PRR: For as poorly as Northwestern has played, the team still has not faced a Big Ten game it was favored in (not that that is historically a good thing). Indiana is the first game the Wildcats go into as the favorite and actually come away with the win. Part of me wants to believe that Northwestern’s porous record is a product of the law of averages as Pat Fitzgerald’s luck in close games finally ran out and we are paying for close wins the last few years. Also, a defense that cannot defend the pass or get pressure on the quarterback, but those are tangible reasons that my delusional mind will not accept. This team can put up a lot of points, and Indiana cannot. Hopefully the Wildcats can have the confidence to take this game and begin righting the ship.
Northwestern 35, Indiana 21
LTP: As I mentioned, you have to go back to 2001 to find a game between the Hoosiers and ‘Cats that is a non-OT game where the difference was more than 4 points. It is crazy how close these games are and NU simply does not know how to put teams away as a program, let alone the confidence of this team. Dan Persa is injured and it will further limit his mobility, but the Indiana “D” is in the same ballpark as bad as NU. Problem is Indiana’s offense is highly underrated as, like NU, they move the ball well, but seem to have problems putting six on the board. Tre Roberson accumulated 300 total yards of offense last week vs the Hawkeyes in a game that was much more competitive than the final score indicates. This will, yawn, come down to the final play on the final drive.
NU 37 Indiana 34
