Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Indiana
Back-and-Forth Battle Ends With Wildcats On Top, 37-31
10/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct 11, 2003
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Jason Wright ran for 141 yards and four touchdowns, including the winner in overtime, as Northwestern beat Indiana 37-31 on Saturday.
The Hoosiers (1-6, 0-3 Big Ten) got the ball first in overtime and were in position to take the lead when they drove to the 13. But Matt LoVecchio's pass to Travis Haney was tipped by cornerback Marquice Cole and intercepted in the end zone by Bryan Heinz. The Wildcats (3-4, 1-2) then won it with Wright's 4-yard scoring run.
"This wasn't our best effort, but we did what we needed to down the stretch to win the game," said NU coach Randy Walker. "Our defense had an off day, but they responded when the game was on the line. I think we grew up a little bit today."
Northwestern snapped a 10-game conference road losing skid with the victory. NU's last Big Ten road victory came in the 2000 season at Minnesota.
Wright recorded his 11th career 100-yard rushing performance and his third four-TD game. He now has 25 career rushing touchdowns, which is third all-time behind Damien Anderson and Darnell Autry.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis had 25 carries for 136 yards and three touchdowns for Indiana, which was looking to win its first Big Ten game since the 2002 conference opener against Wisconsin. Indiana rolled up 531 yards of total offense, including 327 yards rushing -- the most allowed by an NU defense this season.
The Hoosiers had a chance to win in regulation, getting the ball at their own 46 with 1:30 to play. But coach Gerry DiNardo elected to keep the ball on the ground, and Robertson's 54-yard field-goal try with time running out was well short.
Northwestern nearly squandered a big lead for the second week in a row. Last week, the Wildcats took a 14-0 halftime lead against Minnesota, but ended up losing 42-17.
Northwestern took a 17-0 lead against Indiana when Brett Basanez hit Brandon Horn on a 77-yard TD pass at the end of the first quarter.
Indiana got on the board in the second quarter on a 9-yard TD run by Brian Lewis.
Wright and Green-Ellis traded touchdown runs in the second quarter that put the score at 24-14.
The Wildcats appeared to be in control after racking up 299 total yards in the first half against Indiana's 92nd-ranked defense.
But after getting roundly booed for its performance in the first half, the Indiana defense stiffened in the third quarter, forcing three-and-outs on Northwestern's first four possessions.
The uncharacteristically stout defense allowed the Hoosier offense to mount a comeback.
Matt LoVecchio's 55-yard pass to Courtney Roby set up Robertson's 22-yard field goal and Green-Ellis broke off a nifty 27-yard TD run on the next possession to tie it at 24-24.
Green-Ellis added his third TD of the game, a 2-yarder, to give Indiana a 31-24 lead with under 12 minutes to play.
But Mark Philmore broke off a 60-yard punt return that set up Wright's 1-yard scoring run that tied it at 31 with 4:46 to play.
Brett Basanez completed 13-of-20 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. Northwestern did not have any turnovers in the game.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
