No. 7 Indiana looked on the ropes at Memorial Stadium, but Josh Hoover and Curt Cignetti made sure the Hoosiers walked out of Lincoln with the same result they’ve had all season: another win.
Nebraska’s 39-yard touchdown run by Anthony Colandrea with 12:01 left in the fourth quarter had the feel of a moment that could break a streak or two. Instead, Indiana kept its 21-game win streak intact, while the Huskers’ 31-game skid against AP Top 25 opponents kept rolling. The Hoosiers answered with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Hoover and escaped 20-17.
Indiana is now 6-0 and heads into a Week 7 showdown with No. 4 Ohio State. Nebraska fell to 5-1 and was left with another frustrating miss on the Big Noon Kickoff stage.
For three quarters, Nebraska had Indiana uncomfortable. The Huskers led 10-3 at halftime after controlling much of the first half, when the Hoosiers managed just seven rushes for 12 yards and Hoover went 5 of 9 for 103 yards.
Then the game flipped.
Hoover followed Colandrea’s touchdown with a 75-yard strike to Nick Marsh on the next snap, trimming the margin to 17-13. Not long after that, on a fourth-and-1, Hoover found Marsh again, this time on a play-action throw for 44 yards and the go-ahead score.
Hoover was sharp when it mattered most, finishing the fourth quarter 3 of 5 for 122 yards and two touchdowns. He ended the day 12 of 22 for 263 yards and still has not thrown an interception.
Marsh was the big-play outlet all afternoon, catching six passes for 187 yards. Indiana’s ground game never found much room, producing only 22 carries for 65 yards.
Cignetti’s fingerprints were all over the win, too. He showed patience on the road, using two timeouts on fourth-and-short chances in the first half before eventually punting in heavy wind that was reported between 20 and 40 mph. After Marsh’s first touchdown, Indiana did not chase points by going for two, and that choice lined up with Nebraska’s next possession, when the Huskers also punted.
The Hoosiers’ defense did plenty of work as well. Stephen Daley recorded two of Indiana’s five sacks, and the unit finished with eight tackles for loss.
One of the biggest moments came just before halftime. Nebraska had a chance to stretch the lead, but with 39 seconds left, Colandrea’s throw to Jacory Barney Jr. ended in an incompletion after Indiana defensive back Amare Ferrell pushed the receiver out of the end zone. Kyle Cunanan then missed a 40-yard field goal, leaving Nebraska up only 10-3 instead of padding the margin.
That mattered in the end. Indiana never let the game get away, and the Hoosiers kept another dangerous road trip from turning into a loss.
For Nebraska, the result fit a familiar and painful pattern. Matt Rhule is in his fourth year and has moved the program forward piece by piece, but his record against top 25 teams is now 0-10.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier either, with a trip to No. 13 Oregon next week and Ohio State still looming on Nov.
Colandrea was productive early, helping Nebraska go 8 of 11 on third down in the first half. He finished the night 14 of 22 for 138 yards and added seven carries for 20 yards. Nyziah Hunter also scored on a 10-yard run with 1:01 left in the first quarter.
But the fourth quarter belonged to Indiana. Colandrea went 8 of 16 for 93 yards in the final period, the pass rush tightened, and another Nebraska opportunity slipped away.
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