Indiana BLASTS Howard - Postgame Thoughts

Indiana BLASTS Howard — Postgame Thoughts with Alec Keezer (IndianaVOCFB) Pre-recorded initial reaction after Indiana’s 55-0 win (fourth quarter shortened). Alec and Brad will go live tomorrow for the full game + weekend breakdown. Recorded while other games were still ongoing (Minnesota, Oregon-Oklahoma State, later Ohio State-Texas). Intro & Context (0:00–0:47) Indiana “splattered” Howard 55-0. Game was not live; this is Alec’s first-look thoughts before hearing Kurt Cignetti’s presser. He wanted his take out before the coach spoke because of questions around playing time (especially Nick Marsh) and what the staff’s goals were for the afternoon. Box score largely quiets some of the early suspicions that popped up during the game. Defensive Dominance (0:47–2:36) Brad and Alec both wanted a shutout; a commenter called that expectation “ridiculous.” The game showed why they expected it. Tackling issues from Week 1 did not show up. Homer Elijah Hardy: interception return for a touchdown. Five sacks: Keyshawn Calhoun (2), Jacob Savage (1), plus contributions from Tobias/Sami (first “freeze frame” mention) and Mario/Dino. Howard finished with 57 total yards, 4 first downs (Indiana 24), 2-of-14 on third down, 0-of-1 on fourth. 2.2 yards per pass, 0.5 yards per rush. Defense was “phenomenal” and everything you wanted to see. Encouraging that depth pieces like Savage and Calhoun made plays when given the snaps. Offensive Approach & Josh Hoover (2:36–3:35) Very vanilla play-calling: hand the ball off or send everyone deep. Exactly the plan for this matchup. Hoover: 6-of-11, 145 yards, 4 TDs. A couple of nice balls, but accuracy was off. Underthrew Becker on the first touchdown. Bigger miss: Nick Marsh wide open on an out route in the red zone; the ball died on him (possible wind). Nitpick: 6-of-11 is not the precision you want from the starter when receivers are running free. Last week’s 13-of-16 efficiency is the standard to hold. Rushing Attack (3:35–4:32) “Downright unbelievable.” Lee BB Jr.: ~7 yards per carry, explosive, big, hard to tackle. Turbo Richard: 11 carries, 108 yards (~10 ypc), TD after juking 3–4 defenders. Arguably the better day. Jerrion Campbell (true freshman): 7.2 ypc, looked explosive, hit the hole hard. Gets snaps because of the 5-and-5 rule (no redshirt). Flashes of why the staff likes him; not Kalon Black-level yet, but encouraging. Receivers & Nick Marsh Question (4:32–5:20) Charlie Becker: 3-81-3 TDs — huge day. Nick Marsh: 2-71-1 TD (plus the dropped/underthrown chance from Hoover). Did not start and barely played in the first quarter — the biggest item Alec wants Cignetti to address. Yards-per-catch were massive (Becker ~27, Marsh ~35.5, another ~39). Indiana got whatever it wanted. Davion Chandler “seems to only catch touchdowns.” Cleanliness / Special Teams / Concerns (5:20–6:17) Offense put up 49 or 55 points — hard to complain much — but it was not the cleanest game. Weather was iffy (some rain), but that’s no excuse in the Big Ten. Tyler Morris (veteran) dropped two punts; Indiana lost one. Hoover fumble (radio broadcast thought it should have been incomplete). Missed extra point. Niko Radicic (kicker) suddenly on the sideline with heating pads; was not on the injury report. Another item for Cignetti. Depth & Injury Notes (6:17–7:05) Encouraging that Hollywood Bell and Rylan Gandy started; staff felt comfortable sitting AJ Harris and Jamari Sharp after previously saying those two were fine and not facing long-term issues. Lots of depth got on the field. Alec is excited to break the snap counts and rotations down with Brad tomorrow. Lost the turnover battle to Howard — the main nitpick on a 55-0 afternoon. Wrap & Weekend Glance (7:05–end) Hard to be truly upset after a 55-0 win, but the sloppy moments (punts, fumble, missed XP, Hoover accuracy) are worth watching as Big Ten play approaches. Tomorrow: live show with Brad covering this game plus the rest of the slate. Quick looks: Michigan bounced back to beat Oklahoma at home; Oregon still leading at recording time; Alabama answered after a pick-six; Ohio State-Texas primetime still to come. “Go Hoosiers.” Like, comment, share, subscribe. See you tomorrow. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.