BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Interstat) — Indiana remained unbeaten Friday with a 29-23 victory over visiting Northwestern in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game at Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers improved to 4-0, while the Wildcats dropped to 2-1. A crowd of 54,593 watched Indiana build a 10-0 lead after the first quarter and take a 13-7 advantage into halftime. Northwestern scored 16 points in the third quarter, but Indiana answered with 14 points in the period and added two more in the fourth. Northwestern scored seven points in the second quarter. Indiana entered the game after a 52-16 win over North Texas, a 55-0 win over Howard and a 38-0 win over Western Kentucky. Northwestern had beaten South Dakota State 34-18 and Colorado 41-7 before Friday’s loss.

Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound junior from Downey, Calif., completed 22 of 29 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown. He found Luke Dehnicke, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound tight end from Andover, Minn., seven times for 140 yards. Griffin Wilde, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound receiver from Sioux Falls, S.D., caught six passes for 56 yards and two scores. Alex Honig added three catches for 54 yards, Drew Wagner had three for 19, Ricky Ahumaraeze had one for 17 and Robby Preckel had one for four. Caleb Komolafe caught one pass for three yards and rushed six times for seven yards. Gavin Sawchuk carried five times for 26 yards. Joseph Himon II returned two kickoffs for 37 yards. Jackson Kleather handled the kicking duties, and Nikola Dugandzic punted four times for 180 yards. The Wildcats moved the ball through the air, but they could not overtake the Hoosiers in the final quarter.

Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound junior from Rockwall, Texas, was the Hoosiers’ top star. He completed 19 of 29 passes for 201 yards and one touchdown, ran six times for one yard and scored on the ground. In his previous outing against Western Kentucky, Hoover completed 18 of 24 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for two yards. Against Northwestern, Hoover connected with Nick Marsh for a touchdown. Marsh finished with five receptions for 52 yards. Charlie Becker led Indiana with seven catches for 98 yards. Davion Chandler had two catches for 20 yards, Shazz Preston had two for 18, Andrew Barker had one for six and Tyler Morris had one for five. Lee Beebe Jr., a 5-foot-10, 205-pound running back from Montgomery, Ala., carried 24 times for 203 yards and a touchdown, caught one pass for two yards and returned one kickoff. Turbo Richard added nine carries for 68 yards and two kickoff returns for 35 yards. Indiana’s balanced attack helped it control the clock and answer Northwestern’s third-quarter surge.

Northwestern’s defense got 13 tackles from Robert Fitzgerald, a 6-foot, 205-pound defensive back from Dallas. Kobie McKinzie, a 6-foot-2, 241-pound linebacker from Lubbock, Texas, added nine tackles. Ore Adeyi, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound defensive back from Mansfield, Texas, and Damon Walters, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound defensive back from Bolingbrook, Ill., each made eight. Montae Pate, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound cornerback from North Las Vegas, Nev., finished with seven tackles. Braydon Brus, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker from Glendora, Calif., had five tackles and one sack. Michael Kilbane recorded five tackles and one quarterback hurry. Jamaal Johnson had three tackles and one sack. Tyler Gant made three tackles. Brenden Deasfernandes had two tackles and one quarterback hurry, while Matthew Smith and Mason Mayne each had two tackles. Payton Roth, Brendan Flakes, Dylan Roberts, Dominic Kirks, Jon Jon Stevens Jr. and Caden O’Rourke each made one tackle. The Wildcats’ defense also got pressure from Kilbane, Johnson and Deasfernandes, but Indiana’s rushing attack produced key plays.

Indiana’s Tobi Osunsanmi, a 6-foot-2, 216-pound linebacker from Wichita, Kan., had five tackles and one sack. Preston Zachman, a 6-foot-1, 208-pound safety from Elysburg, Pa., led the Hoosiers with nine tackles. Rolijah Hardy added eight tackles, while Isaiah Jones had seven. Stephen Daley recorded seven tackles, one sack and two quarterback hurries. Amare Ferrell made six tackles. Byron Baldwin Jr. had three tackles and one sack. Jeff Utzinger and Daniel Ndukwe each made two tackles, with Ndukwe adding one quarterback hurry. The Hoosiers’ defense limited Northwestern’s final chances and secured the win.

The scoring included several notable plays. Nico Radicic made field goals from 43 and 22 yards for Indiana. Hoover threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Marsh. Beebe scored on a 4-yard run, and Hoover added a 1-yard touchdown run. Northwestern answered through Chiles, who hit Wilde for a 4-yard touchdown in the third quarter and an 8-yard touchdown in the fourth. A two-point pass failed after the second score. Chiles also scored on a 7-yard run. Kleather made a 42-yard field goal. The Wildcats moved the ball effectively through the air, but Indiana’s defense and ground game helped the Hoosiers protect their lead.

Northwestern is scheduled to host Penn State next, followed by games against Ball State, Michigan State, Rutgers, Oregon, Iowa, Ohio State, Minnesota and Illinois. Indiana is set to visit Rutgers next, followed by games at Nebraska, against Ohio State, at Michigan, against Minnesota, against Southern California, at Washington and against Purdue. The Wildcats will look to bounce back from their first loss, while the Hoosiers will try to remain unbeaten.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Indiana 34, Northwestern 23. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Indiana with a 98.6 percent probability to win. Northwestern had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +20.5. The total score of 52 went under the over/under line of 49.5.