For Nebraska offensive lineman Gunnar Gottula, Saturday’s game against Indiana is more than just another Big Ten showdown.
It’s the kind of stage he came to Lincoln for.
Gottula, a Lincoln native and Lincoln Southeast High product, said Tuesday that facing the 5-0, seventh-ranked Hoosiers carries real weight for him as Nebraska prepares for an 11 a.m. kickoff at Memorial Stadium on FOX. The Huskers are 5-0 too, but Indiana has already checked off the kind of start Nebraska wants for itself under coach Matt Rhule.
“It’s really meaningful for me,” Gottula said at a news conference Tuesday. “This is why I came to Nebraska to play in big games like this and represent where I’m from. So, I’m excited to do that with my teammates.”
Indiana arrives as a 7½-point favorite, and for Nebraska, the matchup is a chance to prove itself on a bigger stage. The Hoosiers have become one of the sport’s most surprising teams under Curt Cignetti over the past two-plus seasons, and Nebraska knows exactly what kind of challenge is coming.
Gottula did not sugarcoat it.
“They got a great team,” said Gottula, who has switched positions before. “Great front seven in defense. They do a lot of things really well.
“They play really hard. I think at the end of the day, it’s just going to kind of come down to our preparation and attention to detail this week and it’s just going to be about us playing as hard as we can and executing.
“The biggest thing you see is … they have great technique. So, I think … it’s just going to come down to us just focusing on how hard we can play, trying to outstrain them. You know, that’s what they’re pretty good at.”
Nebraska has reached 5-0 with wins over two MAC teams, one FCS opponent and Big Ten victories over Michigan State and Maryland, two programs not expected to shape the conference race. Indiana is a different test entirely.
For Gottula, the week also comes with a possible change in role. He appears likely to move from right tackle to left guard Saturday, a switch that would also create more room for Tree Babalade, the South Carolina transfer who has been surging at tackle.
Gottula said the adjustment is manageable for him.
“I’m kind of an older player now, so kind of the assignments and knowing who’s blocking what and schemes,” Gottula said.
“I’ve kind of been able to pick up on that. So, that’s not really a challenge for me. I think at times just flipping sides, left, right, can be the biggest difference.
“It’s just kind of muscle memory whatever sides you play. But I’m comfortable at both spots.
I’ve played both sides a lot in my career. So, yeah, I’m kind of comfortable wherever.
“I think just kind of falling back on just reps I’ve had out there at guard before just trying to just fall back on my technique and training I’ve had at that position and just trying to play the best I can for my teammates and coaches.”
He also said he has no real preference between guard and tackle.
“I prefer wherever the coaches need me or want me,” he said.
Rhule singled him out as an unsung hero on Monday, and Gottula said that recognition meant something to him.
“I’d just honored that he said that about me,” Gottula said. “You know, I just try to come work as hard as I can every single day here in the building for my teammates and coaches. So, that’s good to hear that.”
The Huskers’ approach this week is built around the same mindset Gottula said the staff has been drilling into the team since winter: keep moving on to the next snap.
“That’s what coach Ruhle and all the coaches preach since we got here in the winter this year was just next-play mentality,” Gottula said.
“What’s next? So I think as a team we’ve done a really good job kind of attacking that and taking on that mentality.”
He also pointed to what Nebraska has taken from its first five games, saying the team has learned plenty but now needs to sharpen the details and execute at a higher level against Indiana.
“It’s been great preparing [the first five games],” Gottula said. “Earlier part of this season.
I think we’ve done a lot of good things and I think there’s a lot of things that we’ve learned from in these first five games. And I think the biggest thing for us is just kind of big attention to detail this week and executing at a high level and just making sure we’re all playing our best.”
Gottula, a 6-foot-6, 320-pound senior, missed the final six games in 2025 with what was described as a cartilage/meniscus issue before returning this season. Now, with Nebraska finally getting a chance to measure itself against one of the country’s hottest teams, the local lineman gets his own hometown spotlight in a game that means plenty to the entire program.
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