College Football Breakdown

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Indiana vs Northwestern

Northwestern comes off a big effort in which they lost even though leading for most of the game against the undefeated Spartans. Disappointed, sure they may be, but the Wildcats are a gritty bunch under Coach Fitz and they should be ready to play come Saturday. The Hoosiers enter after losing to Illinois by 30 in a game where their defense performed reasonably well.

When Indiana has the ball:
Indiana’s passing attack is excellent when QB Chappell has good pass protection. The problem is that with the injuries to the offensive line and the backs not being able to pass block effectively, pass protection has been horrible of late. Northwester does not possess a defensive line that can get after a QB so expect the Hoosiers to have success in the passing game.
Edge Indiana

When Northwestern has the ball:
Indiana is horrendous against the pass and lacks speed in its back seven. QB Persa will able to run or pass as he sees fit. Northwestern should have no problem moving it against Indiana.
Huge Edge Northwestern

Special Teams:
Indiana’s return coverage has been suffering greatly of late (ranked last in my Big Ten rankings) Although Indiana can be explosive at times in the return game, expect Northwestern to shorten the field with its return game.
Edge Northwestern

Big Ten Analyst-John Jacobson