BLOOMINGTON – Josh Hoover looked like he’d put his face in a Cuisinart. A Band-Aid stretched over the bridge of his nose. His eyes were blackening. As he spoke to the media after IU’s less-than-stellar 52-16 victory over North Texas, he wasn’t sure if it was broken or not.
“Just a nose,” he said with a wry smile. “I’ve done it plenty of times before.”
Here’s what happened: With 8:24 left in the second quarter, North Texas defensive lineman Udoka Ezeani came on the pass rush, grasped and twisted the IU quarterback’s facemask, the contact opening a bloody gash on Hoover’s his nose. He looked like ancient boxer Chuck Wepner, also known as the Bayonne Bleeder. (Look him up, kids.) As Hoover shook himself off and threw a touchdown pass two plays later, Hoover’s face was a crimson mask, blood pouring from his nostrils and the cut on his nose.
“It looked a lot worse than it felt,” he said. “I didn’t even know it was bleeding like that.”
Asked about his toughness, he smiled.
“Guys are like, `Oh, this guy is tough,’ “ said Hoover, the TCU transfer. “You know, I really didn’t do anything.”
True enough. But it didn’t escape the notice of his teammates, many of whom were here last year when Fernando Mendoza was showing his mettle after the Caden Curry hit early in the Big Ten title game. Yeah, it looked worse than it was – I’m guessing he’ll get it X-rayed at some point – but it made a statement in an otherwise perfunctory IU performance, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
“He looked like he just got done with a boxing match or something,” said running back Turbo Richard, the Boston College transfer who had an effective IU debut running, catching passes and returning kicks. “But, I mean, he’s a warrior. He didn’t let it affect him. I respect that.”
Said linebacker Isaiah “Bones” Jones: “That’s what you want to see from a leader on offense, especially a quarterback. As you can see, he’s tough mentally and physically.”
