s a microphone in there, all that sharp stuff, so who knows.”

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