The Indiana Hoosiers moved to 2-0 on the young season with extreme ease on Saturday afternoon. The Hoosiers took down Howard 55-0, and Indiana's stars were shining bright all game long. It got so lopsided that both head coaches decided to play just 10 minutes in the 4th quarter.
Indiana did what it was supposed to do, while also providing several important takeaways from the game.
It's time to put Charlie Becker in the Heisman conversation
Yes––it's still extremely early in the season, and Indiana has played two inferior opponents. But what Charlie Becker has done so far this season is simply sensational. Becker scored 3 touchdowns in the first quarter and a half, giving him 5 touchdowns through Indiana's first 2 games of the season. He didn't play much the rest of the way, and ended the contest with those 3 touchdown catches for 81 yards. He's up to 7 catches for 145 yards and 5 touchdowns, giving him a tremendous start to the season. Becker put up those numbers in limited action, and has shown that he belongs in the conversation for the nation's best WR alongside the likes of Jeremiah Smith, Malachi Toney, and Cam Coleman.
Charlie Becker was on a roll in today's game! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/XQfoFHLkHk
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 12, 2026
The running game will be fine without Khobie Martin in the mix
Missing Khobie Martin hurts, but the Indiana rushing attack is still in good shape. Lee Beebe Jr. stepped up in a major way, totaling a team-high 117 yards on 16 carries. Beebe averaged just 2.9 yards per rush last week, so seeing that improvement was a strong positive takeaway. Turbo Richard was also great, as he totaled 108 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. In total, the Hoosiers ran for 301 yards on 46 attempts, which equated to an average of 6.5 yards per carry. Facing tougher competition down the road will obviously present more challenges, but when looking at this performance, Hoosier fans should have plenty of faith in the running game.
The Hoosier defense returned to dominance
Indiana's defense wasn't bad in the season opener against North Texas, but Bryant Haines' squad underperformed in several key areas. That was not the case in Week 2, as the Hoosier defense returned to dominating form. Indiana allowed just 57 total yards and 4 first downs agains the Bison. After recording just a single sack in Week 1, the Hoosiers had 5 sacks in this one. Howard ran 27 times for just 13 yards. Indiana even recorded a defensive touchdown in the form of a pick-six from Rolijah Hardy. No matter how you slice it, it was a completely dominant outing from the Hoosier defense.
Rolijah Hardy PICK SIX!!! pic.twitter.com/wsuuNreulO
— Always College Football (@AlwaysCFB) September 12, 2026
One question mark...
It's tough to find a negative from the performance that the Hoosiers put together this afternoon. But to be a bit nit-picky, the kicking situation had an interesting dynamic without Nico Radicic available. Paddy McAteer filled in as Indiana's placekicker, and he promptly missed his first extra point attempt. He was able to bounce back, as he went 7-for-7 on extra points the rest of the way. He didn't record a field goal attempt. According to Cignetti, Radicic is dealing with a back issue. He didn't give an specifics of a timeline for return, so this is a situation worth monitoring over the next week.
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