The Northwestern Wildcats (4-3, 3-1 Big Ten) jumped out to an early 24-3 lead and never looked back as they beat the Indiana Hoosiers (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten) 24-14 at Ryan Field in Evanston, IL.
The Wildcats offense was hitting on all cylindars as quarterback Clayton Thorson threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns and running back Justin Jackson tallied 106 yards on 28 carries as Northwestern has won three straight against Big Ten foes and now are 4-3 on the season after starting 0-2.
The Wildcats were able to move the ball at will in the first half. Driving for 70 yards and a touchdown on the opening drive and then scoring again just five plays after the Hoosiers were unable to muster up anything on their first drive.
Wide receiver Austin Carr snagged Thorson’s 34 yard throw for the touchdown and a 14-0 lead. The TD marked the 6th game in a row that Carr has a TD reception. Carr snagged seven balls for 125 yards on the day.
“Everything worked for us in the first half,” Thorson stated. “We ran for a bunch of yards. We passed for a bunch of yards. We were really balanced.” Thomson left the game in the 4th briefly with an undisclosed upper body injury but he returned shortly to finish the game.
Thorson started the second period just as well as he did in the first, hitting Macan Wilson for a 32 yard TD to cap a 79 yard drive.
The Wildcat defense gave up some yards to Indiana through the air as Hoosiers quarterback Richard Lagow completed 35 of his 59 passes for 319 yards and 2 interceptions. Lagow was forced to throw more since the Hoosiers were trying to comeback from the deficit.
Next up for the Wildcats is a date on Saturday in Ohio versus the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are coming off their first loss at Penn State.
The Buckeyes will be looking to avenge their only loss and looking to get back into the Playoff race. The Wildcats will be looking to add a significant win to their history if they are to pull off the upset.
