THE HOOSIER DISADVANTAGE: is josh hoover a weakness?

The Indiana Hoosiers have had a tough start to the year. They got through non-conference play without much issue, but that’s to be expected given their competition. In addition, their Big Ten schedule hasn’t treated them too well.

It all started when Indiana heavily struggled on a Friday night against the Northwestern Wildcats. At home. They looked poor all game and allowed Northwestern to stay in it until the very end. After that, they were able to get a dominant win leading into a tough road test at the Nebraska Huskers.

But it had been years since Nebraska had been able to beat a top 25 opponent, and being up 11 in the fourth quarter against the Hoosiers proved that Indiana really may not be a top team in college football.

But the run game is fantastic. Their duo of Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. has been on fire all year, establishing the run in every single game. And the wide receivers are good as well.

Nick Marsh is coming off of a legacy game, and Charlie Becker has always been the do-it-all option too. The defense is yet to have a poor performance either, and they have been dominant all year. And they have the best head coach in college football, Curt Cignetti.

The problem is Josh Hoover.

Hoover spent time with the TCU Horned Frogs, where he looked like a top quarterback in college football. While TCU never competed too much, he was always an option that the team could rely on and had been fantastic in select games. So after the season, Cignetti and Indiana took a chance on him.

If you look at stats, you will probably love Hoover. 17 touchdowns and zero interceptions. That’s such a consistent quarterback who can perform every game. But unfortunately, that’s not really true.

Hoover has had some immensely poor games. Against the Wildcats, he struggled to throw deep, and couldn’t help the team move the ball in the air against a not-elite Northwestern secondary. He also looked bad against Nebraska, missing throws and not leading the offense as he should.

He’s not terrible, but he certainly has made games a lot closer than they should have, and therefore gives Indiana fans less confidence going into a crucial matchup this weekend against the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State has one of the best defenses in the country, similar to the Hoosiers, and has tons of talent as well, especially in their secondary. If Hoover can’t really step up, Indiana has no chance of winning.

The Hoosiers have everything you need for a national title. A great head coach. Two big running backs. Two receivers that have unique skill sets. A defense that is amongst the nation’s best. And a win streak that feels like it will never be broken.

But this weekend everything changes. Without the quarterback playing well, it’s going to be really tough to win a big game. Hoover is a decent quarterback, but he’s not good enough. The Buckeyes are going to take advantage and find a way to get the win on the road.