Indiana football’s offense is considerably different than it was a year ago.
What made the Hoosiers so difficult to defend in 2024 was the fact that any one of five targets was capable of receiving the football
and picking up yards after doing so. Kurtis Rourke was excellent at getting the ball to an array of receiving talent that stressed opposing Big Ten secondaries to the point of blowouts.
This year, Indiana doesn’t have that depth. It has a Heisman-caliber quarterback running the show in Fernando Mendoza (zero disrespect to Rourke, who was perfect for what Indiana had last season), but the receiving depth from 2024 just isn’t present.
But Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper have been good enough as Indiana’s 1A and 1B options to keep the Hoosiers’ offense elite. Which is why it was a problem when Sarratt started dealing with injury a few weeks ago and has been sidelines for the past few games.
Cooper has been excellent all season, but it creates real problems for an offense when it has one reliable receiving target because a defense can stick its best corner on him and dare the opposing sideline to throw the ball anywhere else.
So Mendoza did. And it started working.
Charlie Becker is a true sophomore originally recruited by Tom Allen who stayed true to his commitment to the Hoosiers after the transition to Curt Cignetti. He hails from Nashville, Tennessee, and has a proud football heritage. His brother, Cole Becker, is a linebacker at Appalachian State. His father, David Becker, lettered as a linebacker at Ohio State.
Entering the matchup against Penn State, Indiana’s second without Sarratt, Becker totaled seven receptions on the season. He’d shown flashes of what he could do, including a 52-yarder at Maryland, but had a day to remember in Happy Valley.
Becker hauled in improbable catch after improbable catch against the Nittany Lion secondary, including a crucial leaping grab to keep a third quarter driving going and another on the Hoosiers’ final game-winning drive to get Indiana in the red zone.
Becker’s seven receptions against Penn State matched his previous season total up to that point and went for 118 yards. He added five more at home the following week against Wisconsin, with 108 yards and a touchdown reception.
He had the talent and ability to make this happen, but had trouble standing out with two incredibly talented pieces at the top of the Hoosiers’ depth chart. Needing to give Mendoza an option without Sarratt, he’s made the most and showed he can contribute for the remainder of the 2025 season and into 2026 as a piece for the future.
