Saturday’s Big Ten matchup pits the 3-3 Northwestern Wildcats traveling to Bloomington, IN for a date against the 3-3 Indiana Hoosiers.
The Hoosiers come into this game putting up 25.8 points per game which is good but isn’t as high powered as they were last season when their offense averaged 36.5 points per game. Indiana running back Devine Redding averages almost 100 yards per game on the ground and quarterback Richard Lagos has put up 1,656 to go along with 12 TDs and 9 INTs.
The Wildcats come into the game with running back Justin Jackson leading the Big Ten with 698 yards, 116.3 yards per game and six rushing TDs. Indiana’s defense is allowing 166 rushing yards per game so far this season. Look for Jackson to pound the rock and i’m predicting another 150+ yard rushing game.
Wildcat quarterback Clayton Thorson in the past few games has emerged as the passing threat that coach Pat Fitzgerald was hoping for from him. Austin Carr has been Thorson’s go to guy having 43 catches to go along with 595 receiving yards and 8 TD’s. The offensive line has protected Thorson very well the past two games giving up only two sacks. In the first four games, the O-Line gave up 15 sacks.
Evan’s Take:
I’m keeping with the trend and expecting Jackson to have a big game on the ground for the Wildcats. The defense should be able to pressure Lagow and get to him a handful of times. If both those happen, Northwestern will have a great chance of heading home with a 4-3 record and a very good chance at becoming bowl eligible once again.
My Prediction
Northwestern 27
Indiana 17
