You typically hear the same saying in sports:
A win is a win.
Well, Indiana football won Saturday, securing a 20-17 heart-pounding victory over Nebraska inside Memorial Stadium in Lincoln to remain undefeated. It was thrilling, but it was ugly.
For most of the game, it felt like Indiana was sleepwalking through the contest. Through the first three quarters, the Hoosiers never took the lead.
Finally, in the fourth quarter, Indiana woke up.
Despite trailing 17-6, the Hoosiers responded with a 75-yard touchdown pass from redshirt senior quarterback Josh Hoover to junior wide receiver Nick Marsh. Then, during the next drive — on a fourth-and-one —Indiana took the lead for good with Marsh’s 44-yard touchdown.
While Indiana might still have some of the same close-game magic as last year, it’s fair to critique its underwhelming performance.
That’s where I step in, pointing out the flaws and highlighting the successes with my self-proclaimed, astute analysis:
Quarterbacks: B
With the Hoosiers’ inability to run the ball, Nebraska had three quarterback hurries. Hoover had a solid performance despite those circumstances. In the first half, the Heath, Texas, native completed five passes for 103 yards. Overall, he finished 12 for 22 in a performance that yielded 263 yards and two touchdowns. It might not look like the best performance, but without Hoover’s poise in the pocket down the stretch, Indiana wouldn’t have mounted the comeback victory.
Running Backs: D
Prior to Saturday’s contest, Indiana averaged 252.6 rushing yards per game — the ninth-highest mark nationally. But against Nebraska, redshirt senior Lee Beebe Jr. and junior Turbo Richard combined for 17 carries and 41 yards. While the inability to run the ball also falls on the offensive line, Indiana’s backs had trouble breaking off first contact and went down rather easily — something that hadn’t yet happened this season.
Wide Receivers: A
Although junior wide receiver Charlie Becker caught a 43-yard pass and Marsh had a 37-yard catch during the first quarter, the Hoosiers’ receivers were relatively quiet until the fourth quarter. Then, Marsh exploded for two touchdowns. The Detroit native finished with six catches for 187 yards. Becker had three catches for 52 yards — including an absurd one-handed grab while flipping over the top of a Nebraska defender. Sophomore Davion Chandler was the only other receiver to record a catch. Yet, Marsh’s heroics make it impossible to not give this unit an A.
Tight Ends: B
Coming out of halftime, head coach Curt Cignetti adjusted the opening drive to get freshman Trevor Gibbs more involved in play-action concepts. And it worked — Gibbs had two catches for 21 yards. During Marsh’s game-winning touchdown, Nebraska covered redshirt freshman Brock Schott, leaving the wide receiver open for the walk-in score. While the overall stats aren’t eye-popping, the tight ends had numerous key plays, elevating their grade.
Offensive Line: D+
It was a rough showing for a group that earned a perfect grade last week against Rutgers. Not only did Indiana fail to run the ball effectively due to a lack of push, but the Hoosiers’ offensive line allowed two sacks and five tackles for loss.
Defensive Line: B
Indiana’s defensive line struggled to generate pressure in the first half, collecting just one sack. The Hoosiers allowed Nebraska senior quarterback Anthony Colandrea’s mobility to hurt them as they lacked contain on the edge, leading to big chunks for Nebraska. However, in the second half, Indiana had four sacks. Redshirt senior Tobi Osunsanmi sealed the game at the end of the fourth quarter with a sack that led to a turnover on downs. Ultimately, the Hoosiers’ front four finished with eight TFLs, five sacks and two quarterback hurries.
Linebackers: B-
Like the defensive line, the Hoosiers’ linebackers struggled to bring down Colandrea in the opening half. During the second half, the unit held Colandrea to only 125 passing yards, while the Cornhuskers averaged 2.8 yards per carry. Redshirt senior Isaiah Jones and junior Rolijah Hardy played every defensive snap — Jones was tied for a team-high nine tackles and two pass breakups. Freshman Jacob Savage played a key role as well, including making an important TFL on a Colandrea running play late in the game.
Secondary: C+
Indiana’s secondary struggled in the first half, allowing the Cornhuskers to convert eight third downs. At the end of the second quarter, senior Amare Ferrell pushed Nebraska junior wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer out of bounds to save a touchdown. That play was a momentum boost, leading to shutdown coverage in the second half. On their final drives, the Cornhuskers turned the ball over on downs twice and punted it once.
Special Teams: A+
Special teams matter.
After Ferrell’s tackle out of bounds, Nebraska missed a 40-yard field goal — leaving three critical points on the board. It’s easy to look back and say that sequence defined the game, but it truly did.
Meanwhile — even in windy conditions — Indiana’s special teams were perfect after an abysmal performance last week. Senior kicker Nico Radicic hit a 42-yard and 35-yard field goal. Sophomore punter Billy Gowers had six punts for 211 net yards, pinning Nebraska inside its own 20-yard line three times. Redshirt senior Paddy McAteer had five touchbacks.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season
