IUFB vs Minnesota - Saturday, 10.31.26 @ 3:30 on CBS-TV -- GAME THREAD

[JerryYeagley23]

4 minutes ago, Brass Cannon said:

I never said it would be easy.  But Ohio State and Oregon lost their starters to injury.  We are losing ours to poor play.  Wilson isn’t a redshirt freshmen that’s our only hope 

I’m just saying, it might be worth everyone coming to terms with the fact that there aren’t  any complete, dominant teams this year. Miami almost lost to a very mediocre UNC team, Notre Dame looked average against Navy, OSU just got beat by a USC team that lost badly to Wisconsin (who lost 30-0 against Iowa today). We aren’t last year’s IU team. But we’re probably an average QB away from being the most complete team in the country. Maybe Hoover has been playing pretty hurt, and trying to grit it out. Maybe he’s pressing. He doesn’t need to be Mendoza. He just need to be the Tex Tech version of himself and our defense and wide receivers put us right near the top of the elite teams. Hopefully that’s how it plays out. Hasn’t been pretty. Close calls. But how does last year play out if we lose that game to PSU? Never know. Me, I’m just enjoying the ride. College football is wild. But at least IU is a part of it. 

[Brass Cannon]

1 minute ago, JerryYeagley23 said:

I’m just saying, it might be worth everyone coming to terms with the fact that there aren’t  any complete, dominant teams this year. Miami almost lost to a very mediocre UNC team, Notre Dame looked average against Navy, OSU just got beat by a USC team that lost badly to Wisconsin (who lost 30-0 against Iowa today). We aren’t last year’s IU team. But we’re probably an average QB away from being the most complete team in the country. Maybe Hoover has been playing pretty hurt, and trying to grit it out. Maybe he’s pressing. He doesn’t need to be Mendoza. He just need to be the Tex Tech version of himself and our defense and wide receivers put us right near the top of the elite teams. Hopefully that’s how it plays out. Hasn’t been pretty. Close calls. But how does last year play out if we lose that game to PSU? Never know. Me, I’m just enjoying the ride. College football is wild. But at least IU is a part of it. 

And that’s all fair but with two first round wide receivers we have to at least put out a QB that can hit them when they are wide open. That combined with our defense should keep us in any games.  
 

Other than the first quarter against Rutgers Hoover just hasn’t looked like a Big Ten caliber QB.  

[southsidehoosier]

 

[Hardwood83]

44 minutes ago, JerryYeagley23 said:

Respectfully, this take on USC isn’t aging well. Turns out it’s tough for elite programs to win when their first string QB is injured. (Also, see Oregon)

They are talented, but soft. They played well tonight, but Riley's body of work isn't impressive. Normally you are right about the first string QB, but in our case it would be hard to be any worse. If Hoover is the answer, we're asking the wrong question. 

[yogisballin]

1 hour ago, Brass Cannon said:

And that’s all fair but with two first round wide receivers we have to at least put out a QB that can hit them when they are wide open. That combined with our defense should keep us in any games.  
 

Other than the first quarter against Rutgers Hoover just hasn’t looked like a Big Ten caliber QB.  

You know, I’m wondering if he hasn’t been hurt before game 1. I’m thinking he’s been hurt all along and the fall vs OSU reaggravated it?

To me, it doesn’t appear to be that hard off a fall

[RaceToTheTop]

Even with all the doom and gloom during the game, IU is going to wake up as the #3 team in the nation on Monday.

[AH1971]

5 hours ago, Home Jersey said:

If Hoover is healthy enough I think he will be starting after the bye, but I will be content trusting whatever Cig wants to roll with. 

I’ll give Hoover the benefit of the doubt in the sense that he’s not 100% healthy, but he’s missed throws all year. His mechanics are terrible. He’s constantly dropping his elbow/shoulder causing balls to sail and his feet are almost never set. At some point Sunseri needs to feel some heat, Whitmer has been a huge loss as well.

[HoosierReb01]

5 hours ago, yogisballin said:

You know, I’m wondering if he hasn’t been hurt before game 1. I’m thinking he’s been hurt all along and the fall vs OSU reaggravated it?

To me, it doesn’t appear to be that hard off a fall

Yeah, I wonder the same thing. I mean this is the coaching staff that played Rourke with a torn ACL and kept it a secret till after the season. I'm wondering if he hasn't aggravated a pre-existing injury here lately. I haven't watched any of his TCU games, but I have seen comments from others that his accuracy there wasn't a problem. Last week Thamel reported he had a wrist injury, which may very well be true, but its the throwing shoulder that seems to have been a problem.

[TTT]

IU found a a QB!  And showed more consistency in a partial half of football than has been shown for a long time this season vs big ten teams.  Hoover a good backup QB at this point in the season.

https://fb.watch/KCSYTHMrnA/?mibextid=wwXIfr&fs=e

Hoover vs Alexander Diamont?  
Hoover just never stood out tall consistently…kinda average, sometimes below and often put receivers in vulnerable positions vs big ten teams.

[DChoosier]

1) I really, really, really hated hearing the booing clearly come through on tv. We are building a brand that was previously unfathomable for IU football so it was a bummer for football fans (and future recruits) across the country to hear that.

2) Lots of Hoover talk but also… how about that special team squad?

No return threat.

2 shanked punts

clanked a gimmie field goal

had a field goal blocked 

poor snap/mis-handled failed fg attempt

As bad as our passing game was, for most of the contest, special teams alone almost led to a L.

 

[Golfman25]

6 hours ago, AH1971 said:

I’ll give Hoover the benefit of the doubt in the sense that he’s not 100% healthy, but he’s missed throws all year. His mechanics are terrible. He’s constantly dropping his elbow/shoulder causing balls to sail and his feet are almost never set. At some point Sunseri needs to feel some heat, Whitmer has been a huge loss as well.

I have to wonder if he isn’t a practice “all star.”  He has to look 100% better in practice for them to keep trotting him out there.  Maybe the pressure of the game gets to him?   

[coonhounds]

10 hours ago, IU5355 said:

Agreed. 

I also believe he knows how flawed this team is and he praises their grit and knows these games could easily have been lost. 

Last year's team was about as perfect at execution as any team ever, yet during his interviews it was usually always about "cleaning things up". He knew how great that team was. 

 

10 hours ago, IU5355 said:

Agreed. 

I also believe he knows how flawed this team is and he praises their grit and knows these games could easily have been lost. 

Last year's team was about as perfect at execution as any team ever, yet during his interviews it was usually always about "cleaning things up". He knew how great that team was. 

I disagree.  I do not believe he thinks this team is flawed. I think he is struggling to fix the offense particularly the accuracy of the qb. I believe we are not as far off from being as good as last year as it looks. The defense has stepped up and is delivering the last several games as needed.  The run game will come if the qb can hit the open receivers. I believe the kicking game will improve as confidence builds once the offense starts clicking.  Let's see how they respond after the bye week. Iu is in great position to do everything we wanted today do imo. A repeat is still very likely imo. Cig is the best and I trust everything he does. Even if he just extremely lucky lol

[Home Jersey]

24 minutes ago, DChoosier said:

1) I really, really, really hated hearing the booing clearly come through on tv. We are building a brand that was previously unfathomable for IU football so it was a bummer for football fans (and future recruits) across the country to hear that.

Cig has spoiled the absolute **** out of this fanbase. 

[dfwhoosier]

Hoover is such an enigma to me. The completion percentage is not good at 60%. Barely cracks the top 100. 
 

Yet his QBR is top 15 in the nation. A lot of that is avoiding interceptions, which to his credit, he’s cleaned up big time. On the other hand, some of that QBR is driven by big plays from two first-round WRs. 
 

What I’m struggling with is… will Grant actually be an upgrade? The backup QB is always the fanbase’s favorite player.

[AH1971]

4 minutes ago, dfwhoosier said:

Hoover is such an enigma to me. The completion percentage is not good at 60%. Barely cracks the top 100. 
 

Yet his QBR is top 15 in the nation. A lot of that is avoiding interceptions, which to his credit, he’s cleaned up big time. On the other hand, some of that QBR is driven by big plays from two first-round WRs. 
 

What I’m struggling with is… will Grant actually be an upgrade? The backup QB is always the fanbase’s favorite player.

If Wilson can simply be a game manager ie move the sticks, finish drives…he’s probably all right. Hoover is a detriment right now, that’s a problem.

[NatHillIV]

I was at the game, and the crowd's reaction towards the end of the first half was totally uncalled for.  Fish and Buck were clearly moved, and not in a good way, by the "fan" behavior.  Apparently the entitled IU basketball fans who think they are helping a program by booing the players have now become football fans and somehow feel this will really improve our team.  Stay home and sulk gloom birds. 

We're second in the BigTen somehow, with the easiest part of our schedule to come.  We're beat up, tired and one of only two teams who have played six BigTen games.

Cut our team some slack.  IN CIG I TRUST!!

[Henryville Hoosier]

 

[str8baller]

31 minutes ago, coonhounds said:

The run game will come if the qb can hit the open receivers.

That and he’s a bigger threat to keep it and run it himself on an RPO. You could see it there at the end where we finally got some big chunk running plays. 

[str8baller]

2 minutes ago, NatHillIV said:

Apparently the entitled IU basketball fans who think they are helping a program by booing the players have now become football fans and somehow feel this will really improve our team. 

That stinks. I couldn’t tell from TV if people were booing or it was more of one of those things where the crowd collectively groans over a bad play. Sad to hear it is the former. It’s actually hard to imagine.

[Home Jersey]

13 minutes ago, dfwhoosier said:

Hoover is such an enigma to me. The completion percentage is not good at 60%. Barely cracks the top 100. 
 

Yet his QBR is top 15 in the nation. A lot of that is avoiding interceptions, which to his credit, he’s cleaned up big time. On the other hand, some of that QBR is driven by big plays from two first-round WRs. 
 

What I’m struggling with is… will Grant actually be an upgrade? The backup QB is always the fanbase’s favorite player.

Yes. As admirable a job as Wilson did stepping up yesterday, he also came very close to throwing a pick that would've basically sealed the game.

Much talk about Hoover "trying too hard" to avoid INTs possibly contributing to his issues... I don't think that's accurate. I think avoiding TOs is a big part of his job. He doesn't have to be Mendoza, and he has to play better than he has been, but he is also likely much more injured than publicly known. Hence why he sat in the second half. Because he was too hurt to play, not because Cig thinks Wilson gives us the best chance the rest of the season IMO. Assuming Hoover's health improves over the bye week, I will be surprised if Wilson plays over him. Cig does not strike me as one for QB controversy. 

It would be nice to support a struggling player rather than make him everyone's favorite whipping boy and showering him in boos at home. But we get one undefeated natty and Heisman season and suddenly fans know more than the staff that actually delivered those achievements. Totally hilarious.