Did IU football win today? Lee Beebe Jr. leads Indiana past Northwestern

12:38 am ET

Nick Marsh, Aidan Chiles meet up

Former teammates at Michigan State and close friends, IU receiver Nick Marsh and Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles caught up postgame.

12:13 am ET

Curt Cignetti calls Northwestern 'a good team'

IU coach Curt Cignetti praised Northwestern all week, and did so again after IU's 29-23 win.

“You know, Northwestern's good football team," he said after the game. "I tried to tell everybody, but a lot of people didn't believe that. Two years ago, would you believe that somebody said this at this point in the season that Indiana's a good football team? No.”

11:38 pm ET September 25, 2026

Lee Beebe Jr. ices game, gets 200 yards

Lee Beebe Jr. entered as the backup running back but took over with 203 yards and a touchdown on 24 totes. He stepped up admirably with Turbo Richard suffering an injury. His second effort to gain a yard was enough to ice the game.

No. 4 Indiana 29, Northwestern 23, FINAL

11:32 pm ET September 25, 2026

IU recovers bouncy onside kick

Northwestern nearly caught the breaks of all breaks, a couple times, but IU fell on a bouncy onside kick and has it at the Northwestern 39. 'Cats have all three timeouts with 56 seconds left.

11:30 pm ET September 25, 2026

Northwestern plays analytical game

It comes down to an onside kick after Northwestern's 42-yard field goal.

No. 4 IU 29, Northwestern 23, 0:58 Q4

11:24 pm ET September 25, 2026

Josh Hoover bootleg clinches IU win

IU came out of the 2-minute timeout in a jumbo package as if it would run off the right side. Hoover faked the handoff and the naked bootleg left no defenders for him to put this game on ice.

No. 4 Indiana 29, Northwestern 20, 1:56 Q4

11:12 pm ET September 25, 2026

Big drive upcoming here

Zach Osterman

For all else that's gone wrong tonight, Indiana just needs its offense to burn clock and yards right now. A touchdown would be great, given the defense has allowed three straight scores. But with about five minutes left, what Indiana could use more than anything is just a clean, sustained drive. Something that's been hard to come by tonight.

No. 4 Indiana 22, Northwestern 20, 5:10 left.

11:03 pm ET September 25, 2026

Rolijah Hardy the injured defender

IU's Rolijah Hardy took a hit at the end of that impressive scramble by Aidan Chiles, who used two spin moves to break free for a short gain. Hardy is leaving the field under his own power but walking with medical staff to the locker room.

10:54 pm ET September 25, 2026

Northwestern helps Indiana

Zach Osterman

Hoosiers needed a little good fortune with the way everything else has been going tonight and they got some. Facing 3rd and forever, they conceded the drive with a swing screen only for Northwestern to commit a facemask penalty that breathed life into the possession. A long Lee Beebe run and a short Lee Beebe run later, IU punches it in and hits the PAT. Northwestern's decision to go for two on the previous drive now looms larger.

No. 4 Indiana 22, Northwestern 13, 9:39 remaining 4Q.

10:53 pm ET September 25, 2026

IU ground game taking over

Lee Beebe Jr. with a 39-yard gain on third down to push the Hoosiers into the red zone, with a great block by Shazz Preston downfield. Beebe on second effort scores from 4 yards out to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive.

No. 4 IU 22, Northwestern 13, 9:39 Q4

10:45 pm ET September 25, 2026

IU offense mistakes continue

Josh Hoover was sacked for a loss of 13 on a Northwestern blitz. A completion to Nick Marsh and a false start by all but the center later and IU faces third-and-19 from its 16 and has only milked 69 seconds off the clock.

No. 4 Indiana 15, Northwestern 13, 13:45 Q4

10:41 pm ET September 25, 2026

Fascinating drive upcoming

Zach Osterman

Josh Hoover has burned hot and cold tonight. Indiana clearly doesn't trust its run game right now, with good reason. And Bryant Haines really needs some time with his defense on the sideline, after getting carved up on those last two drives. Uncustomary messy, stop-start football from the Hoosiers right now.

No. 4 Indiana 15, Northwestern 13, 14:54 remaining 4Q.

10:40 pm ET September 25, 2026

Aidan Chiles crunched in 2-point attempt

Aiden Chiles tried a QB power to the left side of the formation, but Amare Ferrell blew it up and, as Chiles tried to leap over him, took him down.

IU 15, Northwestern 13, 14:54 Q4

10:39 pm ET September 25, 2026

Northwestern will go for 2 after touchdown

Back to triple option as Aidan Chiles fakes the handoff and rolled to the right to find Griffin Wilde for their second TD connection tonight. NU goes for 2 and draws a pass interference.

IU 15, NU 13, 14:54 Q4

10:36 pm ET September 25, 2026

John Mellencamp in the house

As his hit "Hurts So Good" plays over Memorial Stadium, John Mellencamp is treated to cheers. We'll see how the mood shifts with Northwestern inside the IU 10.

10:34 pm ET September 25, 2026

Northwestern driving to tie?

Wildcats have pushed the ball through the air to get to the IU 8 with second-and-6 at the break, looking to tie.

IU 15, Northwestern 7, 15:00 Q4

10:28 pm ET September 25, 2026

IU adds to lead after kickoff blunder

After a botched kickoff, the Hoosiers drove 90 yards on 10 plays and pushed the lead back out.

IU 15, Northwestern 7, 2:06 Q3

10:17 pm ET September 25, 2026

Northwestern puts scoring drive together

Aidan Chiles had to come out for a play after running QB power, then Nicco Marchiol handed off, and Chiles came back in to throw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Griffin Wilde to complete a 10-play, 75-yard drive.

And that ends the 11 straight scoreless quarters for IU's defense.

IU 12, Northwestern 7, 6:34 Q3

10:09 pm ET September 25, 2026

A defensive line observation

Zach Osterman

Not nearly so much rotation tonight. Some, certainly, but there's been a lot of Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, to great effect. Indiana will hope legal proceedings continue as they have for those two. They're becoming increasingly prominent playmakers on this defense.

10:04 pm ET September 25, 2026

Northwestern blitz gets home

Josh Hoover had no time to escape a collapsing pocket, or step into a throw, as the Northwestern blitz sacked Hoover for a loss of 9.

Northwestern takes over at its 25 with 11:29 left Q3.

9:59 pm ET September 25, 2026

Indiana defense gets stop to start half

Aidan Chiles' feet were dancing before the pocket collapsed, flushed to his right and Mario Landino caught him.

Charlie Becker fair caught the punt at the IU 37.

9:46 pm ET September 25, 2026

Indiana dominating Northwestern in stats

The Hoosiers have outgained the Wildcats 243-51 in the first half, and held NU to 1 for 4 on third down. IU is 5 for 10 on third and fourth down, missing the fourth-and-goal run from the 1.

Josh Hoover missed a wide-open Charlie Becker twice on would-be touchdowns - once on an underthrow and another a half-step too deep. Still, Hoover is 12 for 18 for 122 yards and a touchdown with completions to six different players.

9:37 pm ET September 25, 2026

Halftime: No. 4 Indiana leads Northwestern, 12-0

Zach Osterman

Some thoughts:

Josh Hoover really settled in on that last drive. Overall he's 12 of 18 for 122 yards and a score. He'd probably tell you he should have one more.

Offensive line play improved as well. Feels like Mike Shanahan is still learning in real time what Hoover is most comfortable with, and where that intersects with what his line can block effectively.

The running back situation is not great. Richard injury looked bad. Indiana's going to have to lean into Hoover's experience with high-volume pass offense for a little bit at least, unless Sean Cuono is further along as a redshirt freshman than we previously thought.

Defense is utterly dominant right now. That's 11 straight quarters without allowing a touchdown. Four TFLs and two sacks in that first quarter. Schematically, Chip Kelly is flatly refusing to pass the ball conventionally against IU's rush. That might be about his line, might be about his quarterback, probably a bit of both. But you're saying this defense at its best right now.

The missed shots to Charlie Becker and the 4th and goal stuff are why the score is a little wonky right now. Indiana's got to clean some of that stuff up. Can't afford to miss so many of those chances long term.

9:31 pm ET September 25, 2026

Aidan Chiles can't escape

Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles tried to escape the pocket and kept running backwards, and barely shoveled the ball toward the sideline for a 21-yard loss.

9:19 pm ET September 25, 2026

Much more like it

Zach Osterman

Josh Hoover was 6 of 6 passing on that drive, and that's not including a deep shot to Shazz Preston that forced a defensive interference penalty. It finished with an excellent throw and catch from Hoover to Nick Marsh, who'd previously made a great catch on the sideline. In all, a seven-play, 90-yard drive.

IU's snap-count advantage is 36-13 right now. Probably not sustainable for Northwestern. Wildcats need something on this drive.

No. 4 Indiana 12, Northwestern 0, 5:04 remaining 1H.

9:12 pm ET September 25, 2026

IU defense forces punt

Northwestern went 34 yards on nine plays on that drive - 20 total yards of offense - but were forced to punt to the Hoosiers, who took over at their own 10.

IU 5, Northwestern 0, 9:03 Q2

8:58 pm ET September 25, 2026

Radicic back

Zach Osterman

Nico Radicic drills a 43-yard field goal, as Indiana takes a five-point lead. Radicic is apparently back.

No. 4 Indiana 5, Northwestern 0, 13:06 remaining 1H.

8:57 pm ET September 25, 2026

Turbo Richard suffers apparent injury

Zach Osterman

Not ideal, obviously, if this is serious. Richard was carried into the sideline then hit late both high and low. Had to be helped to the injury tent, looked like he was favoring his right leg. Crowd and sideline were both furious there was no late-hit call. With Khobie Martin hurt, any long-term issue with Richard would make life more complicated at running back.

8:49 pm ET September 25, 2026

Mercifully, the first quarter is over

That was a long 15 minutes of game time, between the multiple false starts, teams taking timeouts and an injury. We've reached the end of the first stanza with a significant IU advantage, though not in score.

IU: 144 yards on 25 plays

NU: 1 yard on 4 plays

IU 2, Northwestern 0, End 1

8:48 pm ET September 25, 2026

Northwestern blitzing the life out of Hoover

Zach Osterman

And he's handling it well. Has moved away from pressure well, and just bailed on a zero blitz for a 16-yard run on 3rd and 11. Lee Beebe Jr. run took Indiana across midfield on the next snap, before the quarter ended.

END OF 1Q: No. 4 Indiana 2, Northwestern 0.

8:42 pm ET September 25, 2026

Northwestern backed up

Zach Osterman

Might be a controversial opinion, but I think Northwestern is going to have a hard time winning this game if its offense never gets beyond its own 10.

8:40 pm ET September 25, 2026

Northwestern's turn to false start

David Braun and Chip Kelly need a timeout. They've ran a couple option plays but also had a couple false starts here. They face second-and-16 from their own 2, and nearly fumbled away another snap.

8:34 pm ET September 25, 2026

Josh Hoover not quite dialed in

Zach Osterman

He's looked good under pressure, but Hoover has missed on five of his first nine throws. Probably missed a touchdown to Charlie Becker twice, one on a deep underthrow and one on a deep shot overthrow. Indiana's second drive ends in a punt.

No. 4 Indiana 2, Northwestern 0, 4:55 remaining 1Q.

8:26 pm ET September 25, 2026

Indiana defense comes through

And that's why you go for it at the 1. Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles couldn't handle the snap, dropped it, and picked it up with Daniel Ndukwe and Co. hunting him down.

Indiana 2, Northwestern 0, 7:20 Q1

8:23 pm ET September 25, 2026

Indiana run game struggles

Indiana gets stuffed on fourth-and-goal from the 1 on a Turbo Richard run. Take away the 33-yard run by Richard to open the drive and the Hoosiers rushed for 21 yards on 9 carries, 2.3 per.

That drive was 7:27 and was 15 plays, 67 yards without points.

Indiana 0, Northwestern 0, 7:25 Q1

8:22 pm ET September 25, 2026

Hoosiers stuffed at the goal line

Zach Osterman

Indiana's opening drive overcomes some hiccups, including a pair of illegal snap penalties at the start, to get to Northwestern's goal line. But the jumbo package can't punch it in on 4th and goal from the NW 1. Run game still a bit boom-or-bust.

No. 4 Indiana and Northwestern tied at 0-0, 7:25 left 1Q.

8:21 pm ET September 25, 2026

Northwestern injury to defensive back

The injured Wildcat was defensive back Josh Fussell, who left the medical tent on crutches and walked into the medical facilities.

8:10 pm ET September 25, 2026

Turbo Richard negates it all

IU running back Turbo Richard got the 10 penalty yards and 10 other yards back on a 33-yard run out to the Northwestern 45.

After all the commotion, a media timeout for an injury to a Northwestern defender.

8:09 pm ET September 25, 2026

Curt Cignetti furious at officials

Curt Cignetti used his first timeout eight seconds in and before an offensive snap to yell at official Jason Nickleby after a pair of snap infractions. IU has first-and-20 at its own 22.

8:07 pm ET September 25, 2026

Indiana vs Northwestern underway

Northwestern won the toss and deferred to the second half. The Hoosiers elected to receive.

7:31 pm ET September 25, 2026

Injury updates from IU warmups

Zach Osterman

Place kicker Nico Radicic, listed as a gametime decision, is dressed and warming up, so he might be available. Cornerback A.J. Harris was officially downgraded to out.

7:00 pm ET September 25, 2026

Indiana football injury report

Running back Khobie Martin (arm) is out. Cornerback A.J. Harris is doubtful. Kicker Nico Radicic (back) is questionable. Defensive linemen Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt received a court ruling Wednesday that makes them eligible for the game.

Northwestern guard Ezomo Oratokhai left the Colorado game with a lower body injury and is out.

6:30 pm ET September 25, 2026

Indiana-Northwestern football players to know

Josh Hoover (72.5% completions, 649 yards, 10 touchdowns), Turbo Richard (315 rushing yards, 4 TDs) and Charlie Becker (12 catches for 272 yards and 6 TDs) lead the Hoosiers, who have committed 0 turnovers and shut out two consecutive opponents. IU's 12.5 yards per pass lead the nation.

Aidan Chiles (67.4% completions, 514 yards, 4 TDs passing; 3 TDs rushing), Joseph Himon II (4 total TDs) and Griffin Wilde (8 catches, 189 yards) lead Northwestern, which has not committed a turnover and has forced 5 takeaways. The Wildcats have run 51 times per game.

5:30 pm ET September 25, 2026

Will it rain at the Indiana football game vs. Northwestern? Bloomington weather radar tonight, Sept. 25

Clear skies and temperatures in the 60s are forecast.

5:15 pm ET September 25, 2026

Will Indiana beat Northwestern? Indiana football predictions vs. Northwestern

Zach Osterman, IndyStar, Indiana 35-21: "Think it will be closer than the line suggests. Northwestern can stress Indiana in some key ways, especially at the edges of the line of scrimmage, and Curt Cignetti clearly has a lot of respect for David Braun. Indiana wins, but works for it."

Michael Niziolek, Times-Herald, Indiana 38-17: "Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles had a few nice moments against Indiana while playing for Michigan State, but that success couldn't slow the Hoosiers. He's got less talent surrounding him now, with his former top target Nick Marsh playing in Bloomington. While David Braun is a solid coach, the gap between the teams is too wide right now to envision anything less than a double-digit win by the Hoosiers."

Aaron Ferguson, IndyStar, Indiana 45-21: "There could be more points than this game might suggest with the attention to details on defense from both programs. Chip Kelly can unlock the potential Aidan Chiles displayed at Michigan State, but IU has too many playmakers for the 'Cats to keep up."

4:46 pm ET September 25, 2026

Is Indiana favored vs. Northwestern? IU football betting odds

(via BetMGM)

Favorite: Indiana by 20.5 points

Over/under: 49.5 total points

Moneyline: Indiana -1600, Northwestern +1050

4:30 pm ET September 25, 2026

Indiana football 2026 schedule

(all times ET)

Sat., Sept. 5: IU 52, North Texas 16 (box score, stats)

Sat, Sept. 12: IU 55, Howard 0 (box score, stats)

Sat., Sept. 19: IU 38, Western Kentucky 0 (box score, stats)

Fri., Sept. 25: vs. Northwestern, 8 p.m., Fox (preview)

Sat., Oct. 3: at Rutgers, 8 p.m., BTN (preview)

Sat., Oct. 10: at Nebraska, TBA, TBA (preview)

Sat., Oct. 17: vs. Ohio State, TBA, TBA (preview)

Sat., Oct. 24: at Michigan, TBA, TBA (preview)

Sat., Oct. 31: vs. Minnesota, TBA, TBA (preview)

Bye week

Sat., Nov. 14: vs. USC, TBA, TBA (preview)

Sat., Nov. 21: at Washington, TBA, TBA (preview)

Sat., Nov. 28: vs. Purdue, TBA, TBA (preview)

Watch college football action with a Fubo trial

4:15 pm ET September 25, 2026

What radio station is IU football on tonight? How to listen to Indiana football vs. Northwestern

Radio: 105.1 FM in Bloomington, 93.5 and 107.5 FM in Indianapolis, SiriusXM Channels 84 (IU feed) and 262.

4:00 pm ET September 25, 2026

Where to stream Indiana football tonight? Where can I watch Indiana football vs. Northwestern?

Watch IU football with a free Fubo trial

3:50 pm ET September 25, 2026

What channel is the Indiana football game on tonight? Where can I watch Indiana football vs. Northwestern?

TV: Fox

Watch IU football with a free Fubo trial

3:45 pm ET September 25, 2026

What time is the Indiana football game vs. Northwestern? When is kickoff for the Indiana football game?

IU is scheduled to play Northwestern at 8 p.m. ET tonight, Sept. 25, 2026, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.

3:40 pm ET September 25, 2026

Indiana football tickets

Buy IU football tickets on StubHub

3:30 pm ET September 25, 2026

Indiana football merch

Buy Indiana football gear from Fanatics

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