⚡ CFB Dashboard

IU wide receiver Charlie Becker makes an acrobatic catch for a touchdown against Howard on September 12, 2026. (Photo: James Cocherell/Peegs.com)   BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — No. 5 Indiana took care of business against FCS program Howard, 55-0. Charlie Becker continued to make his case for the best wide receiver in college football with three touchdown receptions. Indiana led 20-0 after the first quarter and never let up. The Hoosiers expanded their lead to 41-0 by intermission. IU and Howard agreed to shorten the fourth quarter to ten minutes because the Hoosiers led 55-0. The Hoosiers play Western Kentucky at 4:00 PM next Saturday. Despite the blowout, here are the areas that stood out. PROCESS OVER EVERYTHING Indiana entered the game as a 58.5-point favorite over the FCS school. For all intents and purposes, the outcome was never in question. It was about executing what the Hoosiers wanted to do and setting the habits for future games. Throughout Curt Cignetti's Indiana tenure, non-conference games have been about laying the foundation and improving each week. Most actions against Howard will not translate against Ohio State or USC, but habits, good and bad, are formed in games like today. Cignetti is always ultra-focused on creating a standard no matter the opponent. Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh could go deep on nearly every play and win almost all of the battles. But that would not do much good for the Hoosiers going forward. Instead, Indiana focused on the reps and execution it will need in Big Ten play. Even with IU only going to Becker in small doses, he had three touchdown receptions in the first half. Things like Tyler Morris mishandling two punts, while facing limited pressure, are unacceptable when prioritizing the process. He lost the second bobble, giving Howard the ball in Indiana territory for the first time in the game. TACKLING After game one, missed tackles, especially in the open field, had many Indiana fans concerned. The first two Cignetti teams at Indiana were not always the fastest or most explosive defenses, but they were in the right spot and got opponents to the ground in one attempt. That was not the case against North Texas. The defensive line's initial push was much better today than last week against North Texas. Overall pursuit improved, too. Of course, the opponent's ability plays a factor in that. Once again, the tackling left something to be desired today. The Hoosiers had Howard quarterback Ja'Shawn Scroggins bottled up multiple times without getting him to the ground. That's nitpicking in a blowout loss, but it's also something that needs to be crisp against better opponents. ESTABLISHING THE RUN Against North Texas, the Hoosiers ran the ball against stacked boxes on a regular basis. In a Big Ten game, Indiana likely would have passed many more times in those situations. But IU wants to run the ball as much as possible against the non-conference opponents. Even with UNT selling out last week, the Hoosiers' front didn't get a consistent push in the running attack. Today, Indiana ran the ball the first two plays of the game with great success behind Turbo Richard. The Hoosiers ran the ball 11 of the first 14 plays. Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. had massive running holes from the start, and the duo made clean cuts to take advantage of the lanes. Richard's 14-yard touchdown run on a draw was fantastic, with multiple moves to punch the ball in the end zone. After only having 134 rushing yards as a team last week, Indiana had 179 yards by halftime today. Richard accounted for 88, while Beebe recorded 73 in the opening half. For the game, Indiana finished with 296 rushing yards, as Beebe earned 117 yards and Richard accrued 108. STAYING HEALTHY In the opener, Khobie Martin, Jamari Sharpe, and A.J. Harris were injured. Kicker Nico Radicic missed today's game due to injury as well. The most important stat today was leaving with no players seriously injured. Hoover took a few hard hits while keeping the ball in the first half, but he stayed healthy. He did not take a snap in the second half, but he has his helmet on and was engaged during the first possession of the half. TIGHT END PLAY Coming into the season, the tight end position was one of the biggest question marks for the Hoosiers. Cignetti seemed confident, despite the group being more inexperienced than he typically likes. In the first game, Brock Schott had the only reception of the group, and the others were not involved. Freshman Trevor Gibbs missed both the opener and today's game. No tight ends received a passing target in today's game, while Andrew Barker ran most of the reps due to the Hoosiers opting for run-first personnel or deep threats. With the wide-receiver play going to another level this season, the tight ends might end up being utilized less this year. Nonetheless, it will be an important factor in Indiana's offense in tougher games.