Nebraska walked out of Saturday with the kind of loss that leaves fans staring at the ceiling. The Huskers had Indiana on the ropes, carried an 11-point lead with roughly 10 minutes left, and still found a way to let it slip away. After that, there were three fourth-quarter drives before the final desperation sequence, and Nebraska never delivered the answer it needed.
That’s what makes the 20-17 defeat sting so much. Once Indiana trimmed the margin to four, Nebraska didn’t score.
Once the Hoosiers grabbed the lead, Nebraska still didn’t score. And after the defense handed the offense the ball back with more than two minutes left, the Huskers couldn’t put together the drive that might have changed the mood entirely.
The game turned on those late failures, but it wasn’t only about the fourth quarter. Nebraska left points on the board in the first half, too, with two missed chances in the red zone.
The opening drive should have ended in a touchdown. The Huskers also should have come away with points before halftime.
If they had, Indiana’s late surge would have felt a lot less fatal.
There is blame to go around. The defense should never have given up a 75-yard touchdown on one snap after Nebraska built its 11-point cushion, and the staff got beaten on Indiana’s fourth-down touchdown. But the bigger problem was that Nebraska didn’t finish enough of its own chances, and that’s where the loss really took shape.
Overreactions: This is the same old Nebraska football
The easy reaction is to treat this like another familiar collapse, but that misses part of the picture. This felt less like a 2021-style gut punch and more like a team taking a real step forward before falling short at the finish.
That old team went 3-9. This one is 5-1.
It should be 6-0. That much is true.
But the idea that Matt Rhule somehow threw the game away doesn’t line up with what happened on the field. Indiana is the stronger team.
The Hoosiers have won 22 straight, have the best head coach in college football, and have more NFL players on the roster. Their receiver room brings more first-round talent than Nebraska has had in a decade, and Stephen Daley could be in the NFL right now.
Even with that edge, Nebraska controlled much of the game. Rhule, Dana Holgorsen and Rob Aurich put together a plan that had Nebraska in front 17-6.
The Huskers were the better team for long stretches. They just didn’t close the deal, and Indiana did what good teams do when it mattered.
That doesn’t make this loss meaningless, but it also doesn’t make it the final word on the season. If Nebraska gets rolled at Oregon this week or can’t handle Washington, Illinois or Rutgers, then the criticism gets louder fast.
For now, though, this game raised the standard. Eight or nine wins is the bar after this performance.
Anything less, and the frustration will be justified.
Still, nobody can say Nebraska didn’t look better than it has in a long time.
Nebraska grades vs. Indiana
Offense: B-
Nebraska moved the ball. The offense piled up 393 yards, ran 83 plays and picked up 128 rushing yards. Anthony Colandrea finished with 310 total yards, and his 39-yard touchdown run was the kind of explosive play that changes a game.
But after that, the production dried up when Nebraska needed it most. The Huskers had three must-have drives in the fourth quarter and turned 19 plays into only 60 yards.
Before that stretch, Nebraska was averaging 5.2 yards per play. In those crucial moments, it fell to three.
One touchdown on three red-zone chances was not enough.
Defense: A-
The fourth quarter damaged the final impression, but the larger body of work was strong enough to win. If Nebraska had been told before kickoff that Indiana would be held to 20 points, that probably would have sounded good enough.
The Huskers didn’t force a turnover, but they made Indiana work. Six of the Hoosiers’ 10 drives ended with punts after six plays or fewer, not counting first-half kneel-downs. Indiana went 1-of-10 on third down, settled for two field goals and managed only 65 rushing yards at 3.0 yards per carry.
Maybe Aurich could have adjusted after Nebraska moved ahead 11, but pulling back too much on defense is always a gamble. Indiana might have punished that approach, too. In the end, the offense created the bigger issue.
Special teams: B-
The kicking game was mostly clean, except for the one moment Nebraska absolutely needed it. The snap was off, and the short field goal missed. If that kick goes through, the whole shape of the game changes and Nebraska can play field position instead of being forced into a late fourth-down decision with just under five minutes left.
Archie Wilson was excellent. Coverage held up. There were no major breakdowns outside that miss.
Coaching: A-
This wasn’t a night where the staff was outclassed. Nebraska came in ready.
The game plan on both sides looked sharp, and the Huskers were competitive in all three phases. The one turnover was basically a punt by Colandrea on third-and-long.
The penalties were a real issue, though. Jacory Barney’s false start on fourth-and-4 hurt, and the false start on second-and-10 late in the first half pushed Nebraska toward a field goal try instead of a touchdown.
Rhule also could have used a timeout on Indiana’s final touchdown. Aurich might have adjusted.
Holgorsen probably should not have walked away from the QB run game on the first drive inside the 10. That’s the one do-over Nebraska would love to have back.
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