Rapid Reaction: Indiana gets 4th straight win in rout of Northwestern

Hoosiers raise their record to 7-2 with easy 34-3 win over the struggling Wildcats in the first November night game in Memorial Stadium history.
Rapid Reaction: Indiana gets 4th straight win in rout of Northwestern
Rapid Reaction: Indiana gets 4th straight win in rout of Northwestern /

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — This is becoming rare territory for Indiana. The Hoosiers just keep on winning and winning in the Big Ten, this time crushing Northwestern 34-3 for their fourth straight win and first over the Wildcats since 2008.

With the victory, the Hoosiers are now 4-2 in the conference, tied for third in the Big Ten East with Michigan. At 7-2, IU continues to improve its standing in the bowl pecking order, and they finish this little four-game window between their two bye weeks at a perfect 4-0.

Michael Penix Jr. was back as the starter at quarterback for the Hoosiers, and he got off to a hot start, scoring points on his first two drives and four of the first five as Indiana rushed out to a 24-3 lead. 

Penix had missed almost all of the past seven quarters after getting hit hard in the win against Maryland and coming up wobbly. He warmed up but didn't play at all in the win at Nebraska and was a "game-time decision'' this week. He was crisp, completing 10 of 15 passes for 162 yards before leaving the game with a few minutes left in the second quarter and not returning.

As has been the case all year, Peyton Ramsey came in and played well. He completed 5 of his first 6 passes and hit Stevie Scott on a 20-yard pass play for a touchdown that gave Indiana a 31-3 late in the third quarter. Ramsey finished 7-for-10 passing for 108 yards and that one touchdown pass.

Northwestern won the Big Ten West a year ago, but the Wildcats' offense has been a total no-show this season, and that was certainly the case again Saturday night. 

The Wildcats, who are now 1-7 and 0-6 in the Big Ten, had only one good drive in the first half, and all they could get out of that was a field goal. Indiana's defense, focused on getting off to a better start after getting ripped apart early the past two weeks, were up to the task.

Sophomore running back Stevie Scott had another big night. He finished with 116 yards on 26 carries and scored two touchdowns on the ground, moving him into the top-10 all-time, quite a feat for someone still not finished with his second year in the program.

Senior wide receiver Nick Westbrook hit a milestone as well. He had 5 catches for 59 yards, which pushed him over 2,000 yards for his career. That's also a top-10 mark.

Logan Justus made two fields, pushing his streak over two seasons to 12. It's the second-longest streak in IU history. 

The Hoosiers have next week off and then return to two huge showdown at No. 5 Penn State (8-0) and home against No. 14 Michigan (7-2). Signature wins against either historic program — or both — would really put a cherry on the top of this season. Indiana finishes the year at 3-6 Purdue on Nov. 30, followed by a bowl game somewhere for the first time in three years.

Indiana honored Hoosiers legend George Taliaferro during the game, wearing his number 44 on their helmets. Taliaferro, a Gary, Ind., native who was a star at Indiana in the 1940s, had a statue dedicated in his honor on Friday on the north end of the stadium. He passed away last year.

David Ellis 

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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as a reporter and editor, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the Indianapolis Star and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered college sports in the digital platform for the past six years, including the last five years as publisher of HoosiersNow on the FanNation/Sports Illustrated network.