Rapid Reaction: Northwestern scares No. 5 Indiana, falls 29-23
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It took the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) until the game’s final moments on Friday to take down the 21-point underdog Northwestern Wildcats (2-1, 0-1 Big Ten), but the ‘Cats fell just short of an upset in the end, suffering a 29-23 defeat.
Aidan Chiles was stellar through the air for the Wildcats, throwing for 293 yards and two touchdowns without any interceptions. Among the receivers, tight end Luke Dehnicke was the star, as he caught seven passes for 140 yards. The ‘Cats played turnover-free football against Indiana but got dominated in the trenches, losing the rushing yards battle 271-32.
The Hoosiers were led by a generational performance from running back Lee Beebe Jr., who ran for 203 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries. Quarterback Josh Hoover went 19-for-29 for 201 yards and a score through the air.
Both teams endured key injuries throughout the game. Already dealing with an inactive Braden Turner, the Wildcats suffered an early loss in the secondary following the injury sustained by Josh Fussell. Meanwhile, the Hoosiers lost running back Turbo Richard early on after he sustained a big hit on the IU sideline.
After a roaring sea of red welcomed the Hoosiers into Memorial Stadium, the defending national champions got off to a slow start. The Hoosiers committed back-to-back pre-snap penalties before their drive even started, much to the disliking of head coach Curt Cignetti, who called a timeout and gave the referees an expletive-heavy earful.
Facing a first-and-20, the ‘Cats defense had an opportunity to force an early three-and-out, but instead the Hoosiers burst awake with a 33-yard Turbo Richard run into Northwestern territory. Indiana drove 67 yards to NU’s one-yard line, where it decided to go for it on fourth-and-goal. Hoover took the snap under center and handed it off to Richard, but Payton Roth said NO, SIR! The 6-foot-4, 230-pound junior came flying into the backfield and met Richard at the one, securing a huge game-starting defensive stop for the Wildcats.
With momentum on its side, the NU offense, unfortunately, was not ready for the moment. On NU’s first offensive play of the night, Chiles muffed the snap and was tackled by Indiana’s Daniel Ndukwe in the end zone for a safety, putting the Hoosiers ahead 2-0.
On the ensuing Indiana drive, the ‘Cats defense allowed a 21-yard Hoover-to-Charlie Becker completion, but it held strong afterward, giving the offense a chance to right the ship from its own eight-yard line. However, NU continued to struggle to snap the football, committing two pre-snap penalties and punting the ball away on fourth-and-14.
Starting from their own 24-yard line, the Hoosiers finally found some offensive rhythm, mounting a nine-play, 51-yard drive off the back of a 16-yard Hoover scramble on third-and-11 and 37 rushing yards from Richard and Beebe Jr. Yet the ‘Cats’ d-line was able to push Hoover out of the pocket on third-and-six at NU’s 25-yard line, holding IU to a field goal that made the score 5-0.
With 13:06 to play in the second quarter, Chip Kelly’s offense started its second drive of the day and was able to move the chains for the first time of the evening after Indiana’s Tyrique Tucker was called for a late hit on his sack of Aidan Chiles on third-and-nine. The ‘Cats would pick up one more first down on the drive, pushing the ball into Hoosier territory, but they ultimately chose to punt the ball away after failing to convert a third-and-six at Indiana’s 41-yard line.
Then, starting from its own 10, the Hoosiers drove right down the field in 3:59 for a touchdown. Indiana picked on NU’s backup cornerback Ore Adeyi for most of the drive, as he drew a 15-yard pass interference penalty early and allowed several completions. IU gained a combined 59 yards on five straight passes for the touchdown and a 12-0 lead.
In a two-score hole, the ‘Cats offense remained stagnant into the half. At the start of the drive, NU looked poised to execute a five-minute drill and tighten the score, picking up three first downs and advancing as far as the Indiana 32-yard line. However, Chiles then got called for a costly intentional grounding penalty that resulted in a 21-yard loss and pinned the ‘Cats to a third-and-28 back at their own 47. Unable to convert on the third down, NU booted it deep, and Indiana let time expire in the half.
It was a miserable first half for Northwestern, to say the least. The ‘Cats were truly fortunate to be within two scores of the lead, trailing 12-0 after getting outgained 243-51. Indiana was dominating the game up front, gaining 121 rushing yards on 6.4 yards per carry on the offensive end, while NU got held to -5 (yes, you read that right) total rushing yards in the half by one of the best defensive fronts in college football.
In the second half, however, the ‘Cats came ready to fight.
The half started with Northwestern and Indiana trading three-and-outs on their first respective offensive possessions. On their second drive of the frame, the ‘Cats were en route to a second-straight three-and-out, but Chiles worked some manic magic, evading multiple Hoosier pass-rushers in the backfield and narrowly escaping a shoestring tackle to pick up a first down with a 15-yard scramble on third-and-13.
On the following play, Chiles once again escaped swarming defenders in the backfield before throwing across his body while rolling left to find Dehnicke, who made a 20-yard toe-tap reception along the sideline at the Hoosiers’ 43-yard line.
With those momentous plays, Chip Kelly’s boys were finally rolling, eventually pushing into the red zone. Yet Indiana wasn’t ready to go down without the fight, as the Hoosiers sacked Chiles for its first time of the day on first-and-goal and then stuffed a scrambling Chiles on second down, dislocating the transfer quarterback’s finger on the play and putting the ‘Cats in third-and-goal at the 9-yard line. But the ‘Cats stayed aggressive, gaining 5 yards on third down on a Gavin Sawchuk rush and then going for six on fourth-and-goal. As the play broke down, Chiles stayed poised in the pocket and laced a ball to Wilde in the end zone, putting the ‘Cats on the board. With 6:34 to play in the third, the ‘Cats had life, down just 12-7.
Despite the purple energy brewing, the Hoosiers fired up offensively and quickly marched down the field in just over four minutes to move inside NU’s 10-yard line, with Hoover finding Becker for two 20-plus-yard receptions. Yet despite IU’s success through the air, the Hoosiers turned to the run game on first- and second-and-goal in the red zone and worked themselves into a third-and-goal at the 4-yard line. In a critical spot, Indiana turned back to the passing game, but the ‘Cats’ Adeyi, who had been worked all night by the Hoosiers, finally made a big play, breaking up a pass intended for Becker and forcing a field goal.
With 2:06 remaining in the third quarter, the ‘Cats got the ball back with a chance to tie the game at 15, and Kelly made quick work in showing that he had figured something out on his playsheet. Northwestern’s offense went flying, as Chiles connected with Wilde for 18 yards and Dehnicke for 33 yards on the drive’s first two plays. Three plays later, Chiles found a leaping Wilde in the back-right corner of the end zone for a second time, as the Sioux Falls native made incredible work to keep a foot in-bounds.
Subsequently, the ‘Cats went for two to tie the game, but they were unable to convert. With 14:54 to play, Indiana narrowly remained in the driver’s seat, up 15-13.
Back on defense, Northwestern pinned Indiana to a third-and-18, looking to get the ball back with a chance to take the lead. The ‘Cats made a stop, getting a quick tackle on a screen pass to Beebe Jr., but NU’s Matthew Smith was called for a facemask, which gave the Hoosiers a first down. From there, Indiana was off to the races, mounting a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, built this time on the ground off the legs of Beebe Jr. The senior running back broke free on a critical 3rd-and-11 at NU’s 48 yard-line for a gain of 39 yards, and he gained the nine remaining goal-to-go yards on the next two plays to put the Hoosiers ahead 22-13.
The ‘Cats had their backs against the wall once again, but Chiles wasn’t ready to go down without a fight. After fumbling the ball out-of-bounds on the drive’s first play, Chiles recovered to find breakout-performer Dehnicke up the seam for a 41-yard gain. On the very next play, Chiles once again went deep, this time dropping a dime into the palms of Wilde and pushing the ‘Cats back into the red zone.
After a holding penalty on Indiana set the ‘Cats up with a first-and-goal at the IU 4-yard-line, Joseph Himon lost three yards on a carry and Chiles failed to convert with an open Drew Wagner on the far-side of the end zone, placing the ‘Cats in a crucial third-and-goal from the 7. Chiles took the snap, and the play broke down, but the Michigan State transfer never fazed, as he slipped past Indiana defenders and scrambled his way into the end zone, bringing the score to 22-20.
But in the end, the ‘Cats suffered one too many defensive breakdowns to pull off a historic upset. Indiana’s o-line was dominant in the trenches all day long and, on the opening play of the Hoosiers’ subsequent drive, it created one final opening for Beebe Jr., who broke free for a 70-yard gain down to Northwestern’s 5-yard line. From there, the ‘Cats kept the Hoosiers out of the end zone for five goal-to-go plays – despite a pass interference penalty on third-and-goal at the one – but they weren’t able to complete the stop, as Hoover faked a handoff to Beebe Jr. and skipped into the end zone, leaving the ‘Cats completely fooled.
Back down 29-20, the ‘Cats mounted an eight-play, 51-yard drive, primarily off 33 yards of completions to Alex Honig, and they kicked a 42-yard field goal to get back within one score with 58 seconds remaining.
In desperation mode, the ‘Cats lined up for an onside kick, and Henry Helms executed it to perfection, getting a high bounce that bounced off the hands of an IU receiver. But Northwestern, heartbreakingly, was unable to pounce on the loose ball.
At this point, the ‘Cats still had three timeouts and had a chance to stop the Hoosiers and get a chance at tying the game. However, Adeyi missed a tackle attempt on Beebe Jr. in the backfield on third-and-1, and the Hoosiers marched to victory.
The ‘Cats fought to the end, with Chiles having a breakout performance in the game’s final thirty minutes, but Northwestern fell just short of pulling off the most impossible of upsets, losing 29-23. The Wildcats will return to action next Friday in the New Ryan Field opener at 7 p.m. CT against Penn State.
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