Sophomore quarterback Clayton Thorson passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns to lead Northwestern to a 24-14 victory over Indiana on Saturday in Big Ten play at Evanston, Ill.

Senior receiver Austin Carr caught seven passes for 125 receptions and one touchdown for the Wildcats (4-3, 3-1 Big Ten), who won their third consecutive game. Junior running back Justin Jackson added 94 yards on the ground.

Junior quarterback Richard Lagow passed for 319 yards and was intercepted twice for the Hoosiers (3-4, 1-3). Sophomore receiver Nick Westbrook caught 10 passes for 126 yards and also scored on a 3-yard run for Indiana, which lost its third straight game.

The Hoosiers trailed by 21 at halftime and attempted to make things interesting on a 30-yard field goal by junior kicker Griffin Oakes and Westbrook's run. Indiana missed a two-point conversion after Westbrook's score to trail 24-12 with 2:49 left in the third quarter.

But the Hoosiers were unable to find the end zone again despite rolling up 283 yards in the second half. Indiana's only final-quarter points were on a safety with 23 seconds remaining.

Northwestern outgained the Hoosiers 371-120 in the first half while taking a 24-3 halftime lead.

Thorson tossed a 17-yard scoring pass to junior wideout Solomon Vault and a 34-yard touchdown to Carr -- his ninth of the season -- in the opening 6:21 to provide the Wildcats with 14 quick points. Indiana got on the board with a 21-yard field goal by Oakes with 3:40 left in the opening quarter.

Northwestern stretched the lead to 21-3 when Thorson connected with junior receiver Macan Wilson on a 32-yard pass just nine seconds into the second quarter. Senior Jack Mitchell kicked a 19-yard field goal on the final play of the half to account for the 21-point advantage.