Redshirt senior center Bray Lynch lined up at the 32-yard line to begin No. 5 Indiana football’s opening drive against Northwestern. The 6-foot-5 lineman palmed the ball, ready to snap to redshirt senior quarterback Josh Hoover.
As soon as the ball left his hand, a flag was thrown.
“Illegal snap,” referee Jason Nickleby announced to a befuddled crowd at Memorial Stadium. Now at the 27, Lynch returned to his stance once more.
The second attempt was no better.
“We got Pearl Harbored,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said postgame. “They (the officials) wouldn't talk to me and I had to call a timeout and still didn't want to talk to me. Who knows how many penalties we would've had for something that we're not even aware of.”
While the setback was temporary, Merchants Bank Field resembled a warzone for the remainder of the Hoosiers’ 29-23 victory over the Wildcats on Friday night in Bloomington.
The Cream and Crimson won each of their nonconference matchups by a minimum of 36 points. However, the Big Ten is a different beast.
“Any team in the conference can beat any team,” redshirt senior defensive lineman Tobi Osunsanmi said. “You can’t let up.”
Missed opportunities were the theme of the Hoosiers’ first half.
Indiana turned its penalty-ridden opening drive into a 15-play conquest to the Wildcats’ goal line. After over seven minutes of game time, junior running back Turbo Richard was stuffed at the one-yard line on fourth down.
On the very next drive, Hoover missed junior wide receivers Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker, forcing the Cream and Crimson to punt.
“Sort of frantic offensively,” Cignetti said. “Just couldn't settle in. Dominated statistically, but the score was tight.”
After 15 minutes, the Hoosiers had possessed the ball for 12:48 and outgained the Wildcats 144-1. Meanwhile, the scoreboard read 2-0.
Junior defensive lineman Daniel Ndukwe was responsible for the contest’s only points, taking advantage of a fumbled snap and bringing down Wildcats senior quarterback Aidan Chiles in the end zone for a safety.
While the offense struggled, the Hoosiers’ defense shut down the Wildcats. The defensive line consistently pressured Chiles and allowed no room for redshirt junior running back Caleb Komolafe or graduate running back Gavin Sawchuk.
Northwestern ran 22 plays in the first half and notched just 51 total yards. Through 30 minutes of action, the Wildcats had -5 rushing yards.
The Hoosiers’ offense picked up late in the second quarter. Five minutes before the break, Hoover found Marsh in the end zone to put the Cream and Crimson up 12-0.
Despite the lead, the Hoosiers weren’t satisfied.
“We left 14 points out there at least,” Hoover said. “We’re still getting our rhythm and timing down.”
In the second half, the game took a turn. Chiles repeatedly evaded pressure in the backfield and scrambled to convert a third-and-13 early in the third quarter. The 15-yard-scamper ignited a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that made it a one-score game.
The drive was the first of seven consecutive scoring drives between the two teams. Chiles’ ability to stay on his feet and find targets downfield repeatedly gashed the Hoosiers’ defense.
“We see what we need to improve on, we see all the missed assignments,” Osunsanmi said of the defensive lapses they’ll see on film. “Our film session is not like a highlight tape.”
Northwestern’s three-straight touchdown drives turned up the pressure on Hoover late in the game. Faced with adversity for the first time in his Indiana career, the 6-foot-2 signal caller responded.
Each time the Wildcats cut into the lead, Hoover led a scoring drive immediately after. After an explosive 70-yard pickup from redshirt senior running back Lee Beebe Jr., Hoover jogged into the end zone on a one-yard keeper to put the Hoosiers ahead by two scores with under two minutes to play.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got a tough team, and our guys showed a lot of grit tonight,” Hoover said. “Good teams find ways to win, and that’s what we did tonight.”
Northwestern flipped the script in the second half, outgaining the Hoosiers by 45 yards and outscoring them by six. However, Indiana’s poise carried it to its 20th straight victory.
Osunsanmi corralled two tackles for loss, Becker hauled in 98 receiving yards and Beebe fought for his 203rd yard to seal the 29-23 victory with 40 seconds remaining.
“It’s gonna be hard at times,” Hoover said. “Football’s a tough game, it’s a tough conference. I’m just proud of the way we fought.”
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
