Josh Hoover’s efficient debut and a dominant special teams spark powered the No. 6 Hoosiers to a commanding halftime advantage as the Mean Green struggled under pressure.
The sixth ranked Indiana Hoosiers went into the halftime locker room at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium holding a 24 to 6 advantage over the North Texas Mean Green in their 2026 season opener.
The Hoosiers started fast in front of the home crowd in Bloomington. Quarterback Josh Hoover, making his first start for Indiana after transferring from TCU, guided the offense on two distinct scoring drives during the opening quarter. Indiana capped off its second offensive possession late in the first quarter to pull ahead 14 to 0, finding the end zone twice on its first two drives of the game.
North Texas answered early in the second quarter to break into the scoring column. The Mean Green put together a drive that resulted in a 47 yard field goal, cutting the Indiana lead to 14 to 3.
Indiana responded rapidly through its special teams unit. Kick returner Turbo Richard brought the following kickoff back to midfield, setting up the offense with short field position. The Hoosiers capitalized on the return, driving down the field and finding the end zone once again to extend the lead to 21 to 3.
North Texas mounted a threat late in the half, engineering a 9 play, 60 yard drive that reached the red zone for the first time. The Indiana defense held inside its own 20 yard line, forcing North Texas to settle for a 33 yard field goal with 1:57 remaining before the break to make the score 21 to 6.
With under two minutes remaining in the second quarter, Hoover and the Indiana offense drove back into North Texas territory. The drive stalled out at the North Texas 31 yard line with 1:24 left on the clock. Indiana brought out the kicking unit and converted a field goal to extend the lead to 24 to 6, which held as the final score of the half.
Heading into the break, head coach Curt Cignetti's squad holds an 18 point cushion behind an efficient offensive outing and timely defensive stops in the red zone. North Texas receives the second half kickoff after winning the pregame coin toss and deferring.
