Howard University walked away from No. 5 Indiana with a 55-0 loss on Saturday, but the final score still produced one surprising result.
The Bison covered the point spread.
Indiana entered the game as a 55.5-to-57.5-point favorite across much of the betting market. Howard University lost by exactly 55 points, allowing anyone holding a Bison ticket at those numbers to cash despite the shutout.
It was that kind of matchup.
Indiana scored 20 points in the first quarter and carried a 41-0 advantage into halftime. The Hoosiers added two more touchdowns during the third quarter before going scoreless in the fourth.
Howard did not offer much resistance statistically. The Bison finished with only 57 total yards, including 44 through the air and 13 on 27 rushing attempts. They averaged one yard per play and punted nine times, according to the ESPN box score.
Yet the Bison did just enough—or Indiana stopped scoring soon enough—to beat a historically large betting number.
Indiana dominates Howard University
Howard University quarterbacks Ja’Shawn Scroggins and Isaiah Freeman combined to complete 10 of 20 attempts. Scroggins threw for 43 yards with one interception. Freeman completed two passes for one yard.
The running game found even less space. Billy Roberson II led Howard with 14 yards on seven carries. No Bison player produced a run longer than nine yards.|
Indiana moved in the opposite direction.
The Hoosiers amassed 505 offensive yards, including 296 on the ground. Lee Beebe Jr. rushed for 112 yards, while Turbo Richard added 108 yards and one touchdown.
Starting quarterback Josh Hoover completed six of 11 passes for 145 yards and four touchdowns. Charlie Becker turned all three of his receptions into scores. Indiana also received a defensive touchdown when Rolijah Hardy returned an interception 19 yards.
Howard’s defense did force and recover a fumble, but the Bison could not turn it into points.
A rare bright spot in a difficult afternoon
Nobody inside the Howard University program will confuse covering the spread with accomplishing its goals.
Still, the betting result illustrates how uneven the matchup appeared before kickoff. Odds trackers listed Howard between approximately 55.5 and 57.5 points, meaning the Bison were expected to endure a defeat of historic proportions.|
Indiana came close to delivering one.
Howard instead escaped with a narrow win for its financial backers, even if there was nothing narrow about the result on the field.
The loss dropped Howard University to 1-2. More importantly, it left the Bison searching for answers after producing fewer than 60 yards against one of the nation’s highest-ranked teams.
Howard University may have beaten the spread Saturday afternoon. That will offer little consolation as the program turns its attention toward the rest of the season.