EVANSTON-Though Northwestern's offense played one of its best games of the season, they couldn't keep up with Indiana's mechanical execution in a 41-34 loss at Martin Stadium.
Quarterback Jack Lausch put together the best game of his career, completing 23-of-38 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns, but it was IU quarterback Kurtis Rourke's day.
He finished a surgical outing by going 25-for-33 for 380 yards and three touchdowns, leading Indiana on seven straight scoring drives to move to 6-0 on the season.
The Wildcat defense that had been so stalwart the first four weeks turned into a sieve, gashed for 529 yards and the most points they've allowed this season.
"Very disappointed that in the second half, with some momentum on the offensive side of the ball, we weren't able to get critical stops on defense," Braun said.
Running back Cam Porter made his return but saw limited action with just six carries, albeit one for a six-yard touchdown. Braun said to expect him back to full strength against Maryland next week.
Lausch reignited lead receiver Bryce Kirtz, who had 10 catches for 128 yards after catching just four passes for 20 yards in Lausch's first two games as a starter. AJ Henning had six catches for 67 yards and caught both of Lausch's touchdown passes.
Here are our takeaways from the loss to Indiana.
Defense struggled with tackling, pressure: After a sterling start to the season, Northwestern's defense turned into a pumpkin against the Hoosiers' RPOs and precise passing.
Rourke was never sacked, though defensive end Anto Saka did bring him down at the line of scrimmage to force a field goal to end the first half. Whether they blitzed or dropped back, the Wildcats could not find a way to faze Indiana's attack after their first two drives.
"We had some miscommunications, some poor tackling," Braun said. "We had some third-and-9 opportunities and didn't get off the field. We talked about the RPO, we talked about finding ways to disrupt this quarterback and affect him. We weren't able to do that. He was very comfortable."
Linebacker Xander Mueller missed a key tackle to extend Indiana's drive at the end of the half that provided the two-score edge for Indiana. The play Braun referenced was a third-and-9 from the IU 26-yard line, when the Hoosiers' lead was just 27-24. Rourke hung in the pocket and delivered a 12-yard strike to Elijah Sarratt for a first down, sparking what would be a 14-0 run to close out the game.
After they tirelessly kept their offense in games against Duke and at Washington, it was bizarre to see the defense so thoroughly ineffectual. Indiana's first six scoring drives were all of eight plays or more, and for 50 yards or more.
The good news is that Indiana might be the best offense Northwestern plays this year, with a unique RPO style that needs a seasoned operator like Rourke to execute it. But it was still incredibly frustrating to see Northwestern click offensively in a high-level game for the first time all season and the defense failing to uphold their end of the bargain.
GAME RECAP: Northwestern can't stop the Hoosier Express
Career game for Lausch: After a deer-in-the-headlights type game at Washington, Lausch snapped into focus after the first few drives and put together the best performance of his young Northwestern career.
Watching him lead four out of five drives for scores in the heart of this game, it made sense why Braun and offensive coordinator Zach Lujan have sung his praises all season, and why they made the move to start him over Mike Wright Jr. after two weeks.
"I think it was the decisiveness," Braun said. "There are a couple times I still think he can hang in the pocket longer but when he did flush out or climb the pocket, it's so powerful... Nothing more frustrating for the defensive coordinator, so I was happy to see that."
Lausch set season highs for a Northwestern quarterback in completions, yards and passing touchdowns in this game. He still had some sporadic accuracy issues, one-hopping a few passes and sailing a few high, but still completed 61% of his passes, a massive improvement over his 29.6% rate at Washington.
"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."
It was also the best game for Lujan.
"We're continuing to get better and figure each other out, what he likes to call and what I like to do," Lausch said. "The game two weeks ago was a tough result but we got a ton better from that."
There are very few easy or favorable games ahead, but Northwestern can win Big Ten games with Lausch and Lujan if they can continue to play at this level.
Short week to Maryland: "It's a 12-hour rule this week," Lausch joked about the team's normal 24-hour process to sit with the emotions, good or bad, of the previous game. The Wildcats play at Maryland next Friday.
A 2-3 start is not optimal for Northwestern, given some of the powerhouses late in the season, but their early games have been tougher than expected. Two of the preseason projected tossups against Duke and Indiana have not gone the Wildcats' way. Their three losses so far -- Duke, Washington and Indiana -- have started the season with a combined record of 14-2.
It's poor timing to be down a day of prep, especially with Maryland coming off a bye, but there is a real trajectory and identity to Northwestern if the defense can shake off today's struggles.
"There's no one in that locker room that's feeling good about themselves coming off of a loss," Braun said. "But I think the encouragement should be that we've seen the level our defense has played at times. If we put [that with the offense today], those two things together an continue to do what we're doing on special teams?
"Who can this group be going into the back half of the season? That's a challenge that I'm excited to lead and that I embrace."
