Road To 10-0: Newly Ranked Indiana Achieves Bowl Eligibility With Gritty Win At Northwestern

Hoosiers On SI looks back game-by-game at the path Indiana football took to create a dream season. How did this game inform what we know now that we didn't know then?

Indiana Hoosiers running back Justice Ellison (6) runs for a touchdown against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium. / David Banks-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s football team is in the midst of its second bye week of the season. It wasn’t long ago that bye weeks were looked at as respites from gridiron misery for the Hoosiers, but Curt Cignetti’s 2024 team has flipped the script.

Indiana has had an unprecedented season. The 10-0 record amassed by the Hoosiers has never been achieved in program history. With the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff in place in just the nick of time to give a historic season its possible proper reward, a world of possibilities is in front of Indiana in a way no one would have dreamed of in August.

The bye week provides an opportunity to reflect on what has been with just two regular season games left, at No. 2 Ohio State Nov. 23 and at home against Purdue Nov. 30. Hoosiers On SI will take a look at each game and put into context how each fits into the puzzle of what has been a perfect season.

We’ll continue with Indiana’s trip to Northwestern.

Narrative Entering The Game – Indiana was ranked! The Hoosiers made their 2024 debut in the Associated Press Top 25 in the No. 23 spot. It was Indiana’s first ranking since the opening week of the 2021 season.

Bowl eligibility was nearly a reality for the Hoosiers. A win at Northwestern would get the Hoosiers over the line for the first time since 2020. Because Indiana had not yet had a bye week, the Hoosiers would be the first six-win team in the country as other unbeaten teams had all had bye weeks by this point.

Another narrative was the emerging trend of non-regular players opting to leave the team once they reached their four-game limit to be able to claim a redshirt season.

Wide receiver Donaven McCulley, one of the highest-profile Hoosiers entering the season, left the team after he played his fourth game against Maryland. Others would follow, though only fellow wide receiver E.J. Williams was a player who saw the field with anything resembling regular snaps.

Pregame Coverage

• MEET THE OPPONENT: A pregame look at Northwestern. CLICK HERE.

• PREDICTION, THREE KEYS: Pregame three keys and a score prediction for the Northwestern game. CLICK HERE.

• MCCULLEY LEAVES INDIANA: Donaven McCulley elects to leave Indiana. CLICK HERE.

The Result – Northwestern, playing at their temporary Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium adjacent Lake Michigan, gave the Hoosiers their fair share of trouble. Northwestern quarterback Jack Lausch kept Wildcats’ drives alive with his arm and feet, and a Northwestern touchdown with 11:19 left cut Indiana’s lead to 27-24.

However, Indiana stayed cool. Two Indiana touchdowns were scored in response and the Hoosiers’ defense prevented Northwestern from scoring again in a 41-24 Indiana victory.

Northwestern Wildcats defensive back Braden Turner (9) pursues Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Ke'Shawn Williams (5) during the second half at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium. / David Banks-Imagn Images

Player Fans Learned To Love – WR Ke’Shawn Williams: The Wake Forest transfer wasn’t as trumpeted in the preseason as some of Indiana’s other wide receivers.

Elijah Sarratt had put up big numbers the year before at James Madison. Myles Price had a long career of success at Texas Tech. Miles Cross had a bond with fellow Ohio transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke. McCulley and Omar Cooper Jr. were known quantities from Indiana’s 2023 team.

Williams was no slouch with 107 catches and 1,385 career yards at Wake Forest, and he made himself a dependable target for Rourke.

This game was Williams’ statistical breakout game, with four catches for 87 yards and a touchdown catch. His highlight play, one that demonstrated his good mix of elusiveness and strength, was a 52-yard catch on a short route that he made much longer with broken and missed tackles by Northwestern defenders.

Williams has stood the test of time. He’s had six catches in each of Indiana’s last two games, but the Northwestern game was his coming out party.

Trend That Would Stick – Turnovers Are Rarely An Issue: In the previous game, Indiana had four turnovers in a 42-28 win against Maryland. However, any thought it would become a pattern was quickly squelched in Evanston.

Indiana had a turnover-free game – its fifth in six games. Indiana has since had a turnover-free game at Michigan State to bring their total to six games without one. Indiana had only one turnover in three other games.

The Hoosiers rarely hurt themselves with mistakes.

Any Postgame Worries? – Linebacker Jailin Walker left the game just before halftime. To this point in the season, Indiana had not had any injuries suffered by any of its starters. Walker, an important part of Indiana’s defensive scheme, would be a damaging loss.

Curt Cignetti brushed off any concerns about Walker. He noted Walker had been hurt before, but always demonstrated an eagerness to get back on the field. The Hoosiers also had a bye week after the Northwestern win, so time was on Walker’s side.

Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) gestures for a first down against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium. / David Banks-Imagn Images

Narrative Exiting The Game – Indiana was bowl eligible! An achievement that had seemed like such a herculean struggle in Tom Allen’s final three seasons had come with ease in Cignetti’s first. Indiana was the first bowl eligible team in the country.

Indiana had a bye week to ponder the seemingly impossible dream of a 6-0 record. These were heady times in Bloomington, but the excitement was just beginning.

Pro Football Focus stars (top 5 scoring players in each unit, 10 plays or more)  – Offense: WR Ke’Shawn Williams (94.1), WR Elijah Sarratt (86.1), QB Kurtis Rourke (86.1), RT Trey Wedig (79.4), RG Bray Lynch (78.1); Defense: CB Terry Jones (71.2), CB D’Angelo Ponds (68.5), CB Jamier Johnson (67.6), DE Mikail Kamara (64.5), DT Tyrique Tucker (63.9).

Postgame Coverage

• GAME STORY: Indiana pulls away from Northwestern in fourth quarter. CLICK HERE.

• GOOD IS ENEMY OF GREAT: Todd Golden writes that Curt Cignetti raised the standard. CLICK HERE.

• THE DAY AFTER: Prediction and three keys revisited after Indiana's victory. CLICK HERE.

Next game – After the off week, Indiana would resume Big Ten play with a home game against Nebraska on Oct. 19.

Related stories on Indiana football

• ROAD TO 10-0 - CHARLOTTE: Hoosiers surge past Charlotte after close first half. CLICK HERE.

• ROAD TO 10-0 - UCLA: Indiana earns an eye-opening victory at the Rose Bowl as more fans and national observers began to take notice. CLICK HERE.

• ROAD TO 10-0 - WIU: Indiana romped past FCS Western Illinois to keep its good vibes flowing. CLICK HERE.

• ROAD TO 10-0 - FIU: Indiana's road to 10-0 began with the season opener against Florida International. If we knew then what we know now ... CLICK HERE.

• ROAD TO 10-0 - MARYLAND: Indiana defense steps up when it needs to and offense provides a late surge in victory. CLICK HERE.