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Instant recap: Indiana 55, Howard 0

 

Charlie Becker breaks a tackle against Howard.

Quick thoughts on IU football’s 55-0 win against Howard at Memorial Stadium in front of 54,376 fans:

Richard’s 36-yard return sets up quick touchdown strike

Special teams continued its strong play early in IU football’s 2026 season.

For the second straight week, IU lost the coin toss, and the opponent deferred, giving the Hoosiers possession to open Week 2.

Indiana capitalized quickly.

Turbo Richard returned the opening kickoff 36 yards, setting up the Hoosiers on their own 44-yard line to start the game.

Five plays later, Josh Hoover found Charlie Becker for a 34-yard touchdown and Patty McAteer nailed the extra point to give IU a 7-0 lead just over three minutes in.

Becker’s third receiving touchdown gives IU a four-score lead

The Hoosiers scored their fourth touchdown of the afternoon with just over six minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Hoover found Becker again for his third receiving touchdown of the afternoon, a 41-yard strike.

The connection capped an eight-play, 70-yard drive that pushed IU’s lead to 27-0 with 6:07 to go before halftime.

The reception, Becker’s third of the afternoon, pushed his receiving yardage total to 81 on the afternoon. It was his fifth receiving touchdown of the season.

Rolijah Hardy’s pick-six

Indiana scored its second touchdown in 88 seconds thanks to its defense.

Josh Burnham got to Howard quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins, forcing him into an off-balance throw as he was hit. The pass ended up in the hands of Rolijah Hardy, who returned it for a touchdown.

The turnover and score pushed IU’s lead to 34-0 with 4:39 left in the second quarter.

Hoosiers extend lead to seven scores to open the second half

With Hoover’s afternoon over, backup quarterback Grant Wilson took over to start the second half for the Hoosiers.

After the defense held Howard, the Hoosiers marched down the field going nine plays and 68 yards over 5:14.

Wilson found Davion Chandler for a 3-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 48-0 following an extra point from McAteer.

Offensive standouts

It wasn’t a sharp afternoon for Hoover but it was productive. In his second start as a Hoosier, Hoover completed six of his 11 passing attempts for 146 yards and four touchdowns. Hoover also rushed for 13 yards before exiting the game at halftime with a 41-0 lead. Hoover is now over 10,000 passing yards for his career.

Becker caught three passes – all touchdowns – for 81 yards and, like Hoover, rested for the entirety of the second half.

Nick Marsh, Chandler and Shazz Preston also had touchdown receptions for the Hoosiers.

On the ground, Lee Beebe Jr. had 16 carries for 117 yards and Richard had 11 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive standouts

Indiana’s defense dominated this afternoon following a Week 1 effort against North Texas that didn’t meet the program’s standards.

The Hoosiers held Howard scoreless as the Bison managed just 57 total yards.

Indiana had the interception return for a touchdown by Hardy and 12 tackles for a loss, including five sacks.

More importantly than the numbers, Bryant Haines and the defensive staff played backups throughout the second half, giving the depth on the roster a valuable chance to gain experience.

What’s next for the Hoosiers

Indiana returns to action next Saturday, September 19, at Memorial Stadium against Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers are 0-1 and are down big this afternoon in the second half at Georgia.

Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET on Peacock.

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