Throwback Thursday: Northwestern 24 Indiana 14

Austin Carr (80) and the Wildcats used a 24-point first half to blow by IU. Image: Jerry Lai- USA Today Sports

Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Indiana has not had great luck against Northwestern over the last 30 years. The 2016 edition of this series saw Indiana asleep at the wheel in the first half as they fell behind 24-3, before the defense woke up and gave the offense a chance. It was an ugly offensive game for the Hoosiers, who couldn't get anything going on the ground and forced Richard Lagow to throw the ball 59 times. The Wildcats gashed the Hoosier defense early, but was shut down late and got help from two unbelievable interceptions to seal the win. There was a lot of luck involved in this game, Northwestern defensed five passes, intercepting two while Indiana defensed 10 and had no takeaways to show for it. Winning on the road in the Big Ten is difficult, but IU made it harder on themselves than it should've been.

Opponent: Northwestern Wildcats

Location: Saturday October 22nd, Ryan Field (Evanston, IL)

Why They Played:  The Hoosiers and Wildcats met for the first time since 2012 as a Big Ten cross-over game.

What The Game Meant:

With Hoosier Hysteria getting underway just a couple hours after the conclusion of this game, it was a chance for IU football to keep the fans’ attention for another few weeks before basketball games start up. It would’ve meant a fourth win and a shot at five and six in the next two weeks.

Top Offensive Performers:

Nick Westbrook, WR, Indiana- The sophomore had his best performance of the conference season as he hauled in a career-high 10 passes for 126 yards. He found the end zone on a three-yard run for IU’s only touchdown.

Austin Carr, WR, Northwestern- One of the most fundamentally sound players in the Big Ten showed why he was leading the conference in all the major receiving stats. Carr made seven catches for 125 yards including a 36-yard touchdown.

Clayton Thorson, QB, Northwestern- In the first half Thorson looked like an All-Big Ten caliber quarterback completing 18-of-31 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns. That was all that Northwestern would need out of him as IU held him to just 33 yards through the air in the second half before knocking him out late in the fourth quarter.

Top Defensive Performers

Nile Sykes, DE, Indiana- Sykes was terrific in the second half and was key in shutting down the Wildcat offense for the final 30 minutes. He recorded four total tackles with two sacks and three tackles for loss.

Tegray Scales, LB, Indiana- Scales was once again in double-digits with 10 tackles, 2.5 coming for a loss. He was a steady hand when IU needed a play and established an edge in the second half.

Anthony Walker, LB, Northwestern- Walker may be the best defensive player in the conference, even if he gets lost at a school like Northwestern. He totaled 11 tackles including two for a loss.

Special Team Performance

Special teams were the most consistent phase of the game for the Hoosiers in Saturday’s loss (that’s never a good thing). Griffin Oakes looks like he has regained his form and health going two-for-three on field with his only miss on a 53-yard attempt. He did a good job of kicking to the corner in a stiff breeze on kickoffs, but had no touchbacks.

Joseph Gedeon probably had his best day punting the football for IU. He averaged 45.4 yards per punt and pinned two of them inside the 20-yard line. In addition the punt coverage team blocked another punt, but the offense got nothing out of it.

ey Stat(s):

14-0

Another game, another big hole to climb out of as the Hoosiers fell behind 14-0 just 6:21 into the game and trailed at half time 24-3. Even with an 11-0 run in the second half the Hoosiers never could crawl back into the game.

Turning Point

The turning point in this contest was similar to last week’s when Indiana had cut the lead to 24-6 and blocked a Northwestern punt to gain great field position at the Hoosier 48. Indiana ran four plays and gained eight yards and turned it over on downs. A score, any score, there swings the momentum in IU’s favor and makes it at the very least a two-score game.

I Knew it Was Over When…

Northwestern defensive back Kyle Queiro made a ridiculous one-handed interception when IU was down 24-12 with 7:03 left in the game. A touchdown on that drive cuts the lead to five and then anything could happen.

Players of the Game

Nick Westbrook, Indiana- Westbrook tried his best to get the offense going as he hauled in 10 passes for 126 yards and added a rushing touchdown.

Austin Carr, Northwestern- He set the tone early for the Northwestern offense making six of his seven catches in the first half including a 36-yard TD. He finished with seven grabs for 125 yards.

What I took away from the game

The Hoosiers laid an egg in the first half on both sides of the ball as they allowed 24 points and 371 yards of offense, while producing just three points and 120 yards themselves. Indiana needed a fast start and didn’t produce it.

Quarterback Richard Lagow looked lost during a first half where he completed just 12-of-22 passes for 83 yards including an interception. This was not a play-calling issue, this was an execution issue as Lagow had receivers open for big gains and probably a touchdown but he under threw the ball resulting in a pick and multiple incompletions. It was as discouraging a performance as one can have against a secondary that was missing three starters.

The run game was no better as the Hoosiers continue their downward trend. IU only mustered 84 total yards on the ground, and that was with Dan Feeney back in the lineup. Wilson blamed the blocking along the line as the reason for the failures in the run game. Devine Redding finished with 42 yards on 16 carries. Devonte Williams, a player we have been calling to play for weeks, provided a spark off the bench with 42 yards on four carries. If Indiana cannot figure it out in the next two weeks, it may be more of the same.

If IU fans want a bright spot from this one, look at the second half defense. They shut down the Wildcat offense and held them to just 37 second half yards. 37!!! They gave the offense every chance to comeback and put points on the board.

The Hoosiers will have to rebound as their next two games are extremely winnable against Maryland and Rutgers and are key in getting bowl eligible. In order to do that they will have to put together a complete game for 60 minutes, something they’ve not done for most of the year.