INDIANA - North Texas Postgame LIVE

IndianaVOCFB Postgame LIVE: Indiana 52, North Texas 16 Hosts: Alec Kieser & Brad Loomis Presented by FanDuel Intro & Big Picture (0:32–6:20) Hoosiers 1-0; seven-game winning streak; haven’t lost at Memorial Stadium in 1,000+ days. Both call it the best Week 1 of the Curt Cignetti era — “not even close.” Theme they keep returning to: Indiana can win 52-16 while still looking imperfect and having clear room to grow. That’s the exciting part. Credit North Texas: good game plan vs. Brian Hanson’s defense, David Jackson and Jaheim White looked the part. Neil Brown era has juice in the American. Context they keep citing: little film on this UNT roster, heat (turf at 150°), Taven/Jackson familiarity with IU scheme, Week 1 as glorified scrimmage. Cignetti smiling in the postgame presser stood out — unusual for him after Week 1. Injuries (8:16–10:00) Kobe Martin: No official word. Hosts heard forearm fracture rumors; Loomis saw him get “absolutely clapped” on a pass-pro rep and didn’t see him after. Likely out most/all of regular season; possible January return. Goal would be Purdue. Jamari Sharp and AJ Harris both left; Cignetti indicated they should be back next week. Backfield now a Turbo Richard / Lee Beebe duo for the foreseeable future. Running Backs (10:00–13:50) Both hosts loved the physicality and explosiveness of Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe. Stats were modest (~3 YPC if you strip Grant Wilson’s 43-yard TD), but the eye test was strong. Beebe had a long TD wiped by holding. Kick-return production from both backs was a plus they didn’t see last year from Hemby/Black. Turbo bigger and more explosive than expected; Loomis sees top-100 draft upside / possible top-10 RB conversation next cycle. Both can handle 25-carry workloads. Consensus: this duo is as good as it gets at the college level right now, even if some box-score watchers (John Jacobs in chat) prefer last year’s group. Offensive Line (13:50–16:00) Surprise alignment: Joe Brunner at RG, Ajani at RT (camp talk had it flipped). Not shocked long-term — Ajani played RT in last year’s playoff run; Brunner is an interior guy with a tackle body. Hoover wasn’t sacked (one ugly facemask). Pass protection looked solid; run game numbers were heat-affected more than scheme-affected. Too early for Joe Moore Award talk; wait for Northwestern / real Power opponents. Josh Hoover (16:00–20:20) 13-of-16, 4 TDs, 200+ yards. Closest thing to a perfect Cignetti-system debut they can imagine. Facemask play: bloody/possibly broken nose, Terminator vibe, then barely touched again. Toughness + pocket feel praised. Mobility behind the LOS “as good as it gets”; not a threat as a runner past the line. Played on schedule, handed the ball off when asked, ripped a laser to the tight end, accurate back-shoulders and deep balls. Already ahead of where Mendoza was at the same point last year. “He looked like our best player.” Floor this high makes the ceiling conversation fun. Receivers / Tight Ends (23:20–27:00) Charlie Becker: two TDs, “helmet sticker,” looked like one of the best WRs in the country not named Jeremiah Smith. Nick Marsh: first Hoover target was a one-handed back-shoulder TD. Limited volume (North Texas), but the catch was a vibe. Davion Chandler: every touch feels like a score; emerging as the cover-2 beater / WR3–5 with big-play juice. Tyler Morris: productive slot / safety blanket. Shaz Preston got a catch; Omar “Shot” looking like the lead tight end as expected. Room is “pick your poison.” Volume will be the question once they throw 30 times against Michigan/USC/Ohio State. Defense (27:00–40:00) Defense on the field ~67–70 plays in brutal heat. Offense only 46 snaps. Not dominant: missed tackles, one sack, one INT, UNT won some outside leverage vs. a middle-strong front. Hosts are glad it happened in Week 1 against a well-schemed opponent rather than vs. Ohio State or in November. Linebackers: Aiden Jones everywhere. Third-LB battle still open — Jacob Savage getting molded into the role; Henry Olinger (neck roll) and others rotating. Freshman snaps could grow like Elijah Hardy two years ago. Secondary: Sharp and Harris out. Hollywood Bell physical and earned more snaps; Gandy about as expected. Sanks INT. One deep post-corner that cooked Zachman — only real explosive they gave up. Depth at corner much better than last year’s Pons situatio