Indiana football, sitting at 3-0 following its non-conference slate is set for its Big Ten opener, welcoming Northwestern on Friday night at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
The Wildcats are undefeated at 2-0 with wins over South Dakota State and Colorado at home. They welcome some newcomers on offense between coordinator Chip Kelly and quarterback Aidan Chiles and both have proven to be early difference-makers.
Here’s three bold predictions for the matchup:
Turbo Richard has a big day on the ground
Northwestern struggled defending the run
against Colorado with the Buffaloes gaining 180 yards on the ground on 33 carries, good for an average of 5.5. Running back JaQuail Smith proved a particularly difficult cover with 91 yards on eight carries for an average of 11.4.
Colorado’s problem is those strong runs turned into mistakes pretty often, something Indiana can’t afford on Friday night as Northwestern capitalized time and again in its blowout victory.
I’ll be looking for Indiana to find some similar success on the ground. This is the kind of game you’d really want to have Khobie Martin for given his overall efficiency on the ground and I’m interested in seeing how Lee Beebe Jr. handles his carries.
The main show will be Turbo Richard, who looked unstoppable through the non-conference slate, averaging 7.7 yards per carry. Richard’s speed and agility give him explosive potential out of the backfield or as a receiving option and Indiana’s offense has emphasized this in a way it didn’t through much of 2025, where much of its ground production was for the sake of efficient gains rather than chunk plays.
Look for Richard, like Colorado’s backs did, to find open space and put up some explosive runs.
Davion Chandler puts his speed on display
Do I sound like a broken record? For sure, but I really think this receiving corps could use some more shifty speed and Chandler has shown that he can be a difference maker once the ball is in his hands.
Indiana hasn’t gone too deep at receiver in the non-conference this season with plenty of reliance on Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh, not unlike the initial reliance on Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt in 2025. I’m interested to see if Indiana can find strong receiving production outside of those two and Chandler’s as good a candidate as any outside of Tyler Morris.
Colorado’s lone touchdown was a 50-yard catch-and-run as a wide receiver got past the initial wave of tacklers out wide before the Northwestern secondary wasn’t in position for a tackle. I’d be interested to see if Indiana sees any similar gaps in the Wildcat defense.
Indiana’s linebackers pick up 2 or more sacks
Chiles has been pretty good about avoiding the pass rush and staying upright at Northwestern, proving capable of extending plays with his legs and enabling his receivers to get open.
Indiana’s will be the strongest defensive line Northwestern has faced up to this point and will present additional challenges with all that defensive coordinator Bryant Haines does to confuse opposing quarterbacks before and immediately after the snap.
Watch for the front line of the Hoosier defense to get some work in on the Wildcat offensive front, opening up gaps for Isaiah Jones and Rolijah Hardy to get after Chiles. He’ll prove more escapable than most quarterbacks, but Indiana has pressured mobile passers before.
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