Indiana vs Northwestern Game Thread (Oct. 22 - 12:00PM - BTN)

[Dalton26 16,892]

[ThompsonHoosier 3,414]

I really really hope we can get Feeney back for this game (and the rest of the season). The next four games are all winnable but we need to get the offense going. Who would have predicted that IU's defense would be outperforming the offense at this point in the season?

[Hoosier Roots 745]

How does northwestern look this year?


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[ThompsonHoosier 3,414]

7 minutes ago, Hoosier Roots said:

How does northwestern look this year?


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They have looked awful at times (i.e. losing to Illinois State 9-7) and pretty good at other times (winning at Iowa 38-31). So who knows exactly which team will show up on Saturday. I will say, they started 0-2 with loses against a good Western Michigan team and Illinois State but they have been playing better lately; knocking down Iowa and MSU.

[KB0 827]

This game scares me. Noon kickoff on the road against a so-and-so team. IU definitely can win it, but this has the feeling of one of those games that makes you scratch your head.

[ThompsonHoosier 3,414]

Indiana	CATEGORY	Northwestern
25.5	Scoring Offense	26.2
25.3	Scoring Defense	23.2
148.5	Rushing Off.	139.8
285.0	Passing Off	233.8
166.7	Rushing Def	140.0
205.8	Passing Def.	276.3
433.5	Total Offense	373.7
372.5	Total Defense	416.3

Hoosiers Quick Hits:

• Indiana is outscoring opponents 95-73 in the 2nd half, but being outscored 79-57 in the 1st half.
• Indiana is one of two teams in the country that have not surrendered a 30-plus yard rush.
• The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten and are 11th nationally in yards per completion at 14.5,
• Indiana is 2nd in the conference in passing offense 285.0 per game and passing efficiency at 145.5
• Indiana is tied for 2nd in the Big Ten & 14th nationally in defensive TDs  with 2
• Hoosiers are 4th in the Big Ten & 19th in the country  in pass efficiency defense at  110.5
• Rashard Fant leads the NCAA with 1.8 passes defended per game
• Richard Lagow is 7th in the NCAA and 2nd in Big Ten with a 14.79 yards per completion average
• Nick Westbrook is averaging 21.85 yards per catch 9th best in America and 2nd best in the conference
• Ricky Jones is averaging 19.42 yards per catch 25th best in America and 3rd best in the conference
• Tegray Scales 40 solo tackles leads the Big Ten and is 8th most nationally
• Joseph Gedeon has 11 punts downed inside the 20 & 5 inside the 5 yard line

Wildcats Quick Hits:

• Wildcats are the 5th least penalized team in America getting flagged just 3.67 times a game
• Ifeadi Odenigbo is 5th in the NCAA with 7 sacks this season, most in the Big Ten.
• Hunter Niswander is averaging a Big ten best 43.8 yards per punt
• Austin Carr leads the Big Ten in receptions (43), receiving yards (595), touchdowns (8) and receiving yards per game (99.2).
• Austin Carr has 11 more catches, 129 more receiving yards and two more touchdown grabs than anyone in the Big Ten.
• Carr has caught 8 TDs in his last 5 games
• Austin Carr is 11th in the NCAA with 7.2 catches per game
• Justin Jackson leads the Big Ten and is 14th in America with 116.3 rushing yards per game
• Clayton Thorson has accounted for 4 TDs in back-toback games
• Solomon Vault is 6th in the NCAA with a 32.3 yard average on Kick Returns

[Crimson and Cream 5,825]

This game scares me. Northwestern has looked better the past few weeks and it's a road game. 

[ThompsonHoosier 3,414]

 From his radio show last night, coach Wilson mentioned Dan Feeney is back practicing but "Not sure how much he's going to play" on Saturday.

[Crimson and Cream 5,825]

Bump. 2 days till gameday, this should stay up top. Any reps from Feeney would be a positive.

[Miller'sTheMan 1,652]

I hope Zander gets some more time this week.

[Sota Hoosier 450]

I'll be thur. Planning to tailgate before the game. I have 0 tailgating gear so will probably be standing around a case or two of brews.

Big game. Could be the start of a winning streak leading up to the Michigan game.

[WayneFleekHoosier 48,390]

NW is strongly underrated by our fanbase based on prediction league.

Road game against a team coming off 2 huge wins.

Consider me not confident whatsoever.




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[KB0 827]

14 hours ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

NW is strongly underrated by our fanbase based on prediction league.

Road game against a team coming off 2 huge wins.

Consider me not confident whatsoever.




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Like I said up-thread, this game worries me. IU certainly can win it and I hope they do. A fast start would help calm my nerves. My prediction league guess this week was more heart than head.

[johnsoniu 6,423]

15 hours ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

NW is strongly underrated by our fanbase based on prediction league.

Road game against a team coming off 2 huge wins.

Consider me not confident whatsoever.




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I would never consider you confident ;)

Any game against a Pat Fitzgerald coached team is going to be a battle, dude knows his football and how to maximize his talent. Simply cannot beat ourselves tomorrow with turnovers and stupid penalties. Ryan Field is far from an intimidating environment, and we usually pull a decent crowd there. Time to get back in the win column.

Go Hoosiers!

[WayneFleekHoosier 48,390]

I would never consider you confident ;)

Any game against a Pat Fitzgerald coached team is going to be a battle, dude knows his football and how to maximize his talent. Simply cannot beat ourselves tomorrow with turnovers and stupid penalties. Ryan Field is far from an intimidating environment, and we usually pull a decent crowd there. Time to get back in the win column.

Go Hoosiers!

Confidence is instilled by track record and history. Ours isn't good in football especially and we need to build that confidence by winning games that are toss ups.

I WILL say, I am confident we have a solid chance to win this game. I could not have said that a few years back, so there's something.


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[Dalton26 16,892]

1 hour ago, johnsoniu said:

I would never consider you confident ;)

Any game against a Pat Fitzgerald coached team is going to be a battle, dude knows his football and how to maximize his talent. Simply cannot beat ourselves tomorrow with turnovers and stupid penalties. Ryan Field is far from an intimidating environment, and we usually pull a decent crowd there. Time to get back in the win column.

Go Hoosiers!

That is the biggest key in my opinion. I think we are sitting at 4-2 if not 5-1 if we hadn't beat ourselves in a couple games. This is definitely a fun time to be an IUFB fan.

[akhosrof 1,168]

NW is strongly underrated by our fanbase based on prediction league.

Road game against a team coming off 2 huge wins.

Consider me not confident whatsoever.

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While many picked IU to win the scores were very close. This was a tough pick for me. Up until the last second I was going with NW.

Their offense scares me, especially their playmaking triplets. It also scares me that they beat Iowa and overcame an early deficit to crush MSU. Of course, Coach Fitz is a excellent game planner.

This is truly a game of two passing ships. If we come out flat it will be very bad news. However, our defense is legit. I think their offense comes back to earth a little against our defense.

Our offense is hardly anemic. We've played two top ten teams the past two weeks. I think that drop off in competition against a weaker NW defense allows our offense to return to levels of production we have been used to in the past. Not to mention getting Freeney back.

I truly think this game is a 50-50 toss up.

[bleedhoosier 3,627]

Bring Feeney back!

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[HoosierAloha 30,068]

I would like to see a strong effort on the offensive side of the ball. Hopefully Lagow and the offense get in a flow early and maintain it.

[hsrtxp 1,400]

It's game day!!!!

Maybe I missed this posted elsewhere but if not, it's a good read.

IU's Mitchell Paige has defied expectations over and over

Zach Osterman | zach.osterman@indystar.com
05:02 PM EDT October 21, 2016

IndyStar Hoosiers Insider Zach Osterman talks about IU's upcoming football game against Northwestern and this weekend's Hoosier Hysteria at Assembly Hall.
NCAA Football: Nebraska at Indiana
Marc Lebryk/USA TODAY Sports Mitchell Paige tries to avoid Nebraska cornerback Chris Jones during the first half at Memorial Stadium. The IU wide receiver formerly played at Guerin Catholic High School in Noblesville. Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Mitchell Paige (87) looks to avoid being tackled by Nebraska Cornhuskers cornerback Chris Jones (8) during the first half of the game at Memorial Stadium.
Marc Lebryk | USA TODAY Sports

BLOOMINGTON — Mitchell Paige spreads his arms as wide as he can, explaining how he once tried to defend the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.

He sits down in a defensive stance.

“I checked Anthony Davis,” he says, grinning. “He was 6-1. He crossed me so hard.”

A 2012 graduate of Guerin Catholic, Paige grew up knowing he wanted to play a sport in college. He expected it to be basketball, and played AAU ball from the earliest possible age, matching up with local stars like Yogi Ferrell, Gary Harris and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera. Hence the encounter with Davis, at the time still a guard with the prominent Midwest program Meanstreets.

Growing up, football was rarely more than an outlet for his hyper-competitive drive.

“And then,” Paige said, laughing, “I got this big, and stopped growing.”

At Guerin, though, coaches quickly recognized his potential at wide receiver. His height wasn't anything he couldn't overcome on the football field. There was a college player inside Paige’s 5-7 frame. They were sure of it.

That’s easy to see now. Paige has become a fifth-year starter and senior captain for an IU football program more competitive than any in recent memory. Last week, he broke 1,000 career receiving yards, and he has grown into one of the Hoosiers’ most important players.

One with plenty of stories to tell, from a career that has defied expectation over and over.

“He’s one of our best,” IU coach Kevin Wilson said.

Usually a strength, IU's retooled offensive line 'a little off'
CHANGING SCHOOLS

Growing up, Paige craved competition. He played whatever sports were available – flag football, soccer, football, basketball, even golf.

His basement floor was painted like an IU basketball court. He would beg his father, Barry, to take him to Carmel High School’s football field to run routes when he was in first grade. One Christmas, he asked his parents for a tackling dummy.

“I wanted to put a sign up in the yard that said, ‘We did not make him do this,’ ” said his mother, Trudy.

Basketball was his first love. He wanted to play it in college, ideally at Indiana, where Barry used to take him for Midnight Madness when he was young.

636126516185919232-06-spHSGREE11.187367.jpg
FILE — Like most Indiana-raised youths, Mitchell Paige's first love was hoops.
Doug McSchooler | Local;Local

Paige grew up in the Carmel school district, played for Carmel Pups and Carmel Middle School, and told his parents he dreamed of playing at Carmel High.

But Barry wanted his son to at least consider the option of a Catholic education, so one day during his freshman year, Paige visited Guerin.

“I can remember driving down Carey Road in Carmel, and him saying, ‘Mom, I want to go to Guerin,’ ” Trudy said. “You could’ve knocked me over.”

Paige traded Carmel for the much smaller private school in Noblesville, enrolling as a sophomore. There was just one problem – Carmel blocked his transfer. Mitchell Paige, an eventual four-sport athlete, couldn’t compete at the varsity level as a sophomore.

He made the JV basketball team at Guerin but didn’t play football.

“In his mind,” Barry said, “he had walked away from football.”

SMALL-SCHOOL STAR DREAMED BIG

636126515566907264-13-spHSGREEN24.184981.JPG
FILE — Mitchell Paige put up big numbers on the gridiron for Guerin Catholic.
Doug McSchooler | Local;Local

Guerin’s coaching staff had other ideas. They knew enough about Paige to believe he could contribute, so they showed up to JV basketball games and convinced him to come out for football when he was eligible the next fall.

Paige slotted in at receiver. One of Guerin’s coaches soon pulled his father aside.

“I remember after one of the first practices, he asked me to come over, and he told me, 'Mitchell’s a Division I football player,' ” Barry said. “I’m not sure there were a lot of other people that thought that.”

Trudy was an IU alum. Barry was a Miami (Fla.) alum. So Paige attended camps in Bloomington and Coral Gables.

Indiana took interest. Assistant coach Mark Hagen visited Guerin, offering Paige a spot as a preferred walk-on.

There was interest from Division II and Division III schools. But Paige’s heart was set on playing Division I. After finishing his Guerin career as a two-time all-state football selection – and lettering in basketball, golf and track along the way – Paige headed to Bloomington.

“He was around other good athletes and did well, and in his mind, knew he could play Division I football,” Barrysaid. “No matter what that took, he was gonna do it.”

On the day Paige arrived for his first fall camp, the coaching staff directed him to IU’s north end zone facility for the necessary paperwork. He walked up to a receptionist at the second-floor football offices, trying to figure out where to go to get what he needed.

“He’s not a very big kid. He’s much stronger now, thicker and taller. I don’t know if he was 150 pounds then,” Barry said. “There was a receptionist there. Mitchell said, ‘I’m here for the football stuff.’ And the lady says, ‘Oh, you mean like a sticker or a magnet?’

“She had no idea he was a football player. She just thought he was a fan, some kid. He said, ‘No, coach told me to come over here and get football stuff. I’m on the football team.’ ”

636126528988560839-IUFB-23.jpg
FILE — Mitchell Paige's first few years in Bloomington were spent on the scout team where he impressed in practice.
Charlie Nye | Local;Local

'MONEY MAKING MITCH'

Paige spent the next three years largely working on Indiana’s scout team, toiling behind the scenes and earning an enduring nickname from former teammate and roommate Tim Bennett.

“When he was there, especially when he was doing scout-team reps, he easily had some of the best pure routes,” said Bennett, a cornerback who had to deal with Paige in practice. “I started calling him ‘Money Making Mitch,’ because he just kept making play after play, and in key moments, too.”

But on Saturdays, his opportunities were limited. Of Paige’s first three seasons in Bloomington, he redshirted one and appeared in a combined nine games the other two. His statistical contributions were limited to three punt returns, despite Wilson regularly mentioning him as one of the Hoosiers’ best practice players.

“The hardest part for him the first year or two was not being part of the formula for winning,” Barry said. “He was determined to be somebody that was gonna play and contribute."

An injury changed that.

636126515358957931-0910-Indiana-v-Ball-State-JRW06.JPG
Bill Wilson wears a button of his grandson, Hoosiers wide receiver Mitchell Paige (87), at Indiana University's Memorial Stadium, Sept. 10, 2016.
Jenna Watson/IndyStar | Local;Local

During the summer of 2015, Fishers alum J-Shun Harris tore his anterior cruciate ligament. The subsequent surgery ruled Harris – IU’s likely No. 1 slot receiver – out for the season and elevated the sure-handed Paige into a starting spot.

He responded by hauling in 57 receptions for 684 yards and a team-best six touchdowns. He also returned two punts for touchdowns, as the Hoosiers earned their first bowl appearance in eight years.

Now in his fifth and final year of college, he leads the Hoosiers in catches halfway through a season that could still see IU qualify for a second consecutive postseason berth, something the program has not achieved in more than two decades. Paige is now a team captain and on scholarship.

“Were there bad days? There were. He’s human. He’s going to have days where he wants to quit. And his dad and I have always told him, when it stops being fun, you don’t have to do it anymore,” Trudy said. “But what Mitchell has done is all him.”

Insider: IU searching for some soul on offense
PASSING IT ON

Nick Westbrook is accustomed to the sound of the apartment door closing before his alarm has gone off, a reminder that Paige, his roommate, is already on his way to Memorial Stadium.

“He’s always one of the first people in the building,” Westbrook said. “Whether it’s getting treatment, even if there’s nothing wrong, just coming in here to be early, to be on time, get that extra work in. That shows he cares, that he’s doing all the little things right.”

Westbrook and Luke Timian, both among Paige’s fellow receivers, are also his current roommates. They know that competitive streak extends to everything Paige does, even playing video games.

“You can get under his skin pretty easily,” Timian said, smiling.

There are more serious conversations, too.

636126515597639461-EVCBrd-09-27-2016-CourierPress-1-B001-2016-09-26-IMG-0924-IU-fb-v-Wake-Fo-1-1-AKFRMPI9-L889873749-IMG-0924-IU-fb-v-Wake-Fo-1-1-AKFRMPI9.jpg
A fifth-year senior, Mitchell Paige is a leader on and off the field for the Hoosiers.
Jenna Watson/Indy Star | Local;Local

Paige has become an heir to a standard at Indiana of strong wide receiver play. He learned from future NFL players before him, like Shane Wynn and Cody Latimer. With his own career running short, he’s keen to pass that expectation on.

“He’s setting the example for Nick and I,” Timian said. “We’ve talked to (fifth-year wideout) Ricky (Jones) and Mitchell about us taking on a leadership role next year. For us to see how hard he works, him and Ricky, those two guys, it’s easy for us to come to work every day with a positive attitude.”

From driveway basketball to front-yard football.

From Carmel Stadium to checking Anthony Davis.

From Guerin Catholic to IU.

From little-known walk-on to standard setter.

“He’s a terrific son. He’s a great brother to his younger sister Audrey,” Barry said. “And it’s surreal to sit in the stands at Penn State or Ohio State or Indiana or Michigan and see him out there. So many kids want to be out there, and so few make it.

“I’m most proud of the kid he is separate from sports, because he’s a terrific kid. But I’m really impressed and proud of how hard he’s worked to get where he is. I gave up a long time ago trying to speculate on what he can accomplish, because there’s no limit to it.”

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.

INDIANA AT NORTHWESTERN

Kickoff: Noon Saturday, Ryan Field, Evanston, Ill.

TV, radio: Big Ten Network, WFNI-AM (1070) -FM (93.5).

Line: Northwestern (-1.5).

THREE STORYLINES

• The Wildcats (3-3, 2-1 Big Ten) feature a dual-threat quarterback, Clayton Thorson, and both the Big Ten's leading rusher (Justin Jackson) and receiver (Austin Carr). An improved IU defense will need to shut Northwestern down. Can they translate performances like Michigan State and Nebraska into more success Saturday?

• Indiana (3-3, 1-2) has already conceded 12 sacks this season after allowing just 13 over 13 games last year. Northwestern's rapidly improving pass rush, buoyed by Ifeadi Odenigbo (seven sacks), has tallied 16 this year. Can the Hoosiers effectively protect quarterback Richard Lagow?

• Speaking of Lagow, he has thrown nine interceptions and given away a fumble this season, making ball security a growing problem for Indiana's stop-and-start offense. Can he protect the ball against a fierce Northwestern pass rush? Will Indiana turn to Zander Diamont, his backup, for a change of pace again?

Key statistics: Indiana has had three players break 100 yards receiving this season, the latest being redshirt senior Mitchell Paige, who grabbed nine passes for 101 yards in the loss to Nebraska. ... The Hoosiers are fourth in the Big Ten in team interceptions (seven) and opponent pass efficiency (110.5). ... Despite those interceptions, Lagow is still first in the Big Ten in yards per pass attempt, and second in both passing yards and touchdowns through six games. ... Northwestern has scored 92 points in its past two games, road wins at Iowa and Michigan State, after managing just 65 in its first four games combined. ... After three straight games against teams ranked at the time they played them, the Hoosiers have only one further opponent currently ranked, No. 4 Michigan.

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