Heading into Week 4’s affair against Northwestern, Indiana football had won 19 straight games, and the Hoosiers hadn’t lost in Big Ten play since they played Ohio State on Nov. 23, 2024.
Meanwhile, Northwestern was riding a two-game win streak to begin the season, most recently defeating the University of Colorado Boulder 41-7. But it hadn’t faced a road test up to that point, let alone the then-No. 5 team in the nation. And with Northwestern’s new offensive coordinator, a transfer quarterback and other new pieces, the contest shouldn’t have been close, yet it was.
But it wasn’t all bad. The Hoosiers survived a potential major upset, defeating Northwestern 29-23.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti called the performance “inconsistent” in his press conference Monday.
Although Indiana never trailed and outgained the Wildcats by 147 yards, the Cream and Crimson needed all 60 minutes to claim their 20th straight victory. Here’s where the Hoosiers fell short, and which parts of their performance kept the streak alive:
Quarterbacks: B-
Redshirt senior Josh Hoover has been scrutinized for his inaccurate throws to begin the year, and much of the attention was put on him Friday to deliver a big performance. At first glance, it might appear he was successful. Hoover went 19 for 29 with 201 passing yards and a touchdown. But a variety of overthrown and underthrown balls cost Indiana multiple scoring opportunities.
In the first quarter, Hoover overthrew junior wide receiver Nick Marsh on a vertical pass that would’ve led to an easy touchdown with nobody in front of Marsh. He also underthrew and overthrew junior wide receiver Charlie Becker — who had plenty of separation from the defensive back both times — on deep balls during the same drive in the first quarter.
There were stretches when Hoover looked elite Friday. During a scoring drive in the second quarter that put Indiana ahead 12-0, the Heath, Texas, native went 6 for 6 for 70 yards and a passing touchdown. Hoover also added a rushing touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter.
Still, Hoover must show he can be sharper with his passes rather than inconsistent, especially as Big Ten play continues.
Running Backs: A+
Leading up to the Northwestern contest, junior Turbo Richard had 315 total rushing yards and four touchdowns, averaging 7.7 yards per carry. Before Richard exited early in the second quarter against Northwestern due to a hard tackle out of bounds, he had nine carries for 68 yards.
Richard’s injury put all the volume squarely on redshirt senior Lee Beebe Jr., and he delivered. The Montgomery, Alabama, native rushed for a career-high 203 yards on 24 carries, with his longest rush being a 70-yarder in the fourth quarter. A lot of the duo’s runs came after initial contact, even with some holes being opened by the offensive line. Ultimately, if not for Beebe’s elite performance, Indiana could’ve fallen victim to the upset-minded Northwestern.
Receivers: B+
If Hoover was more accurate with his passes in the first half, the receiving unit would’ve seen their grade elevated to an A-.
Alas, while that is not the case, Becker and Marsh found holes in the Wildcats’ secondary even without the explosive plays. Marsh had five catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. Becker finished with seven catches that yielded 98 yards. Those two accounted for 150 of the 201 total receiving yards. Marsh and graduate student Shazz Preston also had key blocks that sprang big runs.
It would be nice to see Preston, graduate student Tyler Morris and sophomore Davion Chandler get more involved in the passing attack moving forward, rather than just blocking.
Offensive Line: B-
Yes, the offensive line led the Hoosiers to 271 total rushing yards between three rushers. But pre-snap penalties were an issue. The Hoosiers were called for four offensive penalties, three of them coming before play began. Before the first play from scrimmage, graduate student center Bray Lynch was called for two illegal snaps back-to-back.
It’s also evident the unit misses a blocker like last season’s tight end Riley Nowakowski, especially on the right side of the line. This became a concern as Northwestern sacked Hoover twice and forced four tackles for loss. Indiana’s blocking has plenty to work on as Big Ten play continues this weekend against Rutgers on the road.
Defensive Line: B+
On the first play of scrimmage with Northwestern having the ball at its own 1-yard line, junior Daniel Ndukwe burst up the middle. Ndukwe forced a safety, swarming Wildcats senior quarterback Aidan Chiles in the end zone. It was a play that led to a first half shutout of Northwestern. That said, in the second half, Chiles escaped multiple sacks and extended plays, leading to big gains from the Northwestern offense that seemed rejuvenated. Nevertheless, graduate student Stephen Daley appeared to be back in his 2025 form, registering seven tackles, two quarterback hurries, forcing two fumbles and registering a sack, while redshirt senior Tobi Osunsanmi led the Hoosiers with two TFLs as well.
Linebackers: B
In the first half, the Hoosiers’ linebacker unit kept Chiles at bay with only 56 passing yards. During the second half, Chiles escaped pressure and moved into the second level when he ran. Junior Rolijah Hardy had eight tackles and redshirt senior Isaiah Jones tallied seven. Yet Indiana lacked the big plays and tackles for loss from the linebackers compared to last year.
Secondary: C+
Indiana’s secondary covered well in the first half but during the second half, there were several coverage mistakes. The absence of the pass rush helped explain the secondary’s struggles. Seventh-year Preston Zachman was targeted six times and gave up 77 total yards, and senior Amare Ferrell surrendered 34 passing yards himself. Chiles ended 22 for 29 with 293 yards and two touchdowns.
The positive is that sophomore Jaylen Bell and redshirt senior Jamari Sharpe didn’t allow a completion when targeted.
Special Teams: A
Senior kicker Nico Radicic returned for his second game of the season after an injury forced him to miss the contests against Howard University and Western Kentucky University. Radicic remained perfect as he split the uprights from 22 and 43 yards while adding three extra points. Graduate student linebacker Jeff Utzinger’s two tackles came on kickoff returns — earning him one of the players of the week by the Indiana coaching staff. The unit delivered an all-around clean showing after struggling a week prior.
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
