Indiana had to sweat this one out.
What looked like a routine home win turned into a late-night test Friday, and the Hoosiers did just enough to survive Northwestern 29-23. Indiana didn’t put it away until it recovered an onside kick in the final minute, a messy finish for a team that entered with a perfect record and a 20-game win streak still hanging in the balance.
That ending fit the night more than the rest of the program’s recent standard. Indiana was penalized eight times, repeatedly giving Northwestern free chances to stay in the game. The Wildcats weren’t clean either, though, and their nine penalties for 57 yards helped keep them from taking fuller advantage.
The biggest concern, though, came when Turbo Richard left with an injury. Curt Cignetti did not say more about the issue, but Richard did not return and never came back to the sideline. That matters because Indiana is already set to be without Khobie Martin for at least a few more weeks, and the backfield picture gets thin fast after that.
Lee Beebe Jr. stepped in and carried a huge load.
Indiana’s run game has always been central to Mike Shanahan’s offense, and Beebe was the reason the Hoosiers were able to keep moving. He ripped off a 39-yard run and later a 70-yard burst on Indiana’s final two touchdown drives, finishing with 203 yards on 24 carries.
Sometimes he hit the crease and exploded through it. Other times he had to bounce runs outside and make something out of a play that wasn’t blocked cleanly.
That kind of production saved Indiana on a night when the ground game needed every yard it could get. If Richard is out, Beebe’s workload is about to get a lot heavier, and Indiana will need more help from somewhere soon.
Josh Hoover also had a night that was better than disastrous, but not sharp enough for comfort.
The passing game was shaky early, with Hoover missing some throws to Nick Marsh and leaving points on the field with two deep balls to Charlie Becker on the same drive. One sailed long.
The other came up short. Both should have been touchdowns.
He did settle down and finished 19 of 29 for 201 yards and a touchdown, but the early misses made the game far tighter than it should have been. If Indiana wants to keep avoiding these kinds of nail-biters, Hoover has to be cleaner from the start.
Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles made sure the Wildcats had a pulse.
Indiana’s defensive front looked strong for stretches, but Chiles kept buying time and turning broken plays into gains. On a third-and-13 early in the third quarter, he slipped away from pressure and ran 15 yards to extend a drive that ended with Northwestern’s first touchdown.
He was effective throwing the ball, too, finishing 22 of 29 for 293 yards and two touchdowns.
In Other News...
Indiana May Have Avoided A Bigger Problem Before Rutgers
Indiana got a little breathing room on the injury front as it turns its attention to Rutgers on Saturday night. Curt Cignetti said running back Turbo Richard and linebacker Rolijah Hardy, both hurt in the win over Northwestern, are expected to be available, easing some concern after both players left the game with injuries and were labeled day-to-day.
Richards lower leg and ankle issue had the potential to become a real complication for an offense that needs its depth intact, while Hardys exit after a tackle attempt briefly raised alarms on the defensive side. For a Hoosiers team heading into a primetime matchup, getting both back in the mix would help keep the rotation steady and prevent one game from turning into a bigger problem. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Defense Has A New Standout And A Secondary Twist
Indianas win over Northwestern came with the kind of defensive backbone the Hoosiers have been looking for, and Stephen Daley was right in the middle of it. In limited snaps, he kept showing up around the ball with multiple pressures, tackles and a forced fumble, giving Indiana a disruptive edge that helped shape the 29-23 result. The broader snap counts and grades painted a fuller picture of a defense that had some strong individual work to lean on even while the unit sorted through a few uneven stretches.
The secondary was the other part worth watching, because the review of the game suggested more than one player made a case for a bigger role moving forward. Indiana got useful contributions across the back end, but the grades also pointed to a few spots where the coverage still has room to tighten up. For a team trying to build on a hard-fought conference win, that mix of emergence and uncertainty is exactly the kind of thing that can define what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Keeps Winning But AP Voters Still Arent Buying In
Indianas latest result looked like the kind of win that usually steadies a poll position, if not lifts it. The Hoosiers survived Northwestern 29-23 to stretch their winning streak to 20 games, stay unbeaten at 4-0 and keep adding to a run that has made Memorial Stadium feel like a weekly obstacle course for visiting Big Ten teams.
Still, the AP voters were not moved much. Indiana dropped one spot to No. 6 in the latest poll despite earning a first-place vote, the second straight week the Hoosiers have slid after a close conference opener. Under Curt Cignetti, the program has banked 19 straight home wins and taken 18 of its last 19 Big Ten games, but the rankings stubbornly remain one of the few places where the respect has not quite caught up. [Read more 🡒]