I’m not sure that anyone had Indiana being ranked and undefeated heading into next weekend on anyone’s betting card.
After hiring former James Madison Head Coach Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers have burst onto the scene in college football.
Not only have they started 6-0 and put themselves in the top 25, but they have one of the best offenses in the country halfway through the season.
Cignetti’s spread-like offense is putting up points, ranking third in the country in scoring, and their 80 fourth quarter points rank second nationally behind Miami.
And if you really like stats, in the Hoosiers 37 trips to the redzone, they’ve scored 30 touchdowns.
Cignetti has been solid everywhere he’s been as a head coach, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he has the Hoosiers succeeding.
CIgnetti’s 125-35 record is eye opening, but what’s more impressive is his 77-20 record in conference play.
Indiana Offense:
Cignetti hit the portal hard the second he landed in Bloomington, landing 31 transfers, 13 of them coming from James Madison.
Possibly the biggest transfer out of them all is quarterback Kurtis Rourke from Ohio.
Rourke’s 1,752 passing yards rank fifth in the country, and his 14 touchdowns to just two interceptions only proves that he has played a lot of football and seen a lot of defenses.
Transfer running back Justice Ellison from Wake Forest is on pace to have the best season of his career, rushing for 409 yards and six touchdowns.
Ty Son Lawton provides another element of surprise to the Hoosiers offense, he transferred in from James Madison and has ran for 329 yards and seven touchdowns.
Their offensive line is pretty solid as well, only allowing six sacks which puts them in a tie for 29th fewest in the country.
They did lose wide receiver Donaven McCulley to the portal.
McCulley, who was seen to be a key piece for Cignetti’s offense this year after putting up 644 yards and six touchdowns a year ago, put up just 21 yards and one touchdown so far.
For Nebraska, you have to look at this Hoosier offense as unpredictable. We know they can throw the ball, but don’t be surprised if they try and test this Husker run defense early.
Key Players:
WR Elijah Sarratt: 29 rec 513 yards 2 touchdowns
WR Omar Cooper Jr: 18 rec 375 yards 3 touchdowns
WR Miles Cross: 17 rec 208 yards 2 touchdowns
Indiana Defense:
Through six games, Indiana not only has a dominant offense, but on paper, they have a solid defense.
The Hoosiers rank seventh nationally in total defense, and they also bring the eighth ranked rushing defense to the table. They’ve also only allowed 1,031 passing yards which ranks 25th nationally.
They will get to the quarterback as well, which is going to provide a true test for this offensive line on the road, especially for redshirt freshman offensive tackle Gunnar Gottula, who’s played pretty well ever since he was added into the starting five.
Once again, a James Madison transfer is making an impact, as linebacker Aiden Fisher leads the team with 55 total tackles.
Sophomore defensive back Amare Ferrell leads the team with two interceptions, but by far one of the scariest players on that defense is James Madison transfer on the defensive line, Mikail Kamara.
Kamara has recorded five sacks and a forced fumble through six games, put him in a tie for 20th in the country.
They have given up 24 points or more in their last two games, so this will be a true test for both the Husker offense and the Hoosier defense.
Key Players:
DL James Carpenter: 3 sacks
LB Rolijah Hardy: 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception
With FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show and broadcast crew coming to Indiana for this game, it will be one of the most watched games of next weekends early slate.
Nebraska vs Indiana:
11:00 am CT
Bloomington, Indiana
FOX