Indiana entered Friday's Big Ten opener with three wins and had to survive a much closer finish against Northwestern. Lee Beebe Jr. ran for 203 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, and Josh Hoover scored on a one-yard keeper with 1:56 left as the Hoosiers beat the Wildcats 29-23 in Bloomington. The official Indiana game center confirms the matchup and result; the ESPN game summary supplies the scoring sequence and player lines.
Indiana's first points came on a first-quarter safety. Nico Radicic added a 43-yard field goal early in the second, and Hoover found Nick Marsh for an eight-yard touchdown to make it 12-0. That was the largest lead of the first half, but it did not settle the game. Northwestern scored on its first touchdown drive of the third quarter, when Aidan Chiles hit Griffin Wilde from four yards out. Radicic's 22-yard field goal gave Indiana a 15-7 lead entering the fourth.
The last quarter turned into an exchange of scores. Chiles found Wilde again, this time from eight yards, and Northwestern's failed two-point try left Indiana ahead 15-13. Beebe answered with a four-yard run and Radicic's kick made it 22-13. Chiles then ran seven yards for a touchdown to bring the Wildcats within two with 5:10 remaining. Hoover's keeper restored a nine-point Indiana margin. Northwestern added a 42-yard Jackson Kleather field goal with 58 seconds left, but the scoring stopped there.
