Indiana Dominates Howard 55-0 in Another Statement Victory

The Indiana Hoosiers are showing no signs of slowing down.

No. 5 Indiana delivered another dominant performance Saturday afternoon, shutting out Howard 55-0 at Memorial Stadium and improving to 2-0 on the season. After opening the year with a 52-16 victory over North Texas, the Hoosiers followed it up with another complete performance.

Hoosiers Explode Out Of The Gate

Indiana wasted almost no time taking control.

Quarterback Josh Hoover connected with Charlie Becker for a 34-yard touchdown early in the first quarter, and the Hoosiers continued pouring it on from there. Indiana scored 20 points in the opening quarter and added another 21 in the second, taking a commanding 41-0 lead into halftime.

Hoover finished with 145 passing yards and four touchdown passes, while backup Grant Wilson added two more touchdown passes.

Charlie Becker Leads The Offense

One of the biggest stars of the afternoon was wide receiver Charlie Becker.

Becker caught three passes for 81 yards and scored three touchdowns, including scores of 34, 6 and 41 yards. His explosive afternoon gave Indiana another dangerous weapon in the passing game.

The Hoosiers also dominated on the ground. Lee Beebe Jr. rushed for 117 yards, while Turbo Richard added 108 yards and a touchdown.

Indiana finished with 510 total yards, compared with just 57 for Howard.

Defense Delivers Another Shutout

While the offense grabbed the headlines, Indiana’s defense was just as impressive.

The Hoosiers completely shut down Howard, allowing only 57 total yards and forcing an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Rolijah Hardy.

After two weeks, Indiana has now scored 107 points while allowing just 16.

Indiana Looks Ready For Another Big Season

The Hoosiers couldn’t have asked for a better start to their national championship defense.

Indiana has dominated both opponents and looks increasingly comfortable under head coach Curt Cignetti. The competition will get much tougher once Big Ten play arrives, but these first two performances have sent an early message.

Indiana is once again looking like a team capable of making a serious run at the top of college football.