Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Indiana
Wildcats Knock Off Hoosiers, 41-37
11/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov 2, 2002
NU Postgame Notes
NU Coach/Player Quotes
Indiana Coach/Player Quotes
Download Free Acrobat Reader
EVANSTON, Ill. - Jason Wright ran for a career-high 196 yards and four touchdowns Saturday as Northwestern beat Indiana 41-37 to win its first Big Ten game of the season.
Wright has 1,083 yards rushing, making him only the eighth player in Northwestern history to top 1,000 in a season.
Indiana ran for a season-high 232 yards on the ground, but led by Wright, Northwestern managed to outrun its opponent for the first time this season, 240 to 232 yards. The Hoosiers lost their sixth straight on the road.
Indiana set up one score by Northwestern (3-7, 1-5 Big Ten) in the third quarter with a botched fake punt, and another with an interception. And clinging to a 37-34 lead with 5:43 to play, the Hoosiers (3-6, 1-4) shanked a punt to give Northwestern the ball at the Indiana 44.
Northwestern wasted little time capitalizing on that mistake. Brett Basanez, playing with a broken bone in his left leg, found Jon Schweighardt for a 9-yard gain and Ashton Aikens for 10 yards.
Wright then scampered 7 yards around left tackle for the go-ahead score.
With a soft cast covering his entire lower left leg, Basanez wasn't as mobile as he normally is. But he made the plays he needed to, completing 19 of 28 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown.
Yamar Washington ran for 130 yards and matched his career high with three touchdowns for Indiana, but most of those yards came in the first half. Chris Taylor gained a career-high 102 yards on 21 carries. The Wildcat defense turned in their best effort of the year, holding the Hoosiers to 382 yards in total offense. After allowing 5.5 yards per carry in the first quarter, Northwestern tightened and gave up just 3.4 yards per rush in the final three frames.
After Noah Herron scored on a 3-yard run late in the third quarter, the Wildcats led 34-22. But two straight fumbles, both by Basanez, led to IU scores. H.D. Jones returned the first fumble nine yards for a touchdown.
On the next series, tackle Russ Richardson recovered Basanez's fumble to set up Washington's 1-yard scoring run. Washington then caught a shovel pass from Hamdan for the 2-point conversion and a 37-34 lead with 8:33 to play.
But after the Wildcats blew what would have been a game-tying 22-yard field goal, their defense, which is next-to-last nationally in total defense, held the Hoosiers to just four yards in their ensuing series and got the ball back in the hands of Basanez and the offense.
Northwestern was aided when Ryan Hamre shanked a 20-yard punt, giving the Wildcats the ball at the Indiana 44 with 3:20 to play.
Wright then finished off the drive with his fourth touchdown of the game, a career best. He totaled a career-high 285 all-purpose yards, which was 41 yards shy of the school's single-game mark, held by Bob Christian (1990 vs. Wisconsin).
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
