Matchup to Watch: No. 23 Indiana’s Offense vs. Northwestern’s Defense

Written By: Ben Gillard (@benjgillard)

Originally, the matchup to watch for this game was Northwestern Running Back Cam Porter vs. Indiana’s run defense. However, Porter suffered an ankle injury against Eastern Illinois and sat out last week against Washington. While Head Coach David Braun said that Porter is “trending in the right direction” his status against Indiana is still up in the air. Because of this, we decided to go a little unorthodox this week. Instead of a player matchup, the most interesting battle will be on the sidelines, between Mike Shanahan’s offense for Indiana and Tim McGarigle’s defense for Northwestern.

For the Hoosiers high-powered offense, the Northwestern defense presents a challenge far greater than their 2-2 record would suggest. Statistically, Northwestern is ranked 31st in the nation in total defense, 26th in First Downs allowed, and 16th in Red Zone defense, making them the toughest defense IU has faced to date.

The strength of this Wildcat defense is in their front seven. A gritty, physical group who can get pressure from either side of the line, as shown by the eight different Wildcats have recorded sacks this season. This is impressive, especially considering that Northwestern has been playing with lighter box. IU’s offensive line, who have been doing a good job protecting Kurtis Rourke, will have their work cut out for them on Saturday.

In addition to the pass rush, the Northwestern front seven has been stout against the run. The Wildcats have been allowing an average of 79.3 total rushing yards and 2.8 yards per carry over their first four games. This is Northwestern’s lowest yards per carry to start the season since 2000.

The key to success for Mike Shanahan and the Hoosiers starts with establishing the run game. Because Northwestern plays with a lighter box, it allows them to drop more players into coverage. By running the ball successfully early and often, IU can force the Northwestern safeties to creep down, allowing the wide receivers to get separation and open up the passing game.