Western Kentucky will have to continue to wait for its first win over a Big Ten opponent.

Hosting Indiana on Saturday night in front of a Houchens-Smith Stadium record crowd of 25,171 fans, the Hilltoppers battled with the Hoosiers but ultimately fell 33-31 to drop to 0-9 all-time against teams currently in the Big Ten.

WKU – now 1-2 on the season – was in a 14-0 hole after the opening quarter and trailed 23-14 at halftime. The Hilltoppers outscored IU 10-3 in the third and were down just 26-24 heading into the fourth, but the Hoosiers delivered the final punch and left Bowling Green with the victory.

IU outgained WKU 507-458, went 11 for 18 on third down attempts and finished with a 38:34-21:26 advantage in time of possession. Hoosiers’ running back Stephen Carr led the way with 109 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, while quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed 35 of 53 passes for 373 yards and rushed for a TD.

Indiana struck first, putting together an 11-play, 79-yard drive that took 4:45 and capping it with a one-yard touchdown run by Carr. Penix Jr. was throwing all over the field on the opening series – completing 5 of 6 passes for 52 yards – to ultimately set up Carr’s score, which put IU in front 7-0 at the 10:15 mark of the first quarter.

After WKU’s first series went nowhere and included three incomplete Bailey Zappe passes and a false start penalty, the Hoosiers assembled another flawless drive of their own. Again running 11 plays, IU covered 81 yards in 4:50 and Penix kept it himself and scored from a yard out to put the Hilltoppers in a 14-0 hole with 5:02 still remaining in the quarter.

WKU got on the board early into the second, finishing off a lengthy 15-play, 77-yard drive with a one-yard TD run by Adam Cofield. After Zappe led a pass-heavy series downfield, which was highlighted by numerous passes to Malachi Corley, Cofield took back-to-back handoffs for a total of six yards before getting into the endzone on the third to make it 14-7.

Indiana went up 17-7 with a 46-yard field goal by Charles Campbell at the 9:49 mark of the period. Campbell had originally lined up for a 51-yard attempt and missed it, but an offsides penalty called on WKU led to a re-kick and Campbell took advantage of it by sending his kick straight through the uprights.

Another field goal from Campbell – this one from 37 yards out – extended IU’s advantage to 20-7 with 2:42 left in the first half, but WKU kept battling.

Covering 72 yards with seven plays, Zappe hit Daewood Davis with a 25-yard TD strike to bring the Hilltoppers within 20-14. Facing second down and long after an unsuccessful lateral play, Zappe received a snap, stepped back and found Davis open down the right sideline – and the receiver made the catch in the corner of the endzone to make it a one-possession contest.

Although it got within a single possession with not much time remaining in the half, WKU allowed Indiana to put together a quick drive and add three more points to its side of the scoreboard with a 25-yard field goal by Campbell, which made it 23-14 IU at the break.

WKU continued to go back-and-forth with the Hoosiers in the second half.

On their first drive of the half, the Hilltoppers marched 76 yards with just five plays and Zappe threw a 13-yard TD pass to wideout Dalvin Smith – who is back in the mix after battling an injury – and cut their deficit to just 23-21 at the 13:13 mark of the third quarter.

Following a 48-yard field goal by Campbell that made it 26-21 IU, WKU recorded one of its own to get within two points. The Hilltoppers were driving and looking to score a touchdown to take the lead, but Zappe threw an incomplete pass and Noah Whittington lost three yards on a rush and they had to settle for the kick– which was a successful 34-yarder by Brayden Narveson that made it 26-24.

Indiana facilitated a long, successful drive – using 14 plays and 6:19 of game time to cover 86 yards and score on a one-yard TD run by Carr – to go up 33-24 with 4:27 left, but Zappe connected with Corley for a 19-yard score to bring WKU within 33-31 with 2:43 to go.

Despite scoring the late TD, the Hilltoppers weren’t able to put anymore points on the board as Indiana ran the clock out and came out on top.

Zappe finished 31-of-44 passing for 365 yards, while Corley had nine receptions for 70 yards. Whittington (41 yards on six carries) and Cofield (40 yards on 10 carries) combined for 81 yards on 16 carries while the Hilltoppers finished with 93 total rushing yards.

WKU faces another tough test next Saturday as it travels to East Lansing, Michigan for a matchup with No. 20 ranked Michigan State. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., with the game being broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

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