BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Quarterback Josh Hoover came to Indiana knowing that in coach Curt Cignetti's program, toughness isn't optional.
He looked the picture of Hoosier grit as Indiana's new starter Saturday.
He threw four touchdown passes, had only three incompletions, finished with no turnovers and delivered an indelible image during Saturday's 52-16 victory over North Texas that is a lock to make this season's highlights — his bloodied face and chin strap, after an opponent yanked hard on his facemask.
Hoover never flinched.
“It feels good, I just got a little cut there," he said, referring to his injured nose. “It looked way worse than it felt. I didn't even know it was bleeding like that, so, yeah, I feel good. I think it did me a favor, though. It looked worse than it was, so they were like ‘Hey, this guy’s tough,' but it didn't really do anything."
Hoover finished 13 of 16 for 231 yards. This may be exactly the kind of start he needed after transferring from TCU back to the school he initially committed to in high school.
He's replacing 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza, who led the Hoosiers to their first national championship last season and capped their perfect 16-0 run with his own iconic image — spinning into the end zone for the decisive score in January's national championship game. It's been replayed countless times since then, including during the Hoosiers' pregame celebration on the large video board.
Now, Hoover already has a signature moment.
Midway through the second quarter, Hoover was under duress — it didn't happen often Saturday — when Udoka Ezeani grabbed him by the face mask and spun him around, knocking him to the ground. Ezeani was called for the penalty, wiping out a sack and moving the ball to the North Texas 14-yard line, but the evidence was all over Hoover's helmet.
Three plays later, he hooked up with Charlie Becker on a 9-yard TD pass, the first of two scores for the duo, to extend Indiana's lead to 21-3.
“I didn’t see it either, I saw it on the tablet,” said Cignetti, the two-time Associated Press Coach of the Year. “I saw it on his face and his pants afterward. I thought he played well. I’m sure he earned the respect of his teammates based on his performance today, and he’s a veteran, and I’m glad he had a good opener.”
Hoover downplayed the injury, the scene and his own toughness for one reason — he wanted to celebrate the victory.
"Yeah, I've broken my nose a couple times, it happens,” Hoover said. “I don't know what caught it, I think probably just inside the helmet there's a microphone in there, all that sharp stuff, so who knows.”
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Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover (10) hands off to running back Turbo Richard (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against North Texas, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
KRAKOW, Poland (AP) — Six people were killed and 16 wounded after a gunman opened fire Saturday afternoon in a busy market square in Krakow, authorities said, in what Poland ’s defense minister called an “act of terror” on the people of the city.
The suspect, a 25-year-old Polish citizen, opened fire with an automatic weapon in the city’s Main Square, a major tourist destination. He was fascinated with far-right ideologies and held “very radical" and “ultra-nationalistic" views, Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said at a news conference.
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called Saturday’s fatal shooting an “act of terror” on the people of Krakow, Poland's second-largest city, which receives 15 million visitors a year, most of them passing through the Main Square.
Four women and two men were killed. Two police officers were wounded, one seriously, Kierwiński said. Thirteen of the 16 people injured were brought to the hospital with serious injuries, and one of them was a foreign citizen.
It was not immediately clear how many of the victims had suffered gunshot wounds, though two people had already been released from medical treatment within hours of the attack.
The perpetrator was shot and wounded during a gunfight with officers a short distance away from the initial violence, police said. He was taken to the hospital for surgery.
Katarzyna Cisło, a spokesperson for the Krakow police, said the perpetrator was wearing military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest and used a military-type long gun in the attack. Police found many other weapons, as well as ammunition, in his car. He kept firing at the police even after being shot himself, she said.
The attacker engaged in a “wild ride” around the Main Square, Cisło said, which is why people were wounded at several locations.
Cisło added that the gunman acted alone and that the public is safe.
Krakow mayor Łukasz Gibała said the city will be in official mourning until Wednesday. He vowed that Krakow will remain open to visitors despite the tragedy.
“The square will belong to us again,” Gibała said in a video posted to X.
Videos posted on social media by witnesses show people running away from the square to take cover on small streets nearby, as well as first responders trying to resuscitate victims. In one of the videos, a policeman is seen repeatedly shooting the attacker, who is lying on the street, only to later slowly collapse himself to the ground.
Photos showed a Polish Medical Air Rescue helicopter after it landed in the square.
It was not immediately clear whether the firearm used in Saturday’s attack, or the guns found in the perpetrator’s car, were legal. Around 411,000 people hold gun permits in Poland, which has a population of 37 million, and interest in gun ownership has been rising.
Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland. However, in mid-October three attacks at schools in the central province of Mazovia took place within four days, leaving one person dead and many wounded, including children.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in a post on X, praised the police officers who responded to Saturday’s tragedy. Polish President Karol Nawrocki said his thoughts were with the victims, the wounded and their families.
A tram driver reported around 3 p.m. that his vehicle was shot at from a man in a moving car while passing nearby the main square, the Krakow municipal transport company said. The window to the tram driver’s cabin was shattered.
Animal rights group OTOZ Animals said the attacker also shot two horses. Both animals are alive, but one was grazed by a bullet and the other hit in the leg. White carriages drawn by horses are a main tourist attraction in the square.
Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski announced increased security measures, including road barriers, along main streets in the old town in the Polish capital in the aftermath of the Krakow attack.
The number of people wounded rose from 15 to 16, officials said late on Saturday. Authorities earlier said the gunman was 24 years old, but later corrected his age to 25.
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Ciobanu reported from Warsaw, Poland and Dazio reported from Berlin.
Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz speaks during a press conference after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)
Police cars are parked in a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)
Police privacy screens are installed in a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)
Police privacy screens are installed in a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)
An armed police officer secures a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)
Armed police officers secure a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)
