Northwestern came within one score of pulling off a major upset against No. 5 Indiana on Friday night. The Wildcats ultimately fell 29-23, but their performance earned praise from the opposing coach.

After the game at Memorial Stadium, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti made a point and credited David Braun’s team. Cignetti warned people not to overlook Northwestern before the game and compared the Wildcats’ progress to Indiana’s recent rise.

“Northwestern is a good football team, I tried telling everyone that,” Cignetti said, as reported by Sydney Supple. “No one wanted to believe me, but two years ago if someone would have said Indiana at this point of the season was a good football team, no one would have believed that either.”

Northwestern's defense put pressure on Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover throughout the night and used aggressive blitzes to disrupt the Hoosiers' passing game.

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The Wildcats also got a strong performance from quarterback Aidan Chiles. He threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns, both to Griffin Wilde, and added a rushing touchdown. Northwestern struggled to run the ball, finishing with just 32 rushing yards, but Chiles kept the offense moving with his ability to make plays through the air.

Indiana never pulled away despite entering the game ranked No. 5. Northwestern stayed within one possession through much of the second half and had a chance to make the Hoosiers sweat until the final minutes.

The loss dropped Northwestern to the wrong side of the result, but the Wildcats showed they can compete with one of the Big Ten’s top teams.