It was not pretty, but Indiana survived a road trip to Lincoln on Saturday, winning 20-17. The Hoosiers did not start strong, but they made some halftime adjustments and were able to scrape out a win.

Defense

The defense in the first half was honestly awful. They came out flat and played with a lack of effort, and missed several tackles. Nebraska’s staff came out with a great gameplan and allowed them to jump out to an early lead. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea was stellar, both with his legs and his arm, and it looked like things could get out of control early. Nebraska ran for 118 yards in the game, and most of that came in the first half. The Cornhusker offensive line was much more physical than Indiana. However, in the second half, the Hoosiers defense stepped up.They stifled the Nebraska offense, and kept the Hoosiers in the game with a timely interception from Jamari Sharpe, and huge sacks from the defensive line. 

Offense

On offense, Indiana was feast or famine. Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh had great, explosive days. Marsh went for 6 receptions, 187 yards, and 2 touchdowns, including the game sealing score late in the fourth quarter. The run game was brutal, however; Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. ran a combined 15 times for 41 yards. It made Indiana one dimensional, but they were able to persevere on the back of Josh Hoover and the explosive plays from the receivers. The offensive line did not have a good game either. Ademola Ajani, the right tackle, was continuously beat in both the run game and the pass game, and stalled out some of Indiana’s drives with his poor blocking.

Overall, the Hoosiers have a plethora of areas to work on before next week against Ohio State. If they cannot figure out how to get off to fast starts, or cannot establish the run game, it will get ugly in Bloomington. However, this was a great win against an undefeated Nebraska team on the road, and it makes Indiana bowl eligible for the season. Curt Cignetti said after the game that he is going to enjoy this win until “at least midnight,” and that is the mentality all Hoosier fans should have before gearing up for Ohio State next week.