Indiana is rolling into Friday night’s Big Ten opener with the kind of momentum that makes predictions feel almost too easy, even if the matchup itself still has a few moving parts. The Hoosiers are 3-0, ranked No. 5 in the country and fresh off a 38-0 shutout of Western Kentucky. Northwestern has been solid, but Indiana has looked like a team operating on a different tier.
Curt Cignetti’s group has been humming on both sides of the ball. The offense has put up 52, 55 and 38 points through three weeks, and quarterback Josh Hoover has been the engine behind it all.
He has completed 37 of 51 passes, thrown for 10 touchdowns and hasn’t thrown an interception or lost a fumble. Indiana’s defense, meanwhile, has turned in back-to-back shutouts.
That combination makes the Hoosiers heavy favorites to handle Northwestern at Memorial Stadium, and it also sets up a few things that could make the night look lopsided fast.
Indiana should get past 40 points without much trouble. Northwestern is not a shutdown defense, and Cignetti isn’t the kind of coach who eases off just because the scoreboard gets friendly.
Indiana’s slow start against Western Kentucky capped that game at 38, but the staff made that a point of emphasis in practice this week. A faster start would give the Hoosiers a real chance to get past 40 before the final whistle.
The ground game should be part of the formula, too. Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. have carried heavy workloads already, with 41 and 47 carries respectively, and both should be in line for meaningful touches again.
Northwestern has allowed only four rushing touchdowns through two games, but it has also given up 163.5 rushing yards per game and nearly five yards per carry. That leaves room for Indiana to lean on both backs and get them each into the end zone.
The passing game can pile on from there. Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh give Indiana two dangerous targets who can strike quickly, especially if the run game forces Northwestern to crowd the box.
Becker has scored in every game and already has six touchdowns this season. Marsh has found the end zone twice, and he brings the same kind of explosive threat.
If the Hoosiers set up play action the way they want, both receivers can cash in.
One thing that may finally break for Indiana is Hoover’s turnover luck. He has been spotless so far, but Northwestern’s plus-four turnover margin suggests the Wildcats can make at least a little trouble. Hoover is still expected to play well, but the first interception of his season feels like a real possibility.
Even with that, Indiana should still be in position to cover the 20.5-point spread. If Richard, Beebe, Marsh and Becker all do damage, the Hoosiers can get to at least 28 points just from their scoring plays. With the defense playing as it has, Northwestern may have a hard time keeping pace, which leaves Indiana with a strong shot to open Big Ten play by clearing the number comfortably.
In Other News...
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 🡒]