Reigning champion Indiana Hoosiers survive big scare from Northwestern in Big Ten opener

The reigning national champion Indiana Hoosiers haven’t been tested much this season, and boy, did they ever get a test on Friday night.

Despite being three-touchdown favorites, the Hoosiers battled the Northwestern Wildcats until the end, earning a 29-23 victory at home.

Coming into Friday night’s game, the Hoosiers—despite a 3-0 start on the heels of a title—were dealing with a lot of criticism that has eluded them this season.

Slow starts.

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Coach Curt Cignetti had to ask questions about his team’s play early in games against easier opponents.

So, there was a lot of focus on whether or not that trend would continue as the Big Ten schedule opened against the Wildcats.

Well, the answer was…kind of?

The Hoosiers opened the game with a 15-play, 67-yard drive that ate up about half of the opening quarter.

However, the slow-start bug reappeared when a drive that should have ended with points on the board was instead ended by a huge defensive play by Northwestern.

The Indiana defense managed to save the guys on the other side of the ball when Northwestern QB Aidan Chiles fumbled a snap before being brought in for a safety in his own end zone.

The Hoosiers struggled through an uneventful first half with an offense that looked a little disjointed at times and more penalties than you usually see from them.

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Worse, they suffered a major blow later in the half when running back Turbo Richard was hit late after going out of bounds and went straight to the locker room.

There was no call on the play, which made a call against Indiana on a similar play moments later very unpopular with the crowd at Memorial Stadium.

Indiana tacked on a touchdown and extra point to take a 12-0 lead into the locker room at the half; of course, it didn’t hurt that Northwestern pressed for -5 meters through thirty minutes.

But just over halfway through the third quarter, Northwestern made its first visit to the red zone and managed to clear that goose egg.

Chiles finished that drive, despite suffering what certainly looked like a crazy catch, and led the Wildcats to the first points Indiana had allowed since their season opener.

And the Wildcats weren’t done, with Chiles hitting Griffin Wilde in the back of the end zone early in the fourth quarter for an incredible touchdown.

Northwestern head coach David Braun opted to go for two and try to tie it, but the Hoosiers stopped them on their first and then their second attempt after a penalty.

Indiana responded with a scoring drive of its own, with Lee Beebe Jr. — who handled most of the legwork after Richard’s exit — put the Hoosiers in the red zone with a 39-yard carry before punching it in for a touchdown two plays later.

Penalties have been a story for Indiana, which has averaged just three penalties per game so far this season, but has conceded nearly three times.

Some were costly, too, including a holding penalty that put the Wildcats at the Indiana 4-yard line, and a few plays later, Chiles took matters into his own hands.

Beebe dropped another big play to put the Hoosiers back in scoring position.

It looked like the Wildcats were on the cusp of another goal-line stand, but a costly defensive pass interference penalty gave Indiana a fresh set of downs, with QB Josh Hoover finding the end zone on a keeper that had nearly everyone in the building snickering.

Northwestern kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive, but Indiana managed to recover their attempt on an onside kick.

That slow start habit will still be a talking point as it keeps Northwestern in the game.

And while Richard’s injury is a major concern, Beebe’s play — he finished with 203 rushing yards — was a big bright spot.

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The Hoosiers play Rutgers next weekend, followed by Nebraska, and then a big one against Ohio State on Oct. 17.