BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Interstat) — Indiana scored 21 points in the first quarter and 14 more in the second on the way to a 55-0 victory over visiting Howard in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, at Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers, who also scored 20 points in the third quarter and did not score in the fourth, improved to 2-0. The Bison fell to 1-2. Attendance was 54,376. Indiana led 41-0 at halftime and kept Howard off the scoreboard for the full game.

Josh Hoover, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound quarterback from Rockwall, Texas, led Indiana’s offense and was the game’s top star. He completed 6 of 11 passes for 145 yards and four touchdowns while rushing six times for 18 yards. Hoover opened the scoring with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Becker with 12:56 left in the first quarter. He connected with Becker again on a 6-yard score with 4:16 remaining in the quarter, though the extra-point attempt failed. Hoover found Shazz Preston for a 39-yard touchdown with 1:34 left in the first, then hit Becker for a 41-yard touchdown with 6:07 left in the second. Becker caught three touchdown passes, and Preston caught one. Hoover’s listed recent performance included an 18-for-24 passing game for 273 yards and two touchdowns against Western Kentucky.

Grant Wilson, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback from Arlington, Virginia, also threw multiple touchdowns for Indiana. He completed both of his passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns and ran twice for 6 yards. Wilson threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Davion Chandler with 7:53 left in the third quarter and a 51-yard touchdown pass to Nick Marsh with 6:03 remaining. Paddy McAteer made multiple extra points, with one attempt failing. Indiana’s defense added a touchdown in the second quarter when Rolijah Hardy, a 5-foot-11, 225-pound linebacker from Lakeland, Florida, intercepted Ja’Shawn Scroggins and returned it 19 yards for a score. Lee Beebe Jr. added a 6-yard rushing score with 1:42 left in the second quarter, and Turbo Richard ran 14 yards for a touchdown with 1:30 remaining.

Howard’s offense was held without a point. Ja’Shawn Scroggins, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound quarterback from Las Vegas, completed 8 of 15 passes for 43 yards and was intercepted. Terrell Russell Jr. and Eden James were listed without statistics. Semaj Pierre had one reception for 14 yards and one kick return for 17 yards. Derrick Miller caught one pass for 15 yards, Se’Quan Osborne had two receptions for 11 yards, Nathanial Clark had two for 4 yards, Jadarian Collins had one for 1 yard, and Antonio Hunter had one for no yards and a punt return for 11 yards. Liam Allen IV punted eight times for 303 yards, and Matt Conord punted once for 45 yards. Howard punted nine times overall.

Howard’s defense recorded several tackles. Kaleb Gallop, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound defensive back from Portsmouth, Virginia, led the Bison with seven tackles, while Ben Chandler IV, a 5-foot-10, 181-pound defensive back from Washington, D.C., had six. Glen Vinson III, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and Aidan Foster each had five tackles, and Michael Grandy, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound defensive back from Savannah, Georgia, had four. Faisal Mass, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound defensive end from Taunton, Massachusetts, Kedrick Green, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound defensive back from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Gabe Stephens, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker from Mount Holly, North Carolina, each recorded three tackles. Masiah Thorne finished with two tackles. Reggie Reed Jr. and Rodney Roane each had a sack. Rodney Roane also had two tackles, while Reggie Reed Jr. added one tackle. Elisha Glenn, Julian Green, Kavontae Whipple, Kyle Dillon and Joseph Tabe each had two tackles. CJ Dale Jr., Demir Johnson, Israel Lucas, Marcus Ogbogu, Jason Seraphin, Timothy Cain III, Phoenix-Orion DiCosmo, Markus Hopson, Ryan Odita, AJ Smith-Jones and J. Augustus Olidge each recorded one tackle. DJ Lawrence added one tackle.

Indiana’s defense recorded several tackles and one interception return for a touchdown. Stephen Daley, a 6-foot-2, 258-pound defensive lineman from Winchester, Virginia, and Isaiah Jones, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker from London, Ohio, each had five tackles, with Jones adding one quarterback hurry. Rolijah Hardy had five tackles, one interception and one touchdown. Jeff Utzinger had four tackles, while Byron Baldwin Jr., a 6-foot-2, 195-pound defensive back from Baltimore, Maryland, Jacob Savage and Quan Sanks, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound linebacker from Columbus, Georgia, each had three. Savage added one sack. Tyler Morris, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound wide receiver from Bolingbrook, Illinois, returned four punts for 19 yards. Jackson Wasserstrom, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound wide receiver from Westfield, Indiana, caught one pass for 10 yards.

Howard entered the game after a 28-21 home loss to Richmond on Sept. 5 and a 31-24 win at Alabama A&M on Aug. 29. Indiana opened its season with a 52-16 home win over North Texas on Sept. 5. Howard’s next game is at Rutgers on Friday, Sept. 25. The Bison then play at Hampton on Oct. 3, at Penn on Oct. 10, against Morehouse College at home on Oct. 17, at Morgan State on Oct. 24, at North Carolina Central on Oct. 31, against South Carolina State at home on Nov. 5, against Delaware State at home on Nov. 14 and at Norfolk State on Nov. 21.

Indiana hosts Western Kentucky on Sept. 19 and Northwestern on Sept. 25. The Hoosiers then play at Rutgers on Oct. 3, at Nebraska on Oct. 10, against Ohio State at home on Oct. 17, at Michigan on Oct. 24, against Minnesota at home on Oct. 31, against Southern California at home on Nov. 14, at Washington on Nov. 21 and against Purdue at home on Nov. 28.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Indiana 37, Howard 15. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Indiana with a 100 percent probability to win. Howard had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +57.5. The total score of 55 went over the over/under line of 66.5.