Nebraska gets another crack at a ranked opponent Saturday, and this one comes with plenty of clean numbers attached to it. The Huskers are 5-0, Indiana is 5-0, and the matchup in Lincoln will kick off at 11:00am CST on Fox.
That means Gus Johnson on play-by-play, Joel Klatt as analyst and Jenny Taft on the sidelines. The game will also stream on the Fox Sports app.
On the radio side, fans can listen free through Huskers.com or the Huskers App, with Kyle Crooks handling play-by-play, Jay Moore on analysis and Jessica Coody on the sidelines. Matt Coatney, Jessica Coody, Ben McLaughlin and Jeremiah Sirles will be on pregame and postgame duty.
The weather should cooperate early. Saturday is expected to start with sunny skies and around 78 degrees, then climb to about 87 by the end of the game. Winds are projected to stay light at 3-5 mph, and humidity should remain low.
The bigger story, though, is what Nebraska has pieced together through five games. This looks like a roster that found the right portal additions, not necessarily the flashiest ones.
Anthony Colandrea brought more than 30 career starts to Lincoln after Kenny Minchey was lost, and that experience has mattered. Owen Stoudmire, Anthony Jones Jr. and Jahsear Whittington helped stabilize a defensive line that needed help.
Owen Chambliss stepped in as a leader and a QB of the Blackshirts, while Vic Evans and Dwayne McDougle went right into the defensive backfield. Kwazi Gilmer and Colandrea quickly found chemistry and broke out together against Maryland last Saturday.
Brendan Black and Paul Mubanga were immediate starters, and Tree Babalade is climbing as well.
It’s not being billed as some elite transfer class, but it has delivered exactly what Nebraska needed: experience, production and defined roles.
The challenge now is Indiana, which brings a 21-game winning streak into the game. Nebraska and Indiana have combined for only three turnovers this season. Nebraska has given it away twice, while Indiana is tied for the national lead with just one turnover lost.
Both teams are also living near the top of the national charts on both sides of the ball. Nebraska ranks ninth in scoring offense at 43.6 points per game and 15th in scoring defense at 14.2. Indiana sits eighth in scoring offense at 44.2 points per game and fifth in scoring defense at 10.8.
There’s some history in this one, too. Nebraska is 9-11-3 all-time against Indiana and 2-2 since joining the Big 10. Seventeen of the 24 meetings in the series have been played in Lincoln, and Indiana owns an 8-6-2 edge in the previous 16 games.
Indiana is also the first defending national champion to visit Memorial Stadium since Texas came to Lincoln 20 seasons ago in 2006, when the Longhorns won 22-20. Before that, Nebraska hosted defending champion Oklahoma in 2001 and 1986. The 2024 meeting in Bloomington was the first time Nebraska had faced a ranked Indiana team since 1945.
Nebraska will also be chasing its first win over a ranked opponent since beating Oregon 35-32 in 2016. If you count ranked teams the way the source does, the last such win was over Colorado in 2024, since Colorado finished 25th in both the AP and Coaches polls. Nebraska’s last victory over a top-10 team came in 2015, when it beat sixth-ranked Michigan State 39-38 at Memorial Stadium.
Saturday is also the first of four remaining games against teams currently ranked. Nebraska still has trips to 13th-ranked Oregon on Oct. 17 and 20th-ranked Iowa on Nov. 27, plus a home game against No.
5 Ohio State on Nov. 21.
The Huskers reached 5-0 with their win over Maryland, their first unbeaten start through five games since 2016, when they opened 7-0. It’s Nebraska’s sixth 5-0 start since 2000.
And if the afternoon starts to get tight, there’s always the motivational backup plan. As the source notes, Chandler’s Friday Night Lights speech is there to fire everybody up for a few minutes.
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 🡒]