The Nebraska Cornhuskers were dominated in every single aspect of their 56-7 loss to the now 7-0 Indiana Hoosiers.
Somehow, after slow start from the Huskers special teams and defensive unit, it seemed like the same old story for the Huskers.
Now with 26 straight losses against AP top 25 teams since 2016, the Huskers will head into a major “reset” type of week before another road matchup, this one against a top 5 team in the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Early on, the Hoosiers established themselves into this game, going 75 yards in eight plays, instantly putting pressure on the Huskers offense.
If true freshman Jacory Barney Jr. would’ve let the kickoff go out of bounds, the Huskers would’ve got the ball at the 35 for their opening drive.
Instead, Barney fielded the ball, while his momentum carried him out of bounds at the one yard line.
It is not totally fair to say that one play sucked all the momentum out of the ball game, but from certain perspectives, it sure felt like it.
After a massive stop on 4th and 2 from the Blackshirts defense on the Hoosiers second drive, the Huskers found themselves at 4th and 1 from the Hoosiers 12 yard line.
Running back Dante Dowdell seemed to have a first down, before fumbling the football and giving it back to the efficient Hoosiers offense, seeming shifting all momentum in favor of Indiana.
What we saw on Defense:
Indiana has a very good offense, and first year head coach Curt Cignetti put it on display, showing a good balance of the run and pass.
Sixth-year transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke had little to no struggles against the Blackshirts, throwing for 189 yards on only 21 attempts, before a hand injury replaced him for sophomore Tayven Jackson.
The Hoosier playmakers had no issues making highlight plays, as they came away with incredible, acrobatic catches on key third downs that continued to move the chains.
The rushing defense that hadn’t allowed a rushing touchdown all season, allowed five touchdowns on the ground, three of them coming in the first half.
With major gaps in the run defense to add on to the struggles in the pass game, and the Hoosiers saw that and took advantage, with carries of 43 and 29 yards on the day.
What we saw on Offense:
Back-to-back seven point outings by offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield’s unit does not sit well, especially after having a bye week to study film and prepare.
Early on, it appeared that our receivers were struggling to create space against the Hoosiers defensive backs, forcing a mass amount of throw-aways by quarterback Dylan Raiola.
The Huskers were only able to come up with 304 yards of offense on the day, while committing five turnovers, three of which were interceptions thrown by Raiola.
What’s Next:
With the Huskers scheduled to travel to Columbus next week, a major reevaluation may be needed as the Huskers will be facing their second straight top 10 offense.
The Buckeyes will bring a strong offense to the table, led by a dynamic running back duo of running backs in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.
Transfer Quarterback Will Howard from Kansas State provides a true duel-threat element to their offense, while receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka are able to make any catch in any given situation.
