EVANSTON, Ill. — Indiana football aced its biggest fourth quarter test of the season and remained unblemished, topping Northwestern 41-24 on Saturday at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
With their victory, the No. 24-ranked Hoosiers improved to 6-0, qualifying for their first bowl game since 2020.
Indiana’s offense accumulated over 530 yards of total offense, with sixth-year senior quarterback Kurtis Rourke accounting for 380 yards through the air. Rourke added three touchdowns and zero turnovers while completing 25-of-33 attempts.
The Hoosiers’ strong offensive day started fast but briefly waned. Indiana gained 40 yards on its first two plays of the game, but its opening drive stalled thereafter. The Hoosiers failed to convert on 4th and 2 in Northwestern territory and they went three-and-out on their next series.
However, the score remained knotted at zero, as Indiana’s defense held the Wildcats to just 13 yards through their opening two possessions.
The Hoosiers broke the deadlock inside of one minute to play in the opening frame, as fifth-year senior running back Justice Ellison scored from five yards out on a halfback draw to give Indiana an early 7-0 lead.
Northwestern responded, marching 53 yards on 10 plays while converting three times on third or fourth down. The Wildcats found paydirt with an eight-yard rush from fifth-year senior running back Cam Porter, drawing the score even at 7-7.
Indiana re-gained the lead on its next possession, with Rourke hitting senior receiver Miles Cross for a seven-yard touchdown in the back of the endzone on 4th and inches.
The two sides traded field goals to close the first half, and Indiana entered the locker room with a 17-10 advantage.
After forcing a punt on Northwestern’s opening possession, Indiana scored once more. Rourke led a nine-play, 87-yard drive, capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass to fifth-year senior receiver Ke’Shawn Williams. The Hoosiers suddenly held a convincing 24-10 lead
But the Wildcats didn’t go away.
Fifth-year senior wideout A.J. Henning scored on a 38-yard catch-and-run, finding an empty spot in the Hoosiers’ defense and running away from sixth-year senior safety Josh Sanguinetti.
Indiana punched back, with redshirt freshman kicker Nicolas Radicic hitting a 28-yard field goal to extend the Hoosiers’ lead to two possessions, 27-17, at the start of the fourth quarter.
Henning had an answer, turning a receiver screen into a two-yard touchdown, but so did Indiana. Seventh-year senior running back Ty Son Lawton found the endzone from one yard out, pushing the Hoosiers’ edge back to 10 points at 34-24.
Indiana’s defense forced a turnover on downs during Northwestern’s following drive, and the Hoosiers put the final nail in the coffin thereafter.
Rourke connected with junior receiver Elijah Sarratt for a 27-yard pickup on 4th and 5, and on the next play, Rourke hit senior tight end Zach Horton for a four-yard touchdown. Indiana’s lead, once 27-24, grew to 41-24 with less than four minutes remaining, and Northwestern failed to trim its deficit any further.
Indiana (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) is off next week before a homecoming contest against Nebraska on Oct. 19 inside Memorial Stadium.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Jhett Garrett (@jhettgarrett) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
