Indiana Edges Northwestern
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Adversity hit hard Friday night against Northwestern and Indiana didn’t flinch. A key running back was lost. A key linebacker was banged up. A shutout streak was ended. Mysterious offensive penalties surfaced. And then the Wildcats found their second-half form and pushed and pushed and pushed some more.
It was a moment that demanded heart and tenacity and doing what needed to be done.
Running back Lee Beebe Jr. delivered.
Did he ever.
With fellow running back Turbo Richard sidelined with a first-half injury, Beebe Jr. had the game of his life. He had a 70-yard run, broke other big runs, including one that produced the victory clinching fourth-quarter first down and finished with 203 rushing yards on 24 carries and a touchdown as the No. 5/4 Hoosiers (4-0), who were never truly tested in non-conference play, won their Big Ten opener, 29-23.
It came just over a year after a knee injury that cost Beebe Jr. the final 13 games of last season.
“He’s got as much heart as anyone who has been in this program in the last three years,” head coach Curt Cignetti said. “I’d compare his heart to (former IU running back) Kaelon Black.
“He’s a guy who last year was doing really well and got hurt. Boy, when we really needed him, he carried the load.”
IU has thrived with a running back rotation. But with Khobie Martin out until at least midseason with a broken arm and Richard’s status uncertain, Beebe Jr. now bears the running back burden solo.
“It’s not really that much pressure,” Beebe Jr. said. “I knew I needed to step up and be there for the team. I was able to do that.
“It wasn’t just me. It was the offensive line. It was the receivers blocking down field. It was the whole team.”
Add the fans, who chanted his name as he walked off the field.
“That was very surreal,” he said. “It just felt really good.”
It was a big statement from a player who had transferred from UAB two years ago to prove himself on a Big Ten stage.
“After what he went through last season,” linebacker Isaiah Jones said, “I’m so proud of him. He’s a leader in that running back room. He’s running through guys, bouncing off of guys. He carried us.”
Added quarterback Josh Hoover: “I’m so happy for him after what he’s dealt with. He made plays. He made guys miss. He really stepped up after Turbo went down. He had a lot of carries and did a great job.”
Richard never returned after his injury. He finished with 68 yards on nine carries.
“You hate to see that happen to a good player like that who was playing really well,” Cignetti said. “He’ll do everything he can to get back as soon as possible.”
Northwestern (2-1) stacked the box to stop the run. IU handled it. It ran 19 times in the first half for 121 yards. In the second half, it was 21 carries for 150 yards.
“The offensive line blocked great,” Hoover said.
Hoover was 19-for-29 for 201 yards and a touchdown, an eight-yard pass to Nick Marsh. His late fourth-quarter one-yard touchdown run proved to be the game winner.
“Him using his legs really adds to our offense,” Cignetti said. “Last week, he had a 50-yard run called back because of a holding penalty. It’s good to see him do that.”
IU’s defensive streak of 11 straight shutout quarters -- tied for the longest in the nation in this decade -- ended in the third quarter on Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles’ touchdown pass.
Despite fierce defensive pressure, the Hoosiers struggled to contain Chiles, especially in the second half. He was 22-for-29 for 293 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a TD. It didn't help that veteran linebacker Rolijah Hardy was injured and had to leave the game.
“It comes down to fundamentals,” defensive lineman Tobi Osunsanmi said. “A lot of sacks were missed by not getting to the highest shoulder of the quarterback. I know I missed a couple by not wrapping up all the way. As the game went on, our technique kind of deteriorated. We can’t let that happen if we want to be a top team.
Added Cignetti: “We couldn’t tackle (Chiles). I mean, Tyrique Tucker, all 315 pounds of him, couldn’t tackle that guy in space. The only way you’re going to tackle him is with the blitz.”
A furious Cignetti burned a timeout eight seconds into the game to straighten out consecutive illegal snap calls on center Bray Lynch.
“Northwestern must have turned something in (to the Big Ten office),” Cignetti said. “Something they saw on tape. I’m not aware what it was. None of us were. Usually, you get a heads up, a midweek warning. That’s the protocol.
“(The officials) wouldn’t talk to me. I had to call a timeout and they still didn’t want to talk to me.”
Still, the timeout worked. The penalties stopped and Richard busted a 33-yard run to negate the first-and-20 scenario. The Hoosiers’ 67-yard drive was stopped one yard short of the goal line.
A negative quickly turned position when Northwestern fumbled on its first play and IU got the safety.
IU experienced first-quarter pass game timing issues. Hoover and Marsh had a couple of miscommunications for incompletions. Hoover under threw, then over threw an open Charlie Becker.
The Hoosiers didn’t rattle. The second-quarter reward -- Hoover went 6-for-6 for 62 yards and the touchdown pass to Marsh for a 12-0 lead. Becker finished with seven catches for 98 yards.
“We missed some opportunities,” Hoover said. “We left 14 points out there. That happens sometimes. We’re still early and getting our timing down. We’re going to clean that up and have an explosive offense.”
Added Cignetti: “We were sort of frantic on offense. We just couldn’t settle in.
“The offense really responded after the first series of the third quarter. We got it going, made some nice adjustments, made some good plays. It’s always about execution.”
After resolving the illegal snap issues to open the game, IU pushed the pace, including a six-yard completion to Becker on fourth-and-five in Northwestern territory, then a 14-yard pass to Davion Chandler. Hoover’s six-yard run got the ball to the 1-yard line, but Richard was stopped for no gain on fourth down.
Northwestern fumbled the first-down snap and IU got the safety, and then the ball, but the drive stalled despite Hoover’s 21-yard completion to Becker.
On the next IU drive, Hoover scrambled for 16 yards on third and 11. Beebe Jr. busted a 14-yard run. Richard upped them both with an 18 yarder, then was banged up moments later. The drive ended with Nico Radicic’s 43-yard field goal for a 5-0 lead two minutes into the second quarter.
IU forced a punt, then Hoover went to work, going 6-for-6, ending it with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Marsh for a 12-0 halftime lead. The Hoosiers had 121 rushing yards on 19 carries. Northwestern had minus-5 on 13 carries.
The Wildcats broke IU’s shutout streak in the third quarter with Chiles’ four-yard touchdown pass for a 12-7 score.
After a series of Hoover completions, including a 22-yarder to Becker, Beebe Jr. busted a 20-yard run. Hoover hit Becker with a 23-yard back-shoulder pass. It set up Radicic’s 22-yard field goal for a 15-7 lead with 2:06 left in the third quarter.
Chiles threw another touchdown pass six seconds into the fourth quarter, but the two-point conversion try failed. The lead was two, 15-13.
A Northwestern facemask penalty jumpstarted IU’s ensuing drive. Beebe Jr.’s 39-yard run got the Hoosiers within range. His four-yard, tackle-breaking touchdown run gave IU a 22-13 lead with 9:39 remaining.
Chiles seven-yard touchdown run made it 22-20 with 5:10 left. Beebe Jr. responded with a 70-yard run to give IU the ball on the Northwestern 5-yard line. It took six plays before Hoover’s one-yard touchdown keeper gave IU a 29-20 lead. Northwestern added a field goal before the Hoosiers ran out the clock.
“Winning a game like this can pay off, absolutely,” Cignetti said. “No question about it. It gives you confidence and belief.”
Next up – IU’s first road game, at Rutgers.
“We’ve got a lot of improvement to make,” Cignetti said. “Bottom line, we found a way to get it done.”