Setting their sights

Same record, same offense, different momentum. The IU Hoosiers and the Northwestern Wildcats enter this weekend's contest on opposite sides of the momentum spectrum. While both teams have an identical 2-3 record, Northwestern is coming into the game off of a major 33-27 overtime victory against the then-No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes. \nThe Wildcats got the victory utilizing a stingy rush defense. During last week's contest, Northwestern held Ohio State to an anemic 97 rushing yards.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo attributed the victory to both Northwestern's defense and special teams.\n"Offensively, their attack is one that really causes you a lot of problems," DiNardo said. "They ran back a kickoff versus Minnesota and brought one back ag ainst Ohio State, so they do some things in the kick game. I thought they really played well on defense against Ohio State. They played really aggressive."\nOn the offensive side of the ball, senior running back Noah Herron, who has garnered 475 yards and five touchdowns, leads Northwestern's ground attack. Despite Herron's efforts on the ground, the Wildcats have an air-based offense. Junior quarterback Brett Basanez is the general of the offense and has passed for 1,332 yards and seven touchdowns.\nIU senior safety Herana-Daze Jones said the Wildcats garnered a majority of their yards through short-yardage throws. Jones also said the Hoosiers have to be especially vigilant because of the momentum the team gained from the Ohio State upset. \n"Basically they rely on throwing the short pass," Jones said. "They're a great team, and they're coming off of a great win, so we have to emphasize on our defense and keep our same scheme."\nBasanez's two leading receivers are junior wide receivers Mark Philmore and Jonathan Fields, who have collected a combined 813 yards and four touchdowns. DiNardo complimented Northwestern both on the potency of the Wildcats' spread offense and Basanez's mastery of the offensive scheme.\n"The type of offense where you get spread out, it's a real concern. The more guys we get around the ball, the better," DiNardo said. "(Basanez) is the perfect quarterback for that system. He is incredibly efficient in the things that they ask him to do."\nAs for the Hoosiers, their 2-3 record comes from a three-game slide that was characterized by poor second-half performances where Hoosier opponents have outscored IU 68-22. While last week's loss against Michigan had a similar 21-7 second-half lambasting, Jones said the Hoosiers' second-half performance was much better than in recent games.\n"By no means was (last week's 35-14 loss against Michigan) the same as the week before," Jones said. "We came out and played the second half well, but it was just the big plays that hurt us, with the opening kickoff and then the long ball. It wasn't like the Michigan State loss, not at all."\nThe Hoosiers' offense rests on the legs of sophomore running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis and the arm of senior quarterback Matt LoVecchio. Green-Ellis has gained 406 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, while LoVecchio has thrown for 720 yards and six touchdowns. LoVecchio's favorite target is senior Courtney Roby, who has garnered 442 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Roby is currently only eight catches and 209 yards shy of becoming IU's career leader in both categories.\nThe Hoosier defense is a bit of an enigma as the unit has allowed 456.2 yards per game, an average that places the team last in the Big Ten. However, the number of yards is a bit deceptive because the IU defense has forced 14 fumbles with seven recoveries and seven interceptions, forcing a total of 14 turnovers, good for No. 6 in the nation. \nJunior linebacker Kyle Killion has emerged as the leader of IU's bend-but-don't-break defense and currently ranks second in the conference in tackles per game with 10.8 and fifth in the Big Ten in sacks with three.\nDespite his impressive statistics, Killion and the rest of the Hoosier defense also have fallen prey to second-half meltdowns. Killion said the defense played a much better defense in the Michigan game and attributed the change to a difference in mindset.\n"We realized that there are two halves in football and that we've got to play both of them," Killion said. "You've got to play until the last whistle blows, and now I think we've started doing that."\nAfter starting the season 2-0 and knocking off the then-ranked University of Oregon, the Hoosiers have suffered through a three-game slide. While the Hoosiers are in a must-win situation to stop the bleeding, Roby said the players won't approach the Northwestern game any differently.\n"Every game is a must-win situation," Roby said. "We approach every game the same way, and we don't want to lose any game. Any game that we lost is just a failed opportunity."\n-- Contact staff writer Dan Patrick at djpatric@indiana.edu.