Fernando Mendoza quickly learned to not look forward to watching a highlight moment on film, or wait for a pat on the back from Curt Cignetti after a big play.<\/p>\n
Instead, the micro-level critiques he heard after what seemed like a positive were burned into the recesses of his brain for later recall.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving spent a whole season with him, like when he\u2019s riding me on all these things in fall camp, I\u2019m like, \u2018You\u2019ve got to be kidding me,’\u201d Mendoza said on \u201cThe Rush with Maxx Crosby\u201d podcast.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then in the season you see it show up. And it\u2019s like \u2018OK, that pass was completed by this much because I was at the right depth or because I didn\u2019t take the extra hitch.’\u201d<\/p>\n
It would come to no surprise to Mendoza that his successor Josh Hoover is not being lathered with praise by Cignetti after his 13-of-16, four TD and no INT debut in Bloomington.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s clear Hoover is already well aware that a good outcome is not always the result of a good decision.<\/p>\n
Hoover was asked postgame after Indiana\u2019s 52-16 win over North Texas about a 25-yard second half completion in a tight window to tight end Brock Schott on a roll out to his right.\u00a0 He answered with a wry smirk, like he knew what was coming in film review.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably not one I\u2019d like to do a lot of the time.\u00a0 Got away with it right there,\u201d Hoover said.<\/p>\n
Cignetti agrees.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe got away with one that he\u2019s not gonna get away with in Big Ten play,\u201d Cignetti said of Hoover\u2019s throw to Schott.<\/p>\n
The head coach was just getting warmed up.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the one long touchdown to Charlie, he\u2019s got to step into that throw better and get it out there and get it up and down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even the play where Hoover ended up with bloody nose?<\/p>\n
It was his fault.\u00a0 He\u2019s got to do better.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one he got his helmet ripped off, he flipped the protection and really shouldn\u2019t have. So he became unprotected to the side of the blitz,\u201d Cignetti continued.<\/p>\n
But his bloodied quarterback stayed in the game and threw a touchdown pass moments later.\u00a0 That was pretty cool, right?<\/p>\n
\u201cEven then, a hair late and made a little tougher catch for Charlie than it needed to be,\u201d Cignetti said.\u00a0 \u201cGreat catch by Charlie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoover\u2019s four touchdown, no interception Indiana debut was statistically far better than that of Mendoza in 2025 or Kurtis Rourke in 2024.\u00a0 Hoover posted a QB rating of 285 in his IU debut, while Mendoza\u2019s was 110.4 in the opener, and Rourke\u2019s 139.3.<\/p>\n
Does Cignetti think Hoover is ahead of where Mendoza and Rourke were at the same time?<\/p>\n
Not so fast my friend.<\/p>\n
The head coach quickly reminds you of the defensive scheme North Texas used, the play calls IU countered with, and the ability of the wideouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we won our one-on-one match-ups. They had a hard time covering us,\u201d Cignetti said.\u00a0 \u201cThey were committed to trying to stop the run best they could. Came out in five down linemen. That was their goal coming in. They were going to try to do as good as they could against the run and take their chances against the pass, and we won our one-on-ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoover knew exactly what he was getting himself into coming to Indiana to play quarterback for Cignetti, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri.\u00a0 Their track record for quarterbacks<\/a> speaks for itself.<\/p>\n The tough love, the critiques, the micro-details?\u00a0 This is what Hoover wanted, and what he knew he needed after four seasons at TCU under head coach Sonny Dykes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a big culture shock coming to a place like this,\u201d Hoover said.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s not a dig towards anyone else, but it\u2019s just different the way coach runs it. I think it was a lot different from some of the things that were asked of me playing quarterback. It took time and I was not comfortable for a long time.<\/p>\n \u201cThen, during this fall camp, we really started to hit our stride midway through, and I felt comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n Comfortable is not an acceptable word in Cignetti\u2019s program.<\/p>\n And that didn\u2019t last long for Hoover.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, all of a sudden, you\u2019re coming into game week, and it\u2019s a whole new process of learning how to go through game week and how we prepare,\u201d Hoover continued.<\/p>\n \u201cLike coach preaches, it\u2019s a continuous process. He\u2019s always got tips and pointers. I really have so much respect for coach, and anything he tells me, I\u2019m like, \u2018Yes, sir, I\u2019ll do it.\u2019 He\u2019s obviously an offensive guy and really, really smart. Anything that he says, I try to apply immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n Sounds like a good plan.<\/p>\n