IU football faces similar situation, looks for different result vs. Northwestern

It went down as the biggest collapse last year for the IU football team.

The Hoosiers led 28-3 at Northwestern with 7:32 left in the first half and were seemingly on their way to a blowout victory. Both teams stood at 4-3 and were trying to keep in the hunt for bowl eligibility.

Northwestern came back to stun the Hoosiers 29-28 and win three of their next four to earn a trip to the Outback Bowl. The Hoosiers would lose their last four games and miss bowl eligibility.

The Hoosiers (4-3, 0-3) will get a chance to get that taste out of their mouth when they take on Northwestern (5-2, 1-2) at noon Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

“Obviously we’re expecting a similar game (to last year’s) because I think they’re a similar team to last year’s, and they’re a really good football team, so we’ll be ready for a four-quarter game,” senior quarterback Ben Chappell said.

The Wildcats come into Bloomington with the Big Ten’s No. 10  pass defense, a statistic that plays into the hands of IU’s top-ranked pass offense.

Chappell will look to bounce back after tying a career-high three interceptions in the Hoosiers’ 43-13 loss on the road against Illinois last week. IU has struggled to score in conference games this year, averaging slightly more than 19 points per game in Big Ten play compared to 40 points per game in non-conference play.

While the Wildcats have shown a weakness in defending the pass, they have still been able to keep teams out of the end zone. The Wildcats are allowing 20.7 points per game behind coach Pat Fitzgerald’s defensive mind-set.

“They’ve got a great coach who gets them where he wants them. He’s a defensive guy,” Chappell said. “Because they’re so sound, hopefully we can exploit that and know where they’re going to be and find some holes.”

Fitzgerald, a former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year has engineered a disciplined Northwestern defense that has impressed the IU coaching staff.

“That’s why I respect how they play so much. You have to beat them because they’re not going to beat themselves,” IU coach Bill Lynch said. “It’s not like they have this great pass rush. They’re just a really sound defensive team with hard-nosed players that play the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”

The IU offense could get some help from senior offensive tackle James Brewer who might return to the lineup for this game. Brewer participated in practice this week for the first time since being sidelined three weeks ago with an ankle injury.

Getting Brewer back would add protection and allow Chappell to continue to get the ball to his receivers, who fill out the Big Ten’s top three in receptions per game. But the IU offense is one that the Hoosiers believe the Wildcats will be familiar with.

“Their offense is a lot like us,” senior receiver Terrance Turner said. “Their defense goes against that every day in practice so they’re going to know the vulnerabilities of the defense and things like that.”

A win for the Hoosiers would put them within a game of bowl eligibility. But a loss would mean that IU would still be two wins away with upcoming games against  Iowa and Wisconsin, ranked No. 18 and No. 9, respectively, in the Associated Press poll. Just like last year’s game, Saturday could be a turning point in the Hoosiers’ season.