Clearly Northwestern and Indiana are not exactly two of the most successful teams in Big Ten history, as both schools have sat toward the bottom of conference standings throughout most of their histories. They have, however, experienced some of the great one-on-one matchups over the years. Here are five of the most historic games between the Wildcats and Hoosiers, one of whom will be getting their first Big Ten win of the season this weekend.
Nov. 16, 1929 (Evanston, Ill.): Indiana 19, Northwestern 14: With two games remaining on the season, the 6-1 ‘Cats welcomed the 1-5-1 Hoosiers as a tune-up for powerhouse Notre Dame, who would visit the following week. Indiana’s only win on the season had come against Wabash College, 19-2 (NU defeated Wabash 66-0 in the same season) and the team had not scored more than 7 points in a Big Ten game. The Hoosiers came to play, though, and knocked off the heavily favored ‘Cats, 19-14. NU finished the season with a 26-6 loss to the Fighting Irish, while Indiana lost 32-0 to Purdue.
Sept. 25, 1943 (Evanston, Ill.): Northwestern 14, Indiana 6: On opening day in Evanston, Otto Graham and the ‘Cats ignited the Dyche Stadium crowd with a 14-6 handling of the Hoosiers. The ‘Cats lost their next game to Michigan, but finished 5-1 in Big Ten play and 6-2 overall, with the one other loss coming to No. 1 Notre Dame. NU was ranked as high as No. 8 in the country during the season. Graham finished the season with 490 yards passing, 329 yards rushing, 4 interceptions, 76 kick return yards, 236 punt return yards and 7 extra points made. Indiana could not rebound from the loss, finishing 2-3-1 in the Big Ten and 4-4-2 overall.
Nov. 3, 1962 (Bloomington, Ind.): No. 1 Northwestern 26, Indiana 21: The 5-0 ‘Cats arrived in Bloomington as the No. 1 team in the land for the second time in team history (the first coming in 1936). The upstart ‘Cats had already defeated South Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota, No. 6 Ohio State and Notre Dame. The 2-4 Hoosiers appeared to be a break. However, Indiana gave the ‘Cats all it had, and NU barely squeaked out a five-point win. The Wildcats' run as the top ranked team ended after the Indiana victory, however. The ‘Cats lost the next two games to Wisconsin and Michigan State, respectively. Despite a final week win at Miami (FL), the NU team was denied what would have been its first bowl game appearance since 1948.
Sept. 22, 1984 (Evanston, Ill.): Northwestern 40, Indiana 37: NU (0-3) was in its fourth of five seasons in the Dennis Green Dark Ages when Indiana (0-2) came to town. Both teams were winless and neither had scored more than 24 points thus far in the season. A high-flying shoot-out ensued with the ‘Cats pulling out a nail-biting three-point home victory. NU won only one more game on the season, against Minnesota, while Indiana finished winless.
Oct. 24, 2009 (Evanston, Ill.): Northwestern 29, Indiana 28: After an Indiana punt return for a score with 7:46 left in the second quarter, Northwestern's season looked like a bust. Northwestern was coming off a 9-4 record in 2008, and in quarterback Mike Kafka’s final year of eligibility, they were failing to reach the season’s high expectations. The team's record at the time was 4-3, and they were currently down 28-3 at Ryan Field to the 4-3 Hoosiers. Then, something amazing happened. Kafka rushed and passed for touchdowns just before halftime, cutting the deficit to 11. A blocked punt in the third quarter gave NU two more points, and a Kafka-Andrew Brewer hookup at the beginning of the fourth quarter pulled the ‘Cats within two. Northwestern’s defense did not let up, holding the Hoosiers scoreless in the second half. With 26 seconds left on the clock, Stefan Demos knocked a 19-yard field goal through the uprights, capping off Northwestern’s greatest comeback of all-time (25 points). The ‘Cats finished the season 8-5, and the victory over Indiana helped Northwestern reach the Outback Bowl that year.