IU football rolls past Western Kentucky, but Josh Hoover’s focus remains on what was left behind

• Zach Horwitz

• 34m ago

 

Josh Hoover could have focused on the final score.

Indiana had just beaten Western Kentucky 38-0, completing an undefeated nonconference slate and extending the program’s winning streak to 19 games. Hoover finished 18-of-24 for 273 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. On paper, there was little to complain about.

But when Hoover stood for his postgame press conference Saturday, his attention quickly turned elsewhere.

There were throws he wanted back, drives Indiana could have extended and opportunities the Hoosiers failed to capitalize on during a first half that was far less comfortable than the final score suggested.

“There was the fourth down to Nick (Marsh). I just threw behind him,” Hoover said. “That was a vertical I threw, you know, off of his fingertip. … It’s just a process in trying to continue to be accurate.”

It was a fitting response for an Indiana team that spent its first three weeks of the season overwhelmingly handling its opponents while still searching for the level Curt Cignetti expects.

Saturday provided another example.

Indiana was held scoreless in the first quarter for the first time in a home game since September 2024 and led just 7-0 with less than two minutes remaining in the first half. Hoover missed Marsh and Shazz Preston on consecutive passes during one second-quarter possession, turning the ball over on downs.

Meanwhile, Western Kentucky had chances to make things uncomfortable.

The Hilltoppers drove to Indiana’s goal line on their second possession before the Hoosiers stopped consecutive third-and-2 and fourth-and-2 attempts. Later, Western Kentucky again moved into Indiana territory before linebacker Isaiah Jones stuffed running back Ajay Allen on fourth-and-1.

Indiana’s defense kept waiting for its offense to break through. Then Jones changed the game himself.

With Western Kentucky possessing the ball late in the first half, Jones intercepted quarterback Brock Glenn and returned it to the Hilltoppers’ 3-yard line. Lee Beebe Jr. scored two plays later, turning what had been a one-score game into a 14-0 halftime advantage.

“Isaiah’s play was huge in terms of a momentum swing,” Cignetti said.

Hoover agreed.

“That was a big play for us because we had four drives, I think, first half, and we had missed out on two or three downs that we should have probably made,” Hoover said.

The separation on the scoreboard came in a hurry out of halftime.

Paddy McAteer opened the second-half scoring with a 21-yard field goal before Hoover connected with Charlie Becker for the play that broke the game open. Becker hauled in a deep pass and raced to the pylon for a 79-yard touchdown, extending Indiana’s lead to 24-0.

Becker finished with five receptions for 127 yards, while Marsh caught a team-high seven passes for 81 yards. Turbo Richard added 149 rushing yards and a touchdown as Indiana eventually piled up 513 yards of total offense.

By then, Indiana’s defense had eliminated any possibility of a comeback.

Western Kentucky finished with just 186 total yards and failed to score, giving Indiana consecutive shutouts after its 55-0 win against Howard a week earlier. The Hoosiers have not allowed a point since the second half of their season opener against North Texas.

“We’ve gotten better since the first game for sure,” Cignetti said of the defense. “Some spots we’re really thin, but we got good players, good front-line players.”

The final result ultimately looked like the rest of Indiana’s recent wins: decisive, comfortable and never seriously in doubt by the closing stages.

Hoover just didn’t view it that way.

Even after completing 75 percent of his passes and producing two touchdowns, he repeatedly returned to the handful of throws he didn’t make.

“I hold myself to a higher standard than anyone,” Hoover said. “I’m going to make those plays.”

With Big Ten play beginning Friday against Northwestern, those missed opportunities carry more weight. Indiana enters conference play 3-0 after consecutive shutouts, but Hoover’s focus remains on what was left behind.

“There’s a standard we’re trying to play to,” Hoover said. “That standard is perfection and playing to the best of our capabilities.”

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