IU looks to stifle Northwestern by stopping the run

Coming off a bye week, the Hoosiers (2-1) will go on the road to face Northwestern (4-0).

The bye week helped IU physically and aid in their preparation against the Wildcats, sophomore safety Mark Murphy said.

“It helped rejuvenate us, and instead of jamming all of the scouting for Northwestern in one week, you can kind of spread it out and then put it all together this week, which is really nice,” he said.

Northwestern is one of three undefeated teams in the Big Ten Conference.

One of the main reasons for their early success has been their 28th-ranked rushing offense that averages 221.3 yards per game.

Last year, the Hoosiers gave up 317 rushing yards to the Wildcats in a 59-38 loss.

Players on IU’s defense said they have seen improvements from last year.

“As a whole, I think we are playing a lot better than last year as far as getting to the ball and showing maximum effort out there,” sophomore safety Drew Hardin said.

This year, the Wildcats have scored nine of their 14 touchdowns through the run game.

Running back Venric Mark has recorded 399 yards on 72 carries, for an average of 5.5 yards per carry.

Quarterback Kain Colter added to the Wildcat rush attack with 210 yards and two touchdowns.

“Our main goal is just stop the run right now,” Hardin said. “I know they have a nice one-two punch back there, so that’s why we are working hard in the film room to get our minds right for this game.”

IU has played two of their three games against potent run offenses which ended in one victory and one defeat.

In week one, IU faced Indiana State running back Shakir Bell, who is second in the Football Championship Subdivision with 166 rushing yards per game.

The Hoosiers then played Ball State in the season’s third game. The Cardinals are now ranked 20th in rushing yards on the Football Bowl Subdivision level with 239 yards per game.

Despite the threat Northwestern’s rushing game poses to the IU defense, Murphy said he is looking forward to the game.

“I think we are all excited to get started with Big Ten play,” he said. “I think the Big Ten is really open right now.”