Saturday in Lincoln brings a clean, simple matchup on paper: two unbeaten Big Ten teams, both 5-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play, with Indiana and Nebraska meeting in a game that should say plenty about where each program stands right now.
Indiana has built its edge by keeping the mistakes to a minimum. Curt Cignetti has said more than once that before a team can win, it has to avoid beating itself, and that idea has shown up in the numbers.
The Hoosiers are averaging just 3.4 penalties for 27.6 yards per game, second-fewest in the Big Ten. Nebraska sits near the other end of the league, averaging 8.6 penalties and 73.4 yards.
Indiana went flag-free against Rutgers last week. Nebraska drew 16 penalties.
That discipline test comes against a Cornhuskers offense that has put up points in a hurry. Nebraska is averaging 43.6 points per game, just behind Indiana’s 44.2, and a lot of that production runs through quarterback Anthony Colandrea.
The UNLV transfer, last season’s Mountain West Player of the Year, has carried that form to Lincoln. He has thrown for 1,142 yards with 13 touchdown passes and only two interceptions, while adding 249 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.
Colandrea’s ability to extend plays is a real issue for Indiana. Cignetti pointed to that mobility and the way Colandrea can hurt defenses when the initial read disappears.
"He's savvy, first of all, and I think he sees the field really well, and he's very mobile and elusive too. So if there's nothing there, he has the ability to create plays with his arm and his legs," Cignetti said of Colandrea.
"He was their leading rusher last week. He's got a strong arm, and he's really smart.
They've done a really nice job with him in this offense."
Cignetti has seen him before, too. Colandrea was Virginia’s quarterback in a 36-35 loss to JMU, when he threw for 377 yards and finished with minus 30 rushing yards.
Indiana’s offense, meanwhile, keeps showing different ways to win. In the Rutgers game, four Hoosiers topped 100 yards.
Turbo Richard ran for a career-best 204 yards, Lee Beebe added 122, Charlie Becker caught 107 yards and two touchdowns, and Nick Marsh finished with 120 yards and another score. That kind of balance makes Indiana tough to pin down.
If Nebraska crowds the box, the Hoosiers can attack through the air. If Nebraska shifts to stop the pass, Indiana can lean on the ground game.
It’s a classic pick-your-poison setup.
Weather could complicate all of it. Forecasts in Lincoln call for sunshine, but also sustained winds of 20-25 miles per hour with gusts in the 40s.
That should affect kicking and passing alike. Nebraska has made only 50 percent of its field goal attempts, a problem that has lingered under Matt Rhule.
For Indiana, the wind could force adjustments in a passing game that ranks near the top of the country in deep throws. Nebraska’s shorter passing approach may be less vulnerable, but the elements figure to be part of the story either way.
In Other News...
Josh Hoover Answered Indianas Biggest Late-Game Question
For much of the afternoon against Nebraska, Indiana had to live with the discomfort that comes from a one-score game in bad weather. Josh Hoover was throwing into a strong wind, and the accuracy issues showed up early, but the Hoosiers still found enough offense to stay in front and protect a 20-17 win that never felt safe.
Hoover became the difference late, delivering two touchdown passes to Nick Marsh when the game tightened and Indiana needed answers most. Nebraska ran more plays and controlled long stretches of the action, but the Huskers did not turn that volume into enough points, leaving the Hoosiers to walk away with a win that said as much about poise as it did about production. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Gets A Huge Break Before Undefeated Test At Nebraska
Indiana is heading into its matchup at Nebraska with a healthier roster than it has had in recent weeks, and that matters with both teams undefeated and carrying 5-0 records into a noon kickoff on FOX. The Hoosiers are expected to have key players A.J. Harris and Daniel Ndukwe available, a welcome development as the stakes rise in a game that could carry real weight in the Big Ten race.
The availability report still leaves some absences on both sides, with four Indiana players and six Nebraska players ruled out. But for a Hoosiers team trying to prove it can keep rolling on the road, getting close to full strength before a test like this is about as good a break as it could ask for. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Sends Clear Message As Indiana Faces Tougher Nebraska Test
Indianas strong start has not dulled Curt Cignettis sense of how much work still sits ahead, and his latest comments made clear the Hoosiers are treating Nebraska as another step in that process. Cignetti pointed to the continued growth of quarterback Josh Hoover, along with the teams focus on handling communication in a loud road-style environment, as the kind of details that matter when a season starts to draw bigger attention.
Nebraska brings its own test, especially with quarterback Anthony Colandrea helping drive the offense, and Cignetti framed it as the sort of challenge Indiana needs right now. Even with the early success, he made it plain the Hoosiers still see room to climb, which is a useful reminder as the schedule gets tougher and the margin for clean execution gets smaller. [Read more 🡒]