Indiana Hangs On Against Northwestern, Wins Big Ten Opener
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It was a weird start in Bloomington.
The Indiana Hoosiers hosted the Northwestern Wildcats in the conference opener and everything got off to a strange start. Indiana committed two pre-snap penalties before ever snapping the ball and Curt Cignetti had to burn a timeout before ever running a play.
From there, the Hoosiers put together a 15-play march all the way down to the one-yard line before coming up short on 4th and goal, turning it over to the Wildcats on downs. Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles took his first snap while standing in the end zone and it wasn't clean, resulting in a safety.
2-0 Indiana.
And that's how the first quarter ended. For a team that scores 50 points regularly and was a heavy favorite at home, the Hoosiers did not get off to the hot start they wanted. After all of that, the game remained tight throughout.
Instead of cruising to the type of three-touchdown victory many anticipated, No. 5 Indiana held on for a 29-23 win over the Wildcats to improve to 4-0 on the season.
The Hoosiers did plenty offensively, finishing with 472 total yards and 271 yards on the ground, but Chiles kept the Wildcats within striking distance throughout the afternoon.
Indiana took a 12-0 lead into halftime after scoring twice in the second quarter. Northwestern finally got on the board in the third quarter, but the Wildcats continued to hand around as the Hoosiers struggled to put the game away.
Indiana's offense ultimately leaned heavily on running back Lee Beebe Jr. after Turbo Richard exited the game in the second quarter with what appeared to be a knee injury. Beebe stepped up in a major way delivering one of the biggest performances of his career. He ended up carrying the ball 24 times for 203 yards and a touchdown, averaging 8.5 yards per carry. His 70-yard run wasn't a score, but it was the longest play of the game and helped provide the explosive boost Indiana needed.
Quarterback Josh Hoover was efficient enough through the air, completing 19-of-29 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown without throwing an interception. However, Indiana's passing attack was not particularly explosive, as Hoover missed several deep shots resulting in just 10.6 yards per completion.
Once again, Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh were open a lot and Hoover found them. Becker finished the day with seven grabs for 98 yards, but did not score a touchdown for the first time this year. Marsh added five catches for 62 yards and a score, his third of the season.
Northwestern countered with an impressive performance from Chiles, who completed 22-of-29 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran one in. The Wildcats, however, could generate almost nothing on the ground. Northwestern managed just 32 rushing yards on 27 attempts, an average of only 1.2 yards per carry.
That inability to run the football ultimately put significant pressure on Chiles and the passing game.
Northwestern made a late push, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter, but Indiana's defense held on when it mattered most. Throw in a late face mask penalty to keep an Indiana drive moving on 3rd and 19 and a very exciting onside kick that IU barely covered, and things just didn't go Northwestern's way.
Indiana will take the win, but the final margin tells a different story than what many expected entering the game. The Hoosiers were favored by three touchdowns, yet needed to make plays late to secure a six-point victory.
With Big Ten play now underway, Indiana has a 4-0 record, but also plenty to evaluate before its next conference matchup against Rutgers in Piscataway.
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