Indiana Holds On, Clemson Wins in Berkeley, Navy Falls in Birmingham
Updated: Oct 31
Friday night college football: the Hoosiers stay unbeaten after a tense finish, Clemson comes back to beat Cal on the strength of its running game and special teams, and the Midshipmen drop their second game in three outings.
Indiana 29, Northwestern 23: Harder Than Expected
Indiana controlled this game for a long time. In the fourth quarter, though, the Hoosiers had to work to hang on to the win.
It started with the defense. In the first quarter, Northwestern fumbled, quarterback A. Chiles recovered in his own end zone, and D. Ndukwe brought him down right away for a safety. Indiana then added a 43-yard field goal from N. Radicic and an 8-yard touchdown pass from J. Hoover to N. Marsh. At halftime, the Hoosiers led 12-0 and Northwestern had shown nothing. The reason was simple: Indiana's defense completely shut down the opposing ground game. For the night, the Wildcats managed just 32 yards on 27 carries and gave up 4 sacks.
The third quarter changed the tone. Chiles found G. Wilde for the Wildcats' first touchdown (12-7), before Radicic gave Indiana some breathing room with a 22-yard field goal (15-7).
That's when Northwestern showed what it was made of. Early in the fourth quarter, Chiles hit Wilde again, this time from 8 yards out: 15-13. The two-point try failed when A. Ferrell stopped Chiles at the 2-yard line, but the Wildcats didn't fade. After L. Beebe's touchdown run (22-13), Chiles answered himself, weaving 7 yards into the end zone. With 5:10 left, Northwestern trailed by just two: 22-20. With no running game to lean on, the quarterback carried his team: 22 of 30 for 293 yards and two touchdowns, plus his rushing score. In all, Northwestern scored 16 of its 23 points in the fourth quarter.
Indiana responded when it mattered, and the same way that had worked all night: on the ground. Hoover dove in from a yard out for the touchdown that put Indiana out of reach, with under two minutes to play (29-20). Northwestern cut the gap again with a 42-yard field goal from J. Kleather with 58 seconds left, but the Hoosiers held on. Their offense finished with 271 rushing yards at 6.8 yards per carry and 472 total yards, without a single turnover.
Indiana moves to 4-0. One detail stands out: the Hoosiers' defense had allowed only 16 points in its first three games combined, against North Texas, Howard and Western Kentucky. Northwestern scored 23 tonight. First real test, first warning, but a win in the end. Indiana visits Rutgers on October 3, with Ohio State looming on the 17th.
For Northwestern, it's a loss, but not a wasted night. Down 12-0 at the half without having found any room to operate, the Wildcats refused to fold and kept an unbeaten opponent sweating until the final minute.
Clemson 24, Cal 10: The Tigers Turn It Around in Berkeley
The start looked like a trap for Clemson. In the first quarter, quarterback T. Reynolds was sacked by A. Manutai and lost the ball. K. Mothudi scooped it up and ran 35 yards for the score. The touchdown was upheld on review: Cal led 7-0 without needing its offense. It would be the Golden Bears' only touchdown of the night.
Clemson then took control, patiently, on the ground. N. Hauser got the Tigers on the board with a 30-yard field goal at the start of the second quarter, then G. Davidson punched it in from a yard out: 10-7 Tigers at the half. Cal tied it coming out of the break on a 30-yard field goal from C. Meyer (10-10), but the game turned a few minutes later on a special teams play. B. Wesco fielded a punt at his own 35 and took it 65 yards to the end zone (17-10). It was Clemson's first punt return touchdown since 2018.
The knockout blow came with three minutes left: Davidson found a crease and broke free for a 75-yard touchdown, his second of the night. 24-10, game over. That run summed up the game: Davidson finished with 159 yards, and Clemson overpowered Cal on the ground, 255 rushing yards to 86, while holding the ball for more than 34 minutes. The Tigers' defense did the rest, with two interceptions from E. Washington II and two fourth-down stops.
After a humbling opening loss at LSU (51-10), Clemson has now won three straight, following wins over Georgia Southern and North Carolina, and improves to 3-1. The real test comes quickly: the Tigers host Miami on October 3.
UAB 24, Navy 20: The Midshipmen Pay for Their Mistakes
In Birmingham, Navy had taken the lead in the third quarter. The Midshipmen controlled the ball for more than 34 minutes and piled up 249 rushing yards on 58 carries, true to their identity. But six sacks allowed, and then two lost fumbles in the fourth quarter, proved costly.
After a scoreless first quarter, the second was a shootout. B. McReynolds opened the scoring for UAB, J. Gutierrez answered to tie it, the teams traded field goals, and then R. Burton found T. Mims for a 56-yard touchdown with 1:11 left in the half (17-10). N. Bartley cut the deficit just before halftime with a 31-yard field goal (17-13).
In the third quarter, a 7-yard touchdown run by V. Listorti put the Midshipmen in front (20-17). Then the game turned on one man: M. Dean. In the fourth quarter, with Navy driving in UAB territory, he sacked J. Gutierrez for a 15-yard loss and forced a fumble, recovered by C. Spencer. On the very next play, McReynolds burst through the defense and raced 48 yards untouched for the winning touchdown (24-20, with 10:36 to play). Navy drove right back into UAB territory, but Dean struck again, forcing a fumble by M. Barrow and recovering it himself with 7:03 remaining. The Midshipmen never scored again, partly because they had no answer through the air: despite 353 total yards, they completed just 4 of 13 passes.
Navy falls to 1-2 after a win over Towson and a loss at Florida Atlantic. It doesn't get easier: a trip to Air Force on October 3, the first leg of the race for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.
Takeaways
All three games had one thing in common: the running game made the difference. Indiana and Clemson each topped 250 rushing yards and won. Navy nearly matched them, but its turnovers and its inability to threaten through the air kept it from closing the deal.
On October 3, Indiana visits Rutgers, Clemson hosts Miami and Navy travels to Air Force.
