No. 5 Indiana opened Big Ten play with a fight on its hands Friday night, but the Hoosiers did just enough to leave Memorial Stadium with a 29-23 win over Northwestern and move to 4-0.
It took a little while for Indiana to find its footing. The game started with two illegal snap penalties and a media timeout before the first play from scrimmage, and the Hoosiers’ first meaningful push still came up empty. Junior running back Turbo Richard ripped off a 33-yard run, and redshirt senior quarterback Josh Hoover completed three passes to help Indiana get into the red zone, but Northwestern slammed the door when it stopped Richard on a fourth-and-1 handoff from the 1-yard line.
That missed chance didn’t linger long. Northwestern senior quarterback Aidan Chiles then botched the first snap at his own goal line, and Indiana pounced for a safety to get on the board. With the ball back and a 2-0 lead, the Hoosiers moved past midfield again, but the drive fizzled when Hoover missed junior wide receiver Charlie Becker streaking downfield.
Northwestern handed it right back on a three-and-out, and Indiana made the next possession count. A nine-play, 51-yard drive ended with redshirt junior kicker Nico Radicic drilling a 43-yard field goal to make it 5-0. The Wildcats couldn’t answer from their own 25, and Indiana took over again.
This time Hoover was sharp. He went 6-for-6 on the march and finished it with an 8-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Nick Marsh, the first touchdown of the night. That pushed Indiana to a 12-0 halftime lead.
Northwestern finally settled in after the break. Following a pair of punts to open the third quarter, the Wildcats put together a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Griffin Wilde on fourth-and-goal. Indiana answered with a drive of its own, but a Hoover incompletion on third down forced the Hoosiers into a 22-yard field goal.
The Wildcats kept pressing. Chiles found his rhythm on the next series, going 5-for-5 and finishing it with another 8-yard touchdown pass to Wilde. Northwestern went for two to try to tie it at 15, but the conversion failed, leaving Indiana in front 15-13.
From there, the game turned into a back-and-forth exchange of big runs and answers. Redshirt senior running back Lee Beebe Jr. sparked Indiana with a 39-yard burst and finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. Chiles responded again, pushing Northwestern all the way to Indiana’s 7-yard line before taking it in himself to cut the lead to 22-20.
Indiana’s last decisive push came on the ground. Beebe broke loose for a 70-yard run to set up the Hoosiers, and six plays later Hoover kept it on a 1-yard touchdown run to stretch the lead to 29-20. Northwestern added a field goal, but that was as close as it got.
Beebe took over after Richard left with an injury, carrying Indiana 24 times for 203 yards and a touchdown. Hoover finished 19 of 29 for 201 yards and a score.
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Indiana Win Brings Two Injury Worries Hoosier Fans Will Be Watching
Indianas win over Northwestern came with an unwelcome dose of concern, as the Hoosiers saw running back Turbo Richard leave in the first half and never return. Head coach Curt Cignetti addressed Richards injury and the circumstances surrounding the tackle afterward, adding a small postgame cloud to what should have been a clean result.
Rolijah Hardy added to the uneasy feeling later in the game when the starting linebacker went down as well, though he was able to walk off the field on his own. Jeff Utzinger stepped in for Hardy, and Indiana will now wait to see whether either injury lingers beyond a victory that otherwise moved the team forward. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Escapes To 4-0 With A Bigger Problem Ahead
Indianas Big Ten opener delivered the kind of result that keeps an undefeated start intact and, for stretches, showed why this team has been able to survive early tests. The defense set the tone against Northwestern, holding the Wildcats to negative rushing yards in the first half, while quarterback Josh Hoover steadied things after some early struggles and helped guide the scoring drives that carried Indiana to a 29-23 win and a 4-0 record.
The bigger issue now is what the victory may have cost. Injuries to running backs Turbo Richard and Khobie Martin surfaced as the game went on, and in a conference stretch where depth matters almost as much as momentum, Indiana will need answers quickly if it wants the start to mean more than just a strong September. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Survived A Real Big Ten Test After A Costly Scare
Indiana had to work for every bit of this one at Memorial Stadium, where Northwestern pushed the Hoosiers far harder than the final margin might suggest. The 29-23 win came with a heavy dose of urgency after Turbo Richard left the game injured, forcing Indiana to lean even more on Lee Beebe Jr., who responded with 203 rushing yards and a touchdown to keep the offense moving.
Josh Hoover eventually delivered the play that settled it, scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a quarterback run late in the game. For Indiana, the bigger concern may be what came before that final push, because surviving a Big Ten test is one thing, but doing it while watching an important back exit in the middle of the fight changes the conversation heading into what comes next. [Read more 🡒]