Wildcats Wow Homecoming Crowd in 24-14 Win Over Hoosiers

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EVANSTON, Ill. – It was a tale of two halves for Northwestern Saturday in its 2016 Homecoming game against Indiana. The Wildcats blitzed out to a 24-3 halftime lead before the defense took over in the second half to preserve a 24-14 victory, giving NU three victories in a row in the month of October.

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Clayton Thorson threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns, and Austin Carr hauled in seven receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Montre Hartage and Kyle Queiro each made absurd one-handed interceptions that lit up social media to help a defensive effort led by Anthony Walker, Jr.'s team-best 11 tackles.

Northwestern's third straight win sees them move to 4-3 (3-1 B1G), while Indiana is now 3-4 (1-3 B1G).

Justin Jackson added 34 receiving yards to his 94 yards on the ground.

The Wildcats wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, going 70 yards on 11 plays on the opening drive, with Thorson finding Solomon Vault for the 17-yard touchdown. Northwestern then made it 14-0 on their next drive, with Jackson breaking free for a 27-yard rush before Thorson hit Carr with a 34-yard touchdown.

Carr's ninth touchdown of the season also marked the sixth-straight game in which he's had a touchdown reception, the first Wildcat to do so since 2000. Carr's nine touchdown receptions is also the third-most in program single-season history, three behind D'Wayne Bates' total of 12 in 1996.

The #B1GCats outgained the Hoosiers 192 yards to 54 in the first quarter, and while Indiana converted a late field goal, Northwestern's dominance continued into the second, with Thorson's third touchdown pass of the game coming on the first play, a 32-yard connection with Macan Wilson. Thorson has now thrown for three touchdowns in three-straight games, the longest such streak by a Northwestern quarterback since 2000.

While the offense was churning to the tune of 371 yards in the first half, the Wildcats defense was equally impressive, holding Indiana to just 120 yards in the first half. Hartage ripped a ball out of a Hoosier receiver's hands for an interception on what would have been a 45-yard pass, and when Indiana threatened to score on their next drive, Quiero came up with a huge fourth-down tackle two yards short of a first-down to force the turnover-on-downs and keep the game at 21-3. The Wildcats were then able to take a 24-3 lead into the half when Jack Mitchell completed a 19-yard field goal attempt as time expired.

Northwestern came into the game 54-16 when leading at the half during Pat Fitzgerald's tenure, and was well poised to extend that mark. While the offense cooled down from its blistering pace, the defense continued to shut down the Hoosiers. Walker, Jr., recorded six tackles, including one for loss in the quarter, and while Indiana did score a field goal and touchdown, the Wildcats were able to break up the two-point conversion to keep the score 24-12.

The game quieted down in the fourth, with eight straight scoreless drives. Halfway through the fourth, Quiero made the play of the game, doing his best Odell Beckham impression and reaching all the way back with his right hand to snatch an interception, igniting the Homecoming crowd at Ryan Field.

Indiana had a chance to cut into the deficit with three minutes remaining, but the Wildcats made their second fourth down stop in the red zone on the day. Northwestern brought down the clock to 23 seconds, before taking a safety in an effort to run out the remaining time en route to securing a 24-14 victory.

Northwestern heads east to take on Ohio State in Columbus next week, before returning home to host Wisconsin on November 5^th. Buy tickets to the Wisconsin game here!

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Team Stats

Clayton Thorson

Matt Micucci

Matt Alviti

Players Mentioned

Austin Carr

Montre Hartage

Justin Jackson

Jack Mitchell

Kyle Queiro

Clayton Thorson

Solomon Vault

Anthony Walker, Jr.

Macan Wilson