The Wildcats and Hoosiers played Big 12 style football: lots of offense, absolutely no defense. Northwestern’s offense rolled, and Indiana didn’t force a punt until halfway through the 4th quarter. The Wildcats snapped a 5-game losing streak, and earned their first win in the Big Ten season. Though any hopes of competing for a Big Ten title have long since passed, NU kept the slim hopes of a bowl game alive with the win.
Recap:
Indiana took an early 7-0 lead on a Tre Roberson touchdown run, but the Wildcats took control after that, scoring 24 straight points to take a commanding lead. From that point, it was a back and forth match, with Northwestern heading into halftime with a 38-21 lead on three touchdown passes from Dan Persa, and another from Kain Colter.
The second half was more of the same, but at a slower pace. Colter hit Drake Dunsmore for a touchdown on NU’s first drive to make it 45-21. The team’s then traded touchdowns, and it became a running game. Jacob Schmidt produced for the ‘Cats, racking up 110 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, and NU ran away with this game 59-38.
Player of the game:
Drake Dunsmore: The NU superback had a career day, dragging in four touchdowns, three from Dan Persa in the first half, while gaining over 100 yards through the air. Dunsmore seemed to be open in the end zone on nearly every play. Dunsmore has always been on of Persa’s favorite targets in the red zone, and Persa had his eye on Dunsmore from the start. The senior superback had just two touchdown receptions coming into the game, but came through for NU in a big way on the road.
Stat of the game:
1104: The combined total yardage of both teams was incredible, with Northwestern racking up 616 yards and Indiana gaining 488 yards in a losing effort. Neither defense was highly regarded coming into the game, and neither defense showed up for this game. It’s no wonder these two teams were winless in Big Ten play, as each offense seemed to be able to move the ball at will.
What’s next:
The Wildcats will head to Nebraska next weekend for the battle of the NU’s. Northwestern will have momentum from the team’s first win in six weeks, but Nebraska is coming off a huge home win against Michigan State, and seems to have found it’s identity after the loss several weeks ago to Wisconsin. Nebraska is right back in the picture for the Big Ten title game, so don’t expect a letdown from the Cornhuskers. NU will need a serious improvement on defense and a similar performance on offense to stand a chance of stealing a win on the road.
-Jamie Arkin
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