No. 4 Indiana holds off Northwestern 29-23 to keep unbeaten run alive
The short version
- No. 4 Indiana beat Northwestern 29-23 to move to 4-0 (1-0 Big Ten) and extend the nation's longest FBS winning streak to 19 games.
- Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles overcame a first-play safety and a rough first half to bring the Wildcats within a 2-point conversion of tying.
- Lee Beebe Jr. set career highs in attempts and rushing yards, topping 100 yards with a 38-yard run, a 70-yard run and a fourth-quarter touchdown.
- Running back Turbo Richard left the game with an injury.
- Kicker Nico Radicic returned from a rib injury and made both of his field goal attempts.
The Hoosiers survived a second-half surge from the Wildcats to move to 4-0 and extend the nation's longest FBS winning streak to 19 games.
Fourth-ranked Indiana improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play on Friday night, edging Northwestern 29-23 at a sold-out Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. The victory extended Indiana's winning streak to 19 games, the longest in the FBS. Northwestern fell to 2-1 on the season and 0-1 in conference play.
The game began in unusual fashion, as Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles dropped a snap on the opening play and was tackled in the end zone for a safety. Indiana's defense controlled the first half, holding the Wildcats to 51 total yards before halftime while contributing a score of its own.
Quarterback Josh Hoover and the Indiana offense showed flashes but struggled to find consistency. Hoover connected on six straight passes during a second-quarter scoring drive, but Indiana's attack alternated between sharp and out of sync throughout the night. The run game produced explosive plays mixed with long stretches of little production.
Northwestern found life in the third quarter when Chiles converted a third-and-13 with a scramble. He later hit Griffin Wilde for a 4-yard touchdown on fourth down to cut the deficit to one possession. Running Chip Kelly's no-huddle offense, Chiles settled into a rhythm after a mistake-filled first half and kept the Indiana pass defense under pressure.
The Wildcats came close to tying the game, with Northwestern getting to within a 2-point conversion of pulling even in the second half. But Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. took over in the fourth quarter to help the Hoosiers close it out.
Beebe earned recognition as the standout player of the game, posting career highs in both carries and rushing yards and surpassing 100 yards on the ground for the second time this season. His night included a 38-yard run in the third quarter and a determined 4-yard touchdown in the fourth, when he bounced a play that appeared stopped to the outside to extend Indiana's lead to two possessions.
After Northwestern answered with a score, Beebe responded with a 70-yard gain on the first play of Indiana's next possession, putting the Hoosiers back in the red zone. He carried a heavier workload after running back Turbo Richard left the game with an injury.
Indiana's two critical fourth-quarter scoring drives were aided by Northwestern penalties both times. On special teams, kicker Nico Radicic returned after missing two games with a rib injury and went 2-for-2 on field goals. The one blemish came when Beebe muffed a kick return in the third quarter, though Indiana recovered. Ball security on special teams had been an emphasis for coach Curt Cignetti during the week, particularly after Tyler Morris lost the punt return job two weeks earlier following issues fielding the ball.
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