Indiana opened its first game as defending national champions with a 52-16 win over North Texas on Saturday. The Hoosiers extended the FBS-longest active winning streak to 17 games and the FBS-longest active home winning streak to 16. Curt Cignetti still walked into his postgame press conference with three injury situations that he needed to address.
Running back Khobie Martin suffered an arm injury and will be “out a little bit,” according to the Indiana head coach. Starting cornerbacks Jamari Sharpe and transfer A.J. Harris both left the game, but Cignetti said their injuries “aren’t serious.” Beat writer Michael Niziolek posted the comments shortly after the final whistle.
Martin, a third-year local product from Fishers, suffered an apparent arm and upper-body injury in the first quarter. He was not seen after Indiana’s first offensive series. FOX confirmed at the start of the third quarter that he was done for the day.
That matters because of how Indiana planned to use him. Martin was expected to share carries with Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. Both of them already handled the load. Still, Cignetti gave no return date. That makes Martin’s timeline more uncertain than the two corner injuries.
Harris started at corner, but left in the first half and went to the locker room with a visible limp. He had also missed some fall-camp time with a tweaked knee, but that earlier issue was not officially tied to this one. He finished with a limited number of first-half snaps.
Sharpe also started and left in the first half with an undisclosed injury that Cignetti said was not serious. Sharpe finished with 1 tackle (0 solo, 1 assisted). All three injured players were gone before halftime.
Cignetti described the day as “some good, some bad, some ugly.” He also said the run game and defense need work. The next question is how much those three absences will matter when Indiana comes back next Saturday.
Howard week gives Indiana time to breathe
Indiana’s next game is Saturday, September 12, against Howard at Memorial Stadium. The window looks useful for Sharpe and Harris. A week of rest and treatment can be enough for a non-conference home game if the issues stay minor. However, Martin’s return can take a week or several. He should be viewed as questionable at best for the Week 2 encounter against Howard.
The Bison are an FCS/MEAC team that went 5-7 last season and opened 2026 with a 31-24 win over Alabama A&M. Indiana previews ranked this as the easiest game on the schedule. The Hoosiers should handle it even if all three sit.
The replacements already got a look. Richard handled the lead back role with 15 carries for 58 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. Beebe added 14 carries for 33 yards and a 67-yard kickoff return that set up the first score.
Josh Hoover went 13-of-16 for 231 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions in his first start replacing Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza at Bloomington.
The Indiana QB1 scored on his first pass as a Hoosier and played through a bloody nose after a facemask penalty. Hoover did not even leave the field after the incident. Just three plays later, he threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Charlie Becker.He now has nine career games with 4-plus passing touchdowns, most among active players.
“I thought Josh was sharp and our receivers did a nice job of separating and were making some blocks downfield, which was a point of emphasis,” Cignetti said after the game. “You never know what to expect. I thought he made a significant stride in fall camp with confidence, and I thought he played with a lot of confidence today,” the head coach added.
The later calendar is the reason why Indiana could not take risks. Western Kentucky on September 19 and Northwestern on September 25 come first. The games that would make these absences matter more sit further out.
Ohio State (October 17) and Michigan (October 24) in back-to-back weeks are the games when the Hoosiers will want Martin, Sharpe, and Harris healthy. The schedule that requires a full roster starts later.