BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti said he expects quarterback Josh Hoover to be healthier and perform better Saturday when the No. 4 Hoosiers host Minnesota.
Hoover’s status was a key question following Indiana’s 13-6 overtime win over Michigan on Saturday.
“I expect him to be fine and better this week,” Cignetti said Monday.
Indiana’s passing game struggled against Michigan, as Hoover completed eight of 18 passes for 81 yards and threw his first interception of the season. The Hoosiers leaned on their defense to secure the win before their offense scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Cignetti said the passing game also struggled during practice last week, but he expects improvement against Minnesota.
“We didn’t separate at receiver in this game, and, you know, we obviously didn’t throw the ball very well or very often, and a lot of that was because of the type of game it became,” Cignetti said.
The Hoosiers will face a Minnesota defense that has limited opponents’ passing production and done a good job preventing explosive plays.
Cignetti said the Golden Gophers use a mix of man and zone coverage, along with different blitz packages, to keep offenses off balance.
“They’re very aggressive. They get to the ball. They can play man. They can play zone. They can load the box on you if they have to,” Cignetti said. “They’ve got, you know, five-man pressures and six-man pressures.”
Minnesota enters the game with a 5-2 record and wins over Washington, Michigan and Iowa when those teams were ranked.
Cignetti said Indiana must improve in several areas to handle the challenge.
The Hoosiers will host Minnesota at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
