BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Sweltering heat (on-the-field heat index of 152), blazing sunshine, a bloodied quarterback, a sell-out crowd and a season-opener like no other in Indiana football history -- celebrating a national championship -- delivered Saturday’s 52-16 victory over North Texas at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium, a lesson in toughness and insights into future improvements.

“It’s very inspirational to see all the work and preparation pay off,” running back Turbo Richard said, “but we know there are things we can get better.”

Consider quarterback Josh Hoover, a heralded transfer from TCU who in his Hoosier debut, despite a hit that left him on his knees with a bloody face, completed 13-of-16 passes for 231 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and a 285-quarterback rating. He wasn’t sacked.

“Josh Hoover was sharp,” head coach Curt Cignetti said. “He played well. He was 13-for-16, four touchdowns, no picks, no turnovers. We’ll take that every week.

“When you ask me why good players played good, I guess it’s because they’re good players.”

As for Hoover playing through the hit that bloodied him, Cignetti said, “He earned the respect of his teammates.”

After the game, Hoover, with a bandage on the bridge of his nose, downplayed it.

“It looked worse than it was. I’ve had my nose broken a couple of times. It happens.”

Still, it impressed the Hoosiers.

“Josh played great,” running back Lee Beebe Jr. said. “He went through all his reads and got past that little nose ding. He had blood on his face and came back like a true warrior. That tells us he’s going to push to the last bit of his energy. He’ll give 100 percent whether he’s dinged up or anything.”

Added Richard: “I was coming on the field after he got hit. I looked at him, saw the blood and asked, ‘Yo, you good?’ He said he was fine. He wasn’t coming out.

“He’s got that warrior spirit in him. It’s inspirational. If he’s playing with a bloody face, then I’ve got to do the same.”

Neither team punted until deep into the third quarter. IU had four touchdowns and a field goal in its first five possessions, then scored three touchdowns in its final three drives.

Hoover threw touchdowns to three different receivers – Charlier Becker (twice), Nick Marsh and Davion Chandler, and completed passes to seven different receivers,

“We’ve got a lot of weapons and guys who can really go,” Hoover said. “It’s been fun to watch their progression. That’s exciting because anybody who goes out there can make big plays. We’ve got to continue that and fine tune those details.”

Still, IU wants more, including from a running game that managed just 134 yards, 43 by backup quarterback Grant Wilson during a fourth-quarter touchdown run.

“There were things we could have done better,” Hoover said. “It’s never as good or as bad as you think. There will be opportunities to be more explosive and cleaner.

“Our goal was to execute our offense and the plays that were called. Just do our job, our one of 11 as Coach Cignetti says. That’s all I was trying to do. Give those guys a chance and they made plays.”

Still, North Texas finished with more total yards (367 yards to 365) and had a big edge in time of possession (37 minutes to IU’s 23). Former IU quarterback Tayven Jackson finished 22-for-28 for 192 yards and an interception.

“I didn’t think we played real well on defense,” Cignetti said. “It was poor tackling on the perimeter. When you play a first game, especially against a new (North Texas) staff, you’re not sure what you’re going to see. You get some looks you didn’t practice, and you’ve got to make some adjustments.”

Linebacker Isaiah Jones, who had a game-high 12 tackles, wasn’t pleased.

“You want to see more explosive defense, like TFLs, sacks. That’s what we preach -- hustling to the ball. We have to correct that.

“When you have coaches like (Cignetti) and (defensive coordinator Bryant Haines) and all the defensive coaches, they’re not going to let that go light. In Monday’s practice, our leaders will make sure we’re flying to the ball and hitting ball carriers.”

As for the 152 heat index, Cignetti said, “I’ve never heard of that in my life.” He added that the conditions didn’t alter the way the Hoosier called the game offensively or defensively.

“It was tough out there, but we both had to deal with it.”

Added Richard: “We did a lot of hydrating, electrolytes, recovery, stretching so you’re not cramping. It’s important to do that before the game. It’s playing the game before the game.”

Victory wasn’t without concerns. IU lost starting cornerbacks A.J. Harris and Jamari Sharpe, plus tailback Khobie Martin in the first quarter. Ryland Gandy and Jaylen Bell replaced Harris and Sharpe. Cignetti said the cornerback injuries are “not long-term deals,” but Martin’s might be.

Hoosier the Bison zip-lined from atop the giant scoreboard to the field as part of a pre-game celebration of last season’s 16-0 national championship, an unprecedented accomplishment still reverberating throughout college football.

“In my lifetime,” FOX analyst and College Football Hall of Fame head coach Urban Meyer said, “I’ve never seen anything like what this team and staff did last year.”

Neither has fellow FOX analyst and former Notre Dame All-American quarterback Brady Quinn.

“I think we’re living in an alternate universe,” he said. “It’s so hard to put it into context. People who don’t follow college football don’t understand how big of a deal this was.”

For the record, until last season, IU had the most losses in major college football history.

“We go all over the country,” Quinn said, “and this is crazy to see what (Cignetti) was able to in just two years, just flip that switch. It’s the greatest story in sports to turn it around as fast as I’ve ever seen.”

An updated Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium includes a new “National Champions 2025” sign beneath the large scoreboard, with room to add more.

Meyer personally knows the difficulty of repeating as national champion. He won three national titles, two at Florida (2006, 2008) and one at Ohio State (2014).

“Coach Cignetti is going to deal with something that is really unchartered waters,” Meyer said. “The best thing he has going is the continuity of his staff. He’s one of the few who has done that. Every year after a national title, I always lost coordinators. With (offensive coordinator) Mike Shanahan and (defensive coordinator) Bryant Haines, I can’t believe they weren’t picked up as head coaches. The job they did on both sides of the ball was historic.

“Yes, it’s tough to repeat, but not many teams have as talented a coaching staff.”

Beebe Jr.’s 67-yard kickoff return set up Marsh’s one-handed back-shoulder TD catch from Hoover for a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

Hoover’s 39-yard pass to Richard set up Richard’s two-yard TD run for a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

After North Texas’s 47-yard field goal, Hoover hit Becker with a nine-yard touchdown pass for a 21-3 lead with 6:46 left in the first half. North Texas’s 33-yard field goal was negated by Nico Radicic’s career-long 49-yard effort for a 24-6 halftime score.

Hoover finished 7-for-8 (his only incompletion was a deliberate throw-away) for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Jones led with nine tackles. Defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker had a sack.

North Texas opened the second half with a touchdown. Hoover’s 25-yard, on-the-run completion to tight end Brock Schott was followed by his 35-yard back-shoulder touchdown pass to Becker for a 31-13 lead five minutes into the third quarter. A 38-yard Mean Green field goal made it 31-16 entering the fourth quarter.

Hoover’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Chandler made it 38-16 with 12:51 remaining. IU added touchdown runs of one yard by Richard and 43 yards by Wilson for the final 52-16 score.

“It’s a good win,” Cignetti said, “but there will be a lot of critiques for sure.”

Next up -- Saturday’s home game against Howard.

“We’re 1-0,” Becker said, “and looking to go 2-0.”