A.J. Harris and Jamari Sharpe left in the first quarter against North Texas, and Jaylen Bell and Ryland Gandy took over Indiana’s field and boundary corner roles. Bell finished with four tackles, Gandy with six, and Curt Cignetti later said Bell did a nice job; both starters were listed day to day. Indiana still beat North Texas 52-16, but the rebuilt defense allowed 367 yards and was on the field for 37:22 while Cignetti cited missed assignments, poor tackling and insufficient disruption up front.
That is where Howard week begins. Indiana plays the Bison at noon ET Saturday on BTN, and the model gives the Hoosiers a greater than 99.9% chance to win. The score should become comfortable. The worthwhile question is whether the possessions look more controlled before it does.
Make Scroggins give up the ball
Howard quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins has completed 28 of 63 passes for 424 yards, four touchdowns and one interception through two games, but his 88 net rushing yards lead the Bison. Cignetti described Howard as fast and called Scroggins an experienced dual-threat quarterback.
That combination gives Indiana a precise defensive correction to make. Keep rush lanes connected, tackle the quarterback when the defense earns the chance and get off the field without turning a broken assignment into another long possession. Bell and Gandy matter here whether they start or enter in relief. Indiana needs them to execute their jobs without forcing the rest of the defense to compensate.
Fans should care more about repeated clean stops than about whether Howard reaches a particular point total. Scroggins escaping once is football. Scroggins repeatedly extending drives with his legs would preserve the most important concern from the opener, even if Indiana wins by five touchdowns.
Let the replacements establish something useful
Khobie Martin is expected back around midseason after leaving the opener, so Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. now have more than temporary cleanup work. Against North Texas, Richard gained 58 yards on 15 carries and Beebe gained 33 on 14; their combined 91 yards on 29 attempts left the primary running game with room to improve.
Howard should give Indiana enough margin to learn whether Richard and Beebe can create steadier production without Martin. The useful outcome is a backfield that stays on schedule before the game reaches reserve time, not a rushing total inflated by one late breakaway.
The same principle applies to the offensive line. Indiana started Joe Brunner at guard and Adedamola Ajani at tackle because line coach Bob Bostad considered that the best combination late in camp. Hoover was not sacked, although Cignetti said the quarterback incorrectly flipped the protection on the play that left him bloodied. Saturday can reinforce that alignment while giving Hoover another afternoon to make the correct calls.
Hoover can make a quiet afternoon meaningful
Josh Hoover’s Indiana debut delivered 231 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions on 13-of-16 passing, with completions distributed among seven receivers. That clean line deserves extra weight because Hoover arrived from TCU after throwing 13 interceptions in 2025 and 33 across his Horned Frogs career.
One turnover-free opener did not settle the quarterback transition, but it did establish the right direction. Against Howard, the next useful step is ordinary competence. Identify pressure, protect the football and keep involving the receiving rotation. Indiana does not need Hoover chasing a spectacular stat line deep into a mismatch.
The 52 points last week also deserve context. Indiana’s kickoff returns totaled 139 yards, Tyler Morris added a 36-yard punt return, and postgame analysis placed the average starting position at the Hoosiers’ 47-yard line. That was excellent special teams, but it allowed the offense to score repeatedly without proving it could sustain long drives. A couple of methodical marches against Howard would reveal more than another pile of short-field touchdowns.
Use the runway
Indiana is defending the first national championship in program history after beating Miami 27-21 to complete a 16-0 season. The structure around this rebuilt team remains stable, with Mike Shanahan continuing as offensive coordinator and Bryant Haines as defensive coordinator. That continuity is a reason to expect corrections, but the corrections still have to appear on Saturdays.
The schedule gives them time to take hold. Indiana opens with four straight home games, then visits Rutgers and Nebraska before facing Ohio State and Michigan in consecutive weeks. With Martin out for much of that runway and the cornerback rotation unsettled, these September games need to clarify who can carry larger roles before the schedule asks harder questions.
There is no outside score Indiana fans need to track this week. The interactive guide is correspondingly quiet, and the forecast details are available in the methodology. The compelling scoreboard is inside Memorial Stadium. It should show fewer extended Howard possessions, sound containment of Scroggins and useful work from Bell, Gandy, Richard and Beebe. A large final margin is expected. Indiana should make the football underneath it look better.