Here are three things we learned from the Indiana game, two questions we have moving forward and one bold prediction about the future as the Wildcats get ready to head out east to take on Maryland on Friday night.

1. Northwestern's offense put the bye to good use.

Heading into Northwestern's bye week, the No. 1 concern in Evanston was the Wildcat offense. After managing only a field goal and 112 yards in the Cats' drubbing at the hands of Washington, the panic button had been pressed on first-year offensive coordinator Zach Lujan's offense. For as much criticism as the offense received over the first four games of the season, they deserve just as much credit for coming out of the bye week looking like a completely different unit with a renewed intensity and intentionality.

Just as the struggles started at the top, so did the improvement. After the offense only scored 16.75 points per game in Lujan's first four games as an FBS offensive coordinator, the Alaska native crafted a great gameplan against the undefeated Hoosiers on Saturday afternoon. Even with running back Cam Porter limited by his mysterious lower-body injury, Lujan and his unit managed to move the ball down the field consistently for most of the game. The Cats' 24 points were their most against an FBS opponent this season. They racked up 336 yards of offense, also their most against an FBS opponent.

Lujan put together a consistent gameplan that gave his young quarterback opportunities to get the ball to his playmakers and allow them to operate in space. For the first time this season, it seemed like Lujan came into a game with a refined plan of attack. He knew who he wanted to get the ball to, and how to do it against the Indiana defense. The Wildcats consistently took advantage of short to intermediate throws the Hoosiers were giving them and let their playmakers pick up yards after the catch. Even without much of a consistent running game, Lujan made the game simple for Jack Lausch and allowed his young quarterback to take what the defense was giving them. The result was an offense that consistently moved the ball throughout the game, something that seemed impossible just two weeks ago.

Speaking of Lausch, the redshirt sophomore looked like a completely different quarterback in his third career start. The hesitation that plagued him in Seattle was largely gone. The Chicago native confidently ripped throws over the middle and outside the numbers to receivers who weren't necessarily wide open. When he decided to take off and run, he put his foot in the ground and got upfield, picking up a trio of key first downs on Saturday. It was a stunning turnaround from the quarterback who completed less than 30% of his passes last time out. Lausch credited the bye week with helping him find his rhythm as the triggerman for the Northwestern offense.

"I think a big point of emphasis through the bye week was be confident but humble, look at what you need to get better," Lausch said. "We had three practices to really go good on good and work out what we needed."

All told, Lausch completed 23 of 38 passes for a career-high 243 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It cannot be understated just how much different and in-command Lausch looked against the Hoosiers. It still wasn't a perfect game as Lausch still missed some throws low, especially when Northwestern had to pick up the tempo late in the game. But Lausch should have plenty of confidence to continue to build on and take the the next step of remaining fundamentally sound, even when he has to go quickly.

Lausch didn't do it all by himself, though. He had plenty of help from his top two receivers. After only managing 12 catches for 140 yards over the Cats' first four games, Bryce Kirtz reminded everyone what he is capable of with a 10-catch, 128-yard outing against the Hoosiers, including a 47-yard bomb from Lausch for NU's biggest play of the day. Not to be outdone, AJ Henning found pay dirt twice in the second half, highlighted by a nifty 38-yard catch-and-run. In total, Henning grabbed six passes for 67 yards and the aforementioned two scores. A key to jumpstarting the offense was getting the ball to the Wildcats' pair of All-Big Ten receivers, and Lausch and Lujan did just that on Saturday.

Northwestern's offense showed signs of life against the best opponent they've faced all season after taking the bye week to hone in on what works for this group. The key now is building on it and getting back in the win column.

2. Northwestern's defense took a massive step back.

After all four of NU's games prior to Saturday, the postgame refrain was always the same: Northwestern's defense played well, but they need more help from the offense. Well, against the Hoosiers, the Cats' defense got plenty of help, but they completely spit the bit and cost the home team a winnable game.

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke sliced and diced the Wildcat back end seven ways to Sunday at Martin Stadium. The Ohio grad transfer finished with a stat line of 25-for-33, 380 yards and three touchdowns passing, and produced 11.5 yards per pass attempt. That means, on average, every time he put the ball in the air, Northwestern was giving up a first down. The Wildcats never affected Rourke. He was not sacked and rarely had to move off his spot in the pocket. When he did move off his spot, the Cats secondary was shredded in scramble-drill situations, losing receivers deep downfield multiple times. In total, Indiana racked up 529 yards of offense in a dominant showing.

To put into perspective just how thoroughly dominated the Northwestern defense was on Saturday, after getting a fourth-down stop and forcing a three-and-out on the Hoosiers' first two drives of the game, the Wildcats allowed Indiana to score on their next seven consecutive possessions. The Hoosiers only stopped scoring when they opted to kneel the game out on their final possession. All the criticism that the Wildcat offense faced early in the season should be turned on the defense after their performance against IU. The defense squandered momentum time and time again, and Indiana left Evanston with a win.

The Indiana offense is no slouch, to be fair. New head coach Curt Cignetti's team came into the game averaging 48.8 points per game, the best mark in the Big Ten. With an accurate, sixth-year quarterback like Rourke and a number of big, physical receivers, the Hoosiers are extremely dangerous through the air, especially in the RPO game. Still, offering so little resistance was was a very disappointing showing for the Cats' defense.

The unit that had been the backbone of the team will look to pick up the pieces during a short week and get back to being the reason Northwestern is in games, not the reason one got away.

3. Hoosier fans invaded the lakeshore.

Part of the excitement surrounding Northwestern's temporary stadium was the ability to create a home-field advantage. The smaller capacity was thought to allow less room for opposing fans and create an environment of mostly Northwestern fans, similar to what has been created at Welsh-Ryan Arena for the basketball team.

Those hopes and dreams were short-lived.

Indiana fans packed into the North stands and made their presence known after every Hoosiers big play. About half the fans in the stadium were wearing red. Tickets were going for nearly $200 on the resale market in the days before kickoff, and based on Saturday's turnout it appears most were scooped up by IU fans.

Northwestern 's Athletic Department has boasted about generating as much revenue from the temporary stadium than they would in a typical year at the old Ryan Field. That may have come at the cost of pricing out quite a few loyal Wildcat supporters. The exorbitant season ticket prices to only see five games at the Lakefront may have helped line the pockets of the Athletic Department, but hurt the fanbase and football team in the process. And it appears that many of the fans who bought season tickets were willing to sell their seats to Indiana supporters on Saturday.

Granted, Northwestern needs to play better in order to engender better fan support. Welsh-Ryan didn't become a snake pit for opponents until the basketball program started consistently winning games. An uncompetitive 24-5 loss at Washington wasn't an ideal sales pitch to get people to come out and watch the Wildcats on Saturday. Indiana fans were also amped to support their team in the midst of their first 6-0 start since 1967. Hopefully, though, the "Go IU" chants that rang through Martin Stadium will push the Athletic Department to focus more on filling the stands with purple rather than just filling their pockets in 2025, or in 2026 and beyond at the new Ryan Field.

1. Will the bubble wrap come off Cam Porter on Friday?

Porter made his return to lineup on Saturday but appeared to be on a strict snap count. Backup Joseph Himon II played most of the snaps against Indiana. Porter only carried the ball six times and made one catch. He did find the end zone from eight yards out for the Cats' opening score but was largely held in check the rest of the game.

Head coach David Braun said the expectation is that Porter will be full go on Friday in College Park against the Terrapins. Taking Braun at his word regarding injuries is a dangerous game, however, as anyone who believed him when he said Carmine Bastone was getting close to returning over a month ago learned.

Putting whether or not Braun is being truthful aside, Northwestern needs Porter. The fifth-year senior tailback is the rock the Wildcat offense builds on. He's averaging five yards per carry this season and has found the end zone a team-high four times. Himon has struggled to fully replicate Porter's bell-cow capabilities in the latter's absence. Himon carried the ball five times for 35 yards against the Hoosiers, but all 35 of those yards came on one carry. That play showcases the potential a Himon and healthy Porter partnership in the Northwestern backfield has.

Himon has a knack for creating big plays. With his 96-yard kickoff return against Washington, Himon joined former Penn State and current Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley as the only Big Ten players in the last decade with a 30-yard run, 80-yard reception and 90-yard kickoff return to their names. That's pretty good company. Pairing Himon's penchant for the big play and ability to make guys miss in space with Porter's downhill, imposing running style would give Northwestern a real thunder-and-lightning pairing in the backfield. It would allow Lujan to use both guys in situations that best fit their strengths and keep defense's on their toes. Adding that to Kirtz and Henning on the outside gives Northwestern four reliable playmakers on offense around Lausch. If Braun is being honest, that will become a reality on Friday night.

2. Can Braun stop the slide?

When the clock hit zeroes in Evanston on Saturday, it marked the first time Braun had lost consecutive games as the head coach at Northwestern. Early in Braun's tenure, his teams have shown an impressive ability to flush losses and pick themselves up off the mat to turn in a quality performance the next time out. The Cats were much more competitive against Indiana than they were against Washington, but still couldn't quite get over the hump.

Now the Wildcats head East on a short week to take on Maryland and try to prevent the losing streak from reaching three. The Terps are led by first-year starter Billy Edwards Jr. at quarterback. Edwards actually led Maryland to a 31-24 win over Northwestern filling in for an injured Taulia Tagovailoa in 2022. Last season, Tagovailoa was back under center for Maryland, but the Cats beat the Terrapins 33-27 behind backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan.

Both teams should have their starting quarterbacks on Friday for a change. Starting at running back for the Terrapins is Roman Hemby, a guy who has given Northwestern nothing but trouble the last two seasons. He ran for 179 yards and three touchdowns in 2022 in the Cats' last trip to College Park. Northwestern managed to shut Hemby down on the ground last season, but he still got loose for 41 yards and a score catching the football. Additionally, Northwestern's corners will have their hands full trying to contain Tai Felton who leads the Big Ten in both catches (46) and receiving yards (642).

Joseph Himon II will go over 100 total yards against Maryland.

The only silver lining of Porter's absence has been more opportunities for Himon to get his hands on the ball and build confidence in Northwestern's backfield. He showed his ability to create big plays in the run game against Indiana and showed he could do the same in the passing game multiple times in 2023. One of those times was when Maryland came to Evanston, when Himon caught a pair of passes for 67 yards, led by a winding 53-yard pickup where he left a Maryland defender grasping at air in the open field.

With a hopefully healthy Porter returning to form a dynamic partnership, Himon should pick up right where he left off and have another career game against the Terps.