3 Storylines to watch for when Indiana football faces Northwestern in Week 6

It has been 57 years since Indiana football last started a season 5-0. They’ve officially entered the AP Poll as the 23rd-ranked team in the country, and with that many more eyes are on Curt Cignetti’s problem.

While many are surprised at the initial success Cignetti expected it.

“I’m not surprised,” Cignetti said Monday. “I pretty much told everybody when I got hired that this is what was possible.”

Indiana football will have the chance to improve to 6-0 and clinch bowl eligibility for the first time since 2020 when they travel to face Northwestern next Saturday.

Here are three key storylines to follow as the Hoosiers face their next challenge.

How does Kurtis Rourke respond against a tough defense?

Kurtis Rourke and the Indiana offense had not turned the ball over once over the first four games. Then against Maryland, Indiana football had four turnovers including three from Rourke (two interceptions and a fumble).

Rourke bounced back to throw for 359 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Now Rourke and the Hoosiers will face the ‘best defensive team’ they’ve played thus far.

“Northwestern, they’re a tough challenge. This will be the best defensive team we’ve played,” Cignetti said. “Really extremely well-coached, in the right places. They know what they’re doing. They make you earn your points. They’re not going to lose the game. You’ll have to win it.”

The Northwestern defense has yet to allow more than 300 passing yards in a game and has four interceptions in as many games.

On the road against a good defense, it will be a big test for the quarterback who doesn’t seem to get “fazed” by anything.

“He doesn’t really seem to get fazed by a whole lot of stuff and he’s on to the next play,” Cignetti said.

Rourke’s ability to focus on the next play has made him so effective throughout his career and there will certainly be challenges on the road against the Northwestern defense next week.

The question is how will he respond after his worst performance of the season?

Will the Indiana football pass defense bounce back against Northwestern’s struggling pass game?

Billy Edwards Jr. and the Maryland offense found a lot of success against the Indiana pass defense. That was with their number one receiver, Tai Felton, missing most of the game.

Edwards Jr. threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns which both were the most the Indiana defense has allowed all year.

That came even with a solid performance from the pass rush which had five sacks in the game.

The good news for Indiana is they will have a chance to bounce back against Northwestern’s struggling passing game.

Northwestern has yet to throw for more than 250 yards and has only thrown two touchdowns this season. Both of which came against Eastern Illinois.

Last week against Washington, they had just 53 passing yards while completing just eight of their 27 attempts.

The Indiana pass defense has a great chance to bounce back in what should be a major mismatch for them.

How will the Hoosiers rushing attack matchup against the Northwestern run defense?

Indiana football is averaging over 200 rushing yards a game, and the run game has been the focus of their offense.

The duo of Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton have been dominant combining for 618 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

They will face their biggest challenge thus far when they face a Northwestern defense that has only allowed one team to surpass 100 rushing yards.

The battle in the trenches will be a defining part of the game on Saturday. In Northwestern’s wins, they have allowed just 40 rushing yards per game. In their losses, they have allowed 118.5 rush yards per game.

Indiana football has used their rushing attack to open things up in the passing game. If the Hoosiers can continue their rushing dominance it will be a big boost for the entire offense on Saturday.

SEE ALSO: IU football coaches, players ‘could feel the fans out there’ in Saturday’s win

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