Nebraska is about to get a real answer.
The Huskers are off to their best start since 2016 and coming off a 48-23 win over Maryland, but Saturday brings a different kind of test to Memorial Stadium. No. 7 Indiana arrives at 5-0, riding a 21-game winning streak and looking every bit like the defending national champions Nebraska has to chase down.
Curt Cignetti’s team has been ruthless on both sides of the ball. Indiana is putting up 44.2 points per game and giving up only 10.8, while also averaging nearly 490 yards of offense and holding opponents under 240 yards a game. Nebraska has been scoring at a high clip too, averaging 43.6 points, but the margin for error shrinks fast against a team like this.
The biggest matchup may be the one in the trenches and in the backfield. Nebraska has seen quality run games already, but nothing like Indiana’s pair of Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. Through five games, the two have combined for 1,107 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
Richard has been the headliner so far, piling up 587 yards and five scores on just 63 carries, a staggering 9.3 yards per attempt. Beebe has added 520 yards and four touchdowns on 89 carries.
Last weekend against Rutgers, the duo was downright overwhelming: Richard went for 204 yards on 13 carries, and Beebe added 122 on 18 attempts. That’s 326 rushing yards from two players in one game.
Nebraska’s run defense has been solid, allowing 100.6 rushing yards per game, but Indiana’s ground attack is operating at 252.6 yards per game, ninth nationally. The Blackshirts have to keep that from becoming the engine of the afternoon. If Indiana is living in second-and-short and third-and-manageable, the pressure on Nebraska’s defense only grows.
That’s where Josh Hoover enters the picture. The Indiana quarterback has been sharp and clean, throwing 15 touchdowns without an interception through five games. If Nebraska has to crowd the box to slow Richard and Beebe, Hoover has the weapons to punish that choice through the air.
The Huskers do have one clear strength on defense: third down. Opponents are converting just 24.49% of their third-down tries, the third-best mark in the country.
But that edge matters a lot less if Indiana is consistently winning first down and keeping the offense on schedule. Nebraska needs to force long-yardage situations and let Rob Aurich’s defense go hunting.
On the other side, Anthony Colandrea has given Nebraska exactly what it hoped for when he arrived in Lincoln. He’s thrown for 1,142 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding 249 rushing yards and two more scores. Against Maryland, he showed how dangerous he can be with his legs, rushing for 108 yards on 10 carries, including a 51-yard run that helped Nebraska pull away.
That dual-threat ability matters even more against an Indiana defense that has been excellent against the run, allowing just 64.4 rushing yards per game and 2.1 yards per carry. Northwestern managed only 37 rushing yards against the Hoosiers, and Rutgers was held to 59 last weekend. Nebraska is unlikely to simply pound the ball between the tackles and win that way.
So the Huskers need to build the game around Colandrea. Dana Holgorsen has to keep him involved as both a passer and runner, whether that comes through designed runs or through broken plays where Colandrea can create something on his own. Nebraska needs Indiana accounting for No. 10 on every snap.
Freshman running back Jamal Rule could help if he’s ready to go. Rule missed the Maryland game with an ankle injury, but Holgorsen said Tuesday that the freshman is expected back this weekend. That would give Nebraska another explosive piece alongside Mekhi Nelson and Isaiah Mozee.
Still, the game likely runs through Colandrea. Nebraska’s offense is averaging 475.6 yards and 43.6 points per game, but against a defense allowing only 10.8 points per contest, the Huskers do not need their quarterback chasing hero balls.
They need him smart, steady and dangerous when the moment opens up. Protect the football.
Take what’s there. Use the legs when needed.
The other issue is the one that keeps showing up every week: penalties. Nebraska is averaging 9.75 penalties and 80.5 penalty yards per game, fifth-most in the country. Indiana is the opposite, averaging 3.75 penalties and 30.75 yards per game, ranking 134th nationally.
That gap matters. It becomes even more glaring when you add in what Indiana did last week at Rutgers, where it played the entire game without a penalty or a turnover.
Nebraska found a way to survive 16 penalties and a nine-point deficit against Maryland, but that kind of recovery act is a bad bet against a team this clean and this complete. False starts, holding calls and special-teams mistakes can’t pile up.
Special teams could be another pressure point. Indiana has blocked 10 kicks since the start of the 2024 season, the most in the country over that span. Nebraska has made real progress there this year, blocking two punts of its own, but the Huskers still have to be sharp in every phase.
The message is simple enough: play clean, protect the ball and don’t hand Indiana extra chances. If Nebraska beats itself, the afternoon inside Memorial Stadium could get long in a hurry.
In Other News...
Nebraska Gets Rare Good News Before A Big Test Against Indiana
Three days before kickoff, Nebraska is getting a cleaner injury picture than it has seen in a while heading into a Big Ten test against Indiana. Only tight end Carter Nelson and linebacker Gage Stenger are listed as doubtful, while five players have remained out since the start of league play. On the other side, Indiana is dealing with its own mix of availability, though cornerback A.J. Harris and defensive end David Ndukwe are back in the fold.
That matters for a Nebraska team that has spent much of the season managing personnel issues and trying to keep its depth intact. Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen said running backs Jamal Rule and Mekhi Nelson have been practicing and could be available if needed, which at least gives the Cornhuskers some flexibility as they prepare for a game that could hinge on who is able to suit up and who can handle an expanded role. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Faces A Defining Test Against Indiana In Brutal Conditions
Nebraska gets a measuring-stick opportunity in Lincoln on Saturday morning, with Indiana coming in as the defending national champion and FOX carrying the game to a national audience. The matchup arrives with wind expected to be a major factor, which should put an even bigger spotlight on Nebraskas improved offensive line and how well the Huskers can handle a disciplined Indiana team that has earned plenty of respect for the way it plays.
For Nebraska, the challenge is as much about structure as star power, because this is the kind of game that can expose flaws quickly in rough conditions. Indiana arrives favored at the betting window, but the early kickoff and the weather figure to make this feel less like a standard Big Ten showcase and more like a test of poise, execution and coaching at every level. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Faces A Defining Week With One Big Roster Concern
Nebraska heads into this week with some clarity on the injury front, even if not complete comfort. Jamal Rule and Andrew Marshall are available as the Cornhuskers prepare to face Indiana, which helps stabilize a roster that has been trying to get itself organized at just the right time. It is the kind of update coaches and fans can at least build around, especially with conference play continuing to demand depth and flexibility.
Carter Nelson remains doubtful, though, and that is the detail Nebraska will keep monitoring as the matchup approaches. For a team trying to stack together enough healthy pieces to handle a meaningful stretch, availability can be as important as game plan. There is also broader Nebraska interest elsewhere this week, with former Husker Cam Jurgens landing in a trade from the Eagles to the Ravens, a reminder that the states football storylines rarely stay in one place for long. [Read more 🡒]