Lee Beebe Jr. ran for 203 and Indiana survived a scare.

Indiana 29, Northwestern 23. The Hoosiers are 11-1 and still alive in the playoff hunt, but this was not the kind of performance you script heading into championship week.

Lee Beebe Jr. gashed Northwestern for 203 yards on 28 carries. The backup running back waited a whole year for a night like this, and he delivered when Indiana's offense sputtered everywhere else. Without Beebe turning into a human battering ram, the Hoosiers lose this game at home to a 5-7 Northwestern team that had no business hanging around.

This is the twist that makes Friday night matter. Indiana entered ranked fourth in the country with a playoff berth practically gift-wrapped. They were supposed to roll Northwestern, tune up for the Big Ten title game, and coast into the bracket. Instead, they needed a backup running back to carry 28 times just to escape with a six-point win against a team that will not make a bowl game. That is not how top-four teams are supposed to look in mid-November.

Beebe's stat line tells the story of Indiana's night. 203 yards, 28 carries, 7.3 yards per pop. He was the entire offense. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke completed just 17 of 32 passes for 224 yards. The Hoosiers managed 29 points at home against a defense that has been shredded all season. Northwestern came into this game allowing 27 points per game in Big Ten play. Indiana barely topped that number in their own building.

Northwestern led 23-15 in the fourth quarter.

The image of the weekend is Lee Beebe Jr. dragging defenders through the second half while Indiana's vaunted offense went silent. This was supposed to be a coronation. Instead, it was a survival drill. Northwestern quarterback Jack Lausch threw two touchdown passes and the Wildcats led by eight points with one quarter to play. Indiana had to score 14 unanswered in the fourth just to avoid the upset of the year.

Hard hat and lunch pail for Lee Beebe Jr. The backup running back saved Indiana's season. He turned 28 touches into 203 yards and kept the chains moving when nothing else worked. This was grown-ass-men football from a guy who spent most of the year waiting for his number to be called. When it was, he answered.

The losers? Indiana's playoff resume just took a hit it did not need. The committee is not going to forget that the fourth-ranked team in the country nearly lost at home to a sub-.500 Northwestern squad. Kurtis Rourke's Heisman odds shortened after this one. The offense that was supposed to be unstoppable looked completely stoppable for three quarters. That is a problem heading into a Big Ten title game against Oregon or Penn State.

What this means

Indiana is 11-1 and still controls its destiny, but the margin for error just evaporated. They have Oregon or Penn State waiting in Indianapolis next weekend, and neither of those teams will let the Hoosiers survive on one running back and a prayer. The playoff committee meets Tuesday, and this performance is going to drop Indiana in the rankings. They were supposed to look like a top-four team. Instead, they looked like a program that needed a backup running back to bail them out against Northwestern.

This was not a program-defining win. This was a program-exposing near-loss. Indiana has been the feel-good story of the season, but Friday night showed the gap between a great regular season and a team built for playoff football. Beebe kept them alive. The rest of the roster needs to wake up before Indianapolis.

What's next

Indiana heads to the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis next Saturday. They will face either Oregon or Penn State, depending on how Saturday's slate shakes out. Both teams will watch film of this game and see a blueprint. Shut down the run, make Rourke beat you through the air, and watch Indiana's offense sputter. The Hoosiers have one week to figure out how to score points when Lee Beebe Jr. is not carrying the offense on his back.

Northwestern finishes 5-7 and misses a bowl game, but they showed more fight in Bloomington than anyone expected. Jack Lausch threw two touchdowns and the Wildcats led in the fourth quarter. That is something to build on heading into the offseason.