Hoosiers fall at Northwestern, 52-33

EVANSTON, Ill. -- If there were any doubts about Northwestern's place atop the Big Ten standings, they were erased Saturday when the Wildcats played IU.\nAnd whatever doubts existed about IU's defense still linger after the Hoosier defense again allowed its opponent to score big.\nJunior tailback Damien Anderson's 292-yards of rushing and the team's 536 yards of total offense led the team to beat IU 52-33 before 30,201 at Ryan Field.\nThe loss drops IU to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten. Northwestern (5-1, 3-0) remained on top of the of the Big Ten with the victory and remains one of the conference's two undefeated teams, along with Ohio State.\n"We just made too many mistakes and kept their drives going," coach Cam Cameron said. "But you got to give Northwestern credit. We knew they were going to be a good football team, and everyone else will find that out like we have."\nNorthwestern's no-huddle, spread offense caused the Hoosiers problems throughout the game, and Saturday was the third time this season IU has allowed more than 40 points. The game marked the second consecutive game the defense has yielded more than 500 yards of total offense.\n"They came at us a little quicker than what I expected," junior defensive end Kemp Rasmussen said. "We were expecting a little slower pace. We knew they ran a no-huddle, but we though they would take more of the 25-second clock."\nNorthwestern gained 417 yards on the ground against an IU defense that allowed just 418 total rushing yards in its previous four games. Anderson, who had three touchdowns and 13 carries of 10 or more yards, did most of the Wildcats' damage.\n"He looked real good today, but some of that was because we didn't do our job," defensive coordinator James Bell said. "We made him look better than he is."\nTurnovers also hurt the Hoosiers. IU lost four fumbles and junior quarterback Antwaan Randle El threw his second interception of the season in the third quarter. Heading into the game, IU was tied for last in the conference in turnover margin.\n"Our turnover ratio is really hurting us," Cameron said.\nFor the first time since last October's game against Michigan, IU failed to score a first-quarter touchdown. Northwestern took a 14-0 lead into the second the quarter. IU's first points came on senior fullback De'Wayne Hogan's nine-yard touchdown run up the middle two minutes into the second quarter.\nLess than a minute after IU got on the board, Anderson broke free for a 73-yard touchdown run, increasing Northwestern's lead to 21-7. \nLater in the quarter, the Hoosiers received a break when Marvin Brown mishandled senior Andy Payne's punt.\nJunior Marcus Floyd recovered the ball on Northwestern's 14-yard line and three plays later IU decreased the gap to 24-14 on freshman Brian Lewis' six-yard touchdown run.\n"There were a couple of points in the game when I was pretty concerned," Northwestern coach Randy Walker said. "And halftime was one of them."\nBut mistakes hurt IU in the second half. \nNorthwestern cornerback Harold Blackmon intercepted a pass intended for senior wide receiver Jerry Dorsey on IU's first drive of the half.\nNorthwestern increased its lead to 31-14 when quarterback Zak Kustok hit Teddy Johnson on a slant pattern for a 50-yard touchdown. Anderson added a 15-yard touchdown run less than four minutes later, giving Northwestern a 24-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.\n"It's hard to play catch-up," said Randle El, who rushed for 80 yards and threw for 165. "We're not in a position to do that. We put ourselves in a really bad situation"