Whether it’s as simple as going to class or cleaning up the locker room, the Hoosiers are going to start doing the little things that winners do.
That was the pledge Mitchell Paige made after the IU football team lost Saturday to Northwestern, 24-14.
“It’s kind of the same thing that’s been happening, things we need to fix,” the senior wide receiver said. “In critical situations we’re getting a penalty, or we’re not making the play that we need to make. We’ve got to find a way this week.”
IU fell into a 14-3 hole at the end of the first quarter and a bigger 24-3 hole at the end of the first half. Wildcat quarterback Clayton Thorson used his Big Ten leading receiver, Austin Carr, and others, to match a career high total of three touchdowns in a game in half the time.
Northwestern’s defense stifled IU’s offense both on the ground and through the air. They allowed the Hoosiers just 120 yards of total offense through two quarters while the Wildcats amassed 371.
IU’s defense woke up in the second half, but its offense couldn’t make the competitive plays to do the same.
All game long, whether it was jump balls Northwesrern’s defensive backs would come down with instead of IU’s receivers or blocking matchups that would end with IU junior running back Devine Redding down for a short gain instead of a first down, the 50-50 plays always seemed to go Northwestern’s way.
It appeared as if Northwestern just wanted it more.
If IU (3-4, 1-3) could have come down with a few more of those deep balls, some of which were incomplete because Lagow couldn’t make the throw, or broken out a few more runs, the offense may have kicked into gear.
“Whenever Ricky makes a good play I’m hype,” sophomore wide receiver Nick Westbrook said. “I’m just, I want to make the next big play. It’s contagious and, I don’t know, I feel like we could have made more obviously, but, it’s unfortunate.”
IU’s only play that gained more than 30 yards was a 33-yard pass from Lagow to Westbrook on a drive that ended with a field goal.
Northwestern (4-3, 3-1) had two touchdown passes that traveled more than 30 yards, and it’s not as if IU didn’t try to do the same.
Lagow tried to find his man down field, whether it was senior receiver Ricky Jones, Westbrook or someone else, but couldn’t. Either he would miss his man or a Northwestern defensive back would break the pass up.
Twice, a Northwestern defensive back made more of an effort than a Hoosier receiver and came down with an interception. The first battle came between IU sophomore receiver Luke Timian and Northwestern cornerback Montre Hartage.
Hartage picked it out of the air. The second came between IU’s Jones and Northwestern safety Kyle Queiro.
Queiro picked it out of the air too, albeit with a bit more flash.
IU struggled in the red zone as well, settling for two field goals on drives that, if IU had won the battle in the trenches, could have finished in the end zone.
Once again, IU is left within spitting distance of where it wants to be.
“Extremely close. Extremely, extremely close,” Lagow said. “That’s why it’s so frustrating, but at the same time, we can be optimistic about that.”
