Why Northwestern Overachieved Despite Loss to Indiana

The Northwestern Wildcats gave Indiana Hoosiers a scare during their Week 3 Big Ten matchup on Friday night.

Despite losing to the Hoosiers, there's a silver lining to come out of this game. The Wildcats' defense was superb in the first half. One of the things that they should clean up is making tackles, especially against the run game.

Hoosiers running back Lee Beebe Jr. gave the Wildcats' defense a lot of problems in this game. He finished with 203 rushing yards on 24 carries, including a touchdown. The biggest run the Wildcats allowed was a 70-yard run from Beebe Jr. Beebe Jr. finished 13 games last season due to injuries, and he answered the bell against the Wildcats' defense.

Many expected the Wildcats to get steamrolled, but this game showed how much potential Northwestern has in the Big Ten if they can avoid penalty calls and play stronger defense. Robert Fitzgerald recorded a team-high 13 tackles.

What can we say about Aidan Chiles? He proved that his 5-touchdown performance in Week 2 wasn't a fluke. Chiles played like a champion against the defending champs. Chiles, who is in his fourth year, completed 22-of-29 passes for 293 yards and three total touchdowns. Completing 75 percent or more of his passes is outstanding.

As good as Indiana's defense is, Chiles handles himself pretty well against them. The offensive line could have done a better job to protect him against the blitz, but Chiles has the talent to scramble and run for yardage.

Having a tight end like Luke Dehnicke has been a blessing for the Wildcats. He had the ultimate game of his life. He was extremely tough, making catches through traffic. Most of his catches were not easy. The third-year tight end finished the night with 140 yards on seven receptions. Each of his receptions was critical for the Wildcats to be in a great position to score.

The Wildcats came close to pulling off the biggest upset of the season. They outscored the Hoosiers 23-17 in the final 30 minutes. If there was another quarter, then the outcome might have been different. Northwestern has nothing to be ashamed of. They have to be more dominant against the run offense from the opposite team.

It was the Wildcats first conference play matchup. The team has a chance to get back into the winning column against Penn State for another pad game on Friday night, October 2.

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