Week 10 Inside the Numbers: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Northwestern Wildcats

Written by Andrew Walker
With the Hoosiers bowl eligible in October for the first time since 1993, Indiana Football is rolling. The Northwestern Wildcats come to Bloomington on Saturday for a much anticipated 7PM evening game. Ticket sales are through the roof and hype seems to be as high or higher than I’ve ever seen for the middle of an Indiana Hoosiers football season. Let’s go inside the numbers and take a look at the statistical storylines for this weekend’s contest. 

1. Overall scoring

Indiana - 34 ppg

It’s no secret that Indiana knows how to score on the offensive side of the ball. Now having played an equal number of games, both Mike Penix and Peyton Ramsey have put up great numbers in each of their opportunities. Indiana is scoring at a healthily high rate, and for good reason. When the offense runs this well through either of your QB’s, Kalen DeBoer has to be doing something right when it comes to engineering a suitable gameplan. Indiana needs to be able to win games by double digits the further they get into the season if they want to have any chance of beating Penn State or Michigan. 

Northwestern - 10.7 ppg

Northwestern can’t seem to find the endzone this year. They’ve scored 75 total points in seven games this season, and are at the bottom of 130 ranked teams on NCAA.com in total scoring. Both quarterbacks that have played for the Wildcats have a combined two touchdowns and 11 interceptions on the year. The one slightly bright spot to Northwestern’s offense is freshman RB Drake Anderson. The young halfback has six touchdowns on the year, averaging almost five yards per carry. Northwestern is going to have to rely on a career and record setting day from Anderson if they wish to win any more games, since the QB position isn’t really working out for them. 

Tackles for loss

Indiana - 52 TFLs

The Hoosier defense continues to show flashes of greatness in more ways than one. Not only is freshman DB Tiawan Mullen an absolute stud, Indiana’s pass rush defense is finding ways to get to the QB when nobody else can. Indiana’s 52 TFL on the season is a testament to the hard work and athleticism the Hoosiers bring to every defensive snap. Whether it’s blowing up a dive play or forcing the QB to hold onto the ball just long enough for a sack, the Hoosier defense is getting it done. 

Northwestern - 37

On the other end of the spectrum, the Wildcats have been significantly less successful at stopping their opponents behind the line of scrimmage. Senior DL Joe Gaziano leads the Wildcats in TFL with 8.5 per game. Pretty impressive for a defense that doesn’t have much of a pass rush presence. In fact, he’s the only guy on the defense that averages more than one TFL per game. Because of IU’s stellar QB play, for Northwestern to have a shot at downing Indiana, Gaziano and the rest of the defense have to be able to create negative yardage situations to have any shot at victory. 

Third down conversion percentage

Indiana - 47%

The Hoosiers have been relatively consistent at converting their third downs. Whether it be Stevie Scott rumbling across the first down marker, or either QB threading a needle as a receiver falls out of bounds, the Hoosiers generally do a pretty good job of moving the chains. At almost 50% per game, Indiana’s ability to keep the drive going should instill confidence in Hoosier faithful, especially against a sub-par defense, that the Hoosiers can get the job done. 

Northwestern - 32%

The same cannot be said about the Wildcat offense. Converting a third down only 32% of the time isn’t a good start to turning an offense around. Success starts with being able to keep a drive going. You may have a few bad plays to get you to third down, but being able to dig a team out of that third down hole and keep the drive moving is the mark of a successful football team, no matter how many times you end up on third down.