Indiana didn’t make it easy on itself Saturday night, but it did just enough to stay perfect.
The Hoosiers held off Northwestern 29-23 at Memorial Stadium, leaning on a huge night from Lee Beebe Jr., a safety that helped build some breathing room, and a late touchdown run from Josh Hoover that ended up deciding the game.
Indiana is 4-0 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play. Next week brings the Hoosiers’ first road trip of the season, at Rutgers.
Beebe was the difference after Turbo Richard went out with an injury in the first half and did not return. With Indiana down to one available piece in its backfield trio, Beebe took over and carried the load.
He finished with 24 carries for 203 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Indiana does not win this one without that performance.
The game also turned into a test, and Indiana absorbed plenty of pressure along the way. Josh Hoover had an uneven day, the defense struggled at times in the second half, and the Hoosiers piled up eight penalties, tying their most in a game since 2024. It was the kind of tense home game Indiana hasn’t had at Memorial Stadium since that 2024 season, but the Hoosiers still found a way through it.
Part of that came from a little extra cushion. Indiana got a safety in the first quarter, and Northwestern’s failed two-point conversion attempt early in the fourth quarter mattered too. That miss forced the Wildcats to take a quick field goal with about a minute left and then try an onside kick, which Indiana recovered.
Then came the play that sealed it. Coming out of the two-minute warning, Indiana had a third-and-goal from the 1-yard line and a 22-20 lead.
Hoover faked the handoff to Beebe, tucked the ball, and ran untouched into the end zone. Northwestern bit on the fake, and Hoover found a clear lane for the touchdown that ultimately put the game away.
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