Status is no safe haven with Indiana, where the fifth-year quarterback and a second-string cornerback are equally at risk of the blunt, public critiques from coach Curt Cignetti.
Though the No. 5 Hoosiers (1-0) thrashed North Texas 52-16 to kick off the regular season last week, Cignetti did not grade his players gently. They received clear marching orders on where they can improve leading up to Saturday’s non-conference game with Howard (1-1) in Bloomington, Ind.
Take new starting quarterback Josh Hoover, for example. He completed 13 of 16 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns in his Indiana debut to become the national leader in passing efficiency (285.0).
Cignetti still found flaws in the TCU transfer’s impressive stat line.
“He made some nice throws, some good decisions,” Cignetti said before itemizing certain plays that could have been better. “He got away with one (throw) that he’s not going to get away with in Big Ten play. The long touchdown to Charlie (Becker), he’s got to step into that throw better and get it out there and get it up and down.
“You know, the one (in the second quarter) when he got his helmet ripped off, he flipped the protection and really shouldn’t have. So he became unprotected to the side blitz. But then he responded and threw a touchdown pass shortly thereafter, but even then a hair late and made it a tougher catch for Charlie than it needed to be. Great catch by Charlie.”
“But, I mean, he played well. No question about it. It was a good start.”
Cignetti wasn’t as charitable with his defense, which surrendered 367 total yards, forced just one turnover and posted no sacks.
“Defense had a hard time getting off the field, and the opponent had the ball 37 minutes,” Cignetti said. “Combination of some critical missed assignments, poor tackling, so gotta get better there.”
“We weren’t real disruptive up front, but it was a little bit of a space game, too. You go out in the first game and you’re not sure exactly what your opponent’s going to do. They gave us a lot of different looks — to their credit — but we overcame it.”
To be fair, the defending national champion Hoosiers were affected by the loss of injured starting cornerbacks A.J. Harris and Jamari Sharpe before the first quarter expired. They’re considered day-to-day, though rushing them back for Howard does not seem like a big need.
If Harris and Sharpe sit out, then watch for Jaylen Bell and Ryland Gandy to handle those spots, as they did for most of the North Texas game.
“Jaylen Bell played extensively, the field (cornerback side) and I thought did a nice job,” Cignetti said. “Ryland Gandy played the bench (cornerback role) and, you know, gotta tackle a little better in space. (He) missed assignments.”
Indiana’s defense will be tested by dual-threat quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins, a fifth-year veteran who leads the Bison in passing yards (424) and rushing yards (88).
Scroggins was named HBCU National Player of the Week during Week 0 as he threw for 315 yards and three scores in a 31-24 win over Alabama A&M, but he didn’t fare as well last week against Richmond. He hit just 9 of 27 passes for 109 yards, one TD and one interception in a 28-21 loss to the No. 23 team in FCS.
“We have a special team,” Howard coach Ted White said after the victory over Alabama A&M. “We have a special team. Every day, we come with a chip on our shoulder to be better than the day before.”
