Five takeaways from IU football’s 29-23 win against Northwestern

• Zach Horwitz

• 1h ago

 

Indiana shined in nearly every statistical category Friday night against Northwestern, but for the first time this season, controlling the game did not mean controlling the scoreboard.

The Hoosiers outgained the Wildcats 472-325 and possessed the ball for nearly 35 minutes, yet Northwestern remained within one score until the final minute. Indiana ultimately escaped with a 29-23 win, improving to 4-0 and 1-0 in Big Ten play. It also extends the program’s win streak to 20 consecutive victories.

“Dominated statistically, but the score was tight,” head coach Curt Cignetti said postgame. “Bottom line was we found a way to get it done.”

Here are five takeaways from Indiana’s first conference win of the season.

Lee Beebe Jr. carried the load

Indiana’s running back depth was tested Friday night and Lee Beebe Jr. answered the call.

With Khobie Martin already unavailable and Turbo Richard leaving the game with an injury on what seemed to be a “hip drop tackle”, Indiana increasingly leaned on Beebe as the night progressed. Playing what seemed to be every offensive snap in the second half, the junior finished with 24 carries for 203 yards and a touchdown while averaging 8.5 yards per attempt.

His biggest run came late in the fourth quarter when Indiana needed a response. Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles’ rushing touchdown cut the lead to 22-20 and the offense was under pressure to keep the visitors from getting the ball back with a chance to take the lead. Beebe broke free for 70 yards to set the Hoosiers up at the Northwestern 1-yard line.

Josh Hoover then scored on the quarterback keeper, faking the handoff and rolling out for a walk-in touchdown.

Beebe also consistently ran through contact throughout the second half as Indiana leaned heavily on the ground game.

“He’s got as much heart as anybody that’s been in this program the last three years,” Cignetti said. “Boy, we really needed him and he carried the load.”

Indiana finished with 272 rushing yards on 40 attempts, with Beebe and Richard doing nearly all of the damage.

Indiana learned how to win a close game

Indiana faced little adversity through its first three games, whether on the field or throughout Memorial Stadium, where nervous energy was palpable.

The Hoosiers beat North Texas by 36, Howard by 55 and Western Kentucky by 38. Friday felt different.

Northwestern trailed 12-0 at halftime before scoring on its opening possession of the second half. From that point forward, every Indiana score was followed by a Northwestern response and vice versa.

The Hoosiers never landed the knockout blow that had come so easily during the first three weeks.

Also, the road got tough when the Hoosiers were dinged for eight penalties, opposing the usual “clean football” that Cignetti’s teams are bred to play with.

Instead, Indiana had to execute in situations it hadn’t faced this season. The Hoosiers converted nine of 15 third downs, did not commit a turnover and continuously responded when Northwestern tightened the margin.

For a roster featuring several new faces, Cignetti believes that experience can matter moving forward.

“Being in a game like this and winning, absolutely,” Cignetti said. “No doubt it gives you confidence and belief.”

Indiana dominated much of the box score without dominating the game. Friday showed it could still find a way to win when things did not come nearly as easily.

Hoover settled down after an uneven start

Josh Hoover had opportunities to put Northwestern away much earlier.

Hoover missed Charlie Becker on multiple throws downfield in the first half that could have resulted in touchdowns and Indiana’s offense struggled to find a consistent rhythm despite controlling possession.

“We kind of were sort of frantic offensively,” Cignetti said. “We just couldn’t settle in.”

Hoover eventually did, finishing 19-of-29 for 201 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over. Cignetti said he thought Hoover played well in the second half as Indiana began creating more opportunities through both the passing and running games.

His legs also became increasingly important.

Hoover scrambled for a 16-yard gain and eventually put the game in hand on a designed 1-yard touchdown run with two minutes remaining. After Beebe’s 70-yard run brought Indiana to the goal line, Hoover faked the handoff and walked into the end zone to make it 29-20.

“I think him using his legs really adds to our offense,” Cignetti said.

It was not Hoover’s cleanest performance through four games, but after leaving several opportunities on the field early, he made enough plays late to finish the job.

Aidan Chiles gave Indiana’s defense its toughest test

Indiana knew containing Aidan Chiles would be important and it still struggled.

The Northwestern quarterback repeatedly escaped pressure and extended plays when Indiana appeared close to bringing him down. Chiles finished 22-of-29 for 293 yards and two passing touchdowns while adding another score with his legs.

The issue, Cignetti said, was simple.

“We couldn’t tackle the quarterback,” Cignetti said. “Plain and simple. Couldn’t tackle him. We would have pressure on him…couldn’t tackle him.”

Those extended plays put additional pressure on an Indiana secondary that had rarely been tested through three games.

Northwestern tight end Luke Dehnicke finished with seven catches for 140 yards, while Griffin Wilde caught six passes for 56 yards and two touchdowns.

Indiana entered Friday having posted consecutive shutouts against Howard and Western Kentucky. Northwestern presented a different challenge, particularly once Chiles began escaping the initial rush and forcing Indiana’s defensive backs to remain in coverage.

Another layer to the shaky coverage was due to the injury of linebacker Rolijah Hardy and the absence, yet again, of cornerback AJ Harris.

Regardless, the defense did just enough to stay afloat.

An early safety changed the final minutes

The first points of the game ultimately became two of the most important.

Indiana took a 2-0 lead when Chiles dropped a snap under center at Northwestern’s own one-yard line. At the time, it was simply a strange start to a game in which Indiana possessed the ball for 12:48 of the opening quarter but failed to score an offensive touchdown.

Those two points remained significant nearly three hours later.

After Northwestern felt it needed to cut Indiana’s lead down to 29-23 with a 42-yard field goal with 1:01 remaining, the Wildcats were forced to attempt an onside kick.

Had the early safety not occurred and the rest of the scoring remained the same, Northwestern would have been driving, needing a touchdown to ultimately tie or take the lead. The Wildcats also held onto all three timeouts at the time.

Instead, Indiana recovered the onside kick and Beebe picked up the necessary yardage to allow Hoover to kneel out the remaining seconds.

On a night where very little separated the two teams on the scoreboard, two points scored midway through the first quarter helped dictate how Northwestern had to approach the final minute.

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