Curt Cignetti Defends QB Josh Hoover As No. 5 Indiana Opens Big Ten Play

Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover's statistics — and bloody image — speak for themselves.

He's been efficient and tough through his first three games with the fifth-ranked and still unbeaten Hoosiers.

He's completed more than 72% of his passes, thrown 10 touchdown passes and no interceptions while posting the second-best passing efficiency rating in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

In his debut two weeks ago, Hoover threw four touchdown passes with only three incompletions and delivered an indelible image during the Hoosiers' 52-16 victory over North Texas: his bloodied face and chin strap, after an opponent yanked hard on his facemask.

He apparently has no bigger fan than coach Curt Cignetti.

On Monday the two-time Associated Press Coach of the Year defended his quarterback against those criticizing Hoover, the successor to Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

"I think there is too much scrutiny on Josh Hoover right now — unfair scrutiny," Cignetti said near the end of his weekly news conference.

"After watching the game tape, he missed one throw.

The one he missed to (Charlie) Becker, we did a bad job picking up the blitz at running back and he had a guy in his face." Hoover provided his own critique during Saturday's postgame availability, saying there were some throws he wanted back in the 38-0 rout of Western Kentucky.

Still, he finished the game 18 of 24 for 273 yards with two more TDs and no turnovers.

Hoover believes he can still play better.

"I think it goes back to what coach always preaches, right? There’s a standard we’re trying to play and that standard is perfection and to play to the best of our capabilities," Hoover said Saturday.

"The goal is always to reach that and sometimes we fall short, so that’s the thing that keeps you driving forward.

But we’ve done good stuff, have some things we have to clean up." Not much has changed for Indiana.