LINCOLN, Neb. — They don’t ask how, they ask how many.
Indiana football took that saying to heart Saturday in a thrilling 20-17 victory over Nebraska at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.
After Nebraska senior quarterback Anthony Colandrea ran in for a 39-yard touchdown at the 12:01 mark of the fourth quarter, the Hoosiers trailed 17-6. The 85,000 Cornhusker fans inside the stadium were jumping up and down with such authority that the press box was literally shaking. It felt like an earthquake had hit Lincoln.
Following the Colandrea touchdown, ESPN’s win probability had Indiana with just an 11.8% chance to win. Yet, the Hoosiers rallied to score 14 unanswered points and stun Nebraska. Junior wide receiver Nick Marsh scored both a 75-yard touchdown and a 44-yard touchdown within less than five minutes of game time.
Last year before the Hoosiers’ run in the College Football Playoff, they earned tough wins at Iowa and Penn State, and even against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, that molded them into a championship-caliber group. They were challenging on the hearts of fans, but they were necessary for the team’s success.
The win Saturday was that type of win for this year’s squad.
And it proves Indiana is still a championship-caliber team.
To put Indiana's win into perspective, let me throw some statistics at you.
For the first time since 2004, and only the second time in its history, Indiana won a game when trailing double digits in the fourth quarter, per ESPN Insights. Nebraska had 39:33 in time of possession of the ball on offense compared to Indiana’s 20:27. The Cornhuskers ran 83 total plays compared to the Hoosiers’ 44.
Indiana's win was ugly. It was tough. It was gritty. Yet, in some twisted way, it was somehow beautiful.
“You’ve got to have an indomitable will, man” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said postgame. “A will that cannot be defeated or subdued.”
Before I continue, I think it's easy to look at Nebraska’s lack of success over the last decade and say they aren’t a good group. Heading into this week, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule held an overall 2-25 record against ranked opponents throughout his coaching career. However, I think this year’s iteration of the Cornhuskers is their best team in long time — and more importantly, a group that showed it can belong with Indiana.
Heading into halftime, Indiana trailed 10-3. Quite frankly, the Hoosiers were lucky to not be down by more. Nebraska converted eight third down opportunities in the first half. The Cornhuskers ran 43 plays to Indiana’s 16. After a near touchdown toward the end of the second quarter, Nebraska missed a 40-yard field goal that kept it a one-score game.
In the five prior contests, Indiana averaged 252.6 rushing yards per game — the ninth-most nationally. In the first two Big Ten games against Northwestern and Rutgers, the Hoosiers combined to outgain both opponents 600 to 91 in total rushing yards. Redshirt senior running back Lee Beebe Jr. and junior running back Turbo Richard both eclipsed 200 rushing yards in back-to-back weeks.
But in the first two quarters, the Hoosiers had only 12 total rushing yards on seven carries. In offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan’s system, which thrives on wearing down opponents with its rushing attack, redshirt senior quarterback Josh Hoover had to carry the load. Hoover finished the first half 5 for 9 with 103 passing yards, including a 37-yard pass to Marsh and a 43-yard strike to junior wide receiver Charlie Becker.
Cignetti said his message at halftime in the locker room was telling his team to “settle down.”
“I told them, I said, ‘Good teams find a way to win games like this,’” Cignetti said.
In the second half, Indiana played complementary football. The offense began to string together far more productive drives, and aside from the rushing touchdown, the defense began to get to the quarterback and make things difficult for Nebraska’s Colandrea.
Saturday’s win could be game we look back on in three months as the moment that catapulted this team from good to great.
“This is a great building block,” Jones said. “You want to win these big games. You want to be down. You want to feel what it’s like to touch the stove and feel when the pressure is on. It builds character and relentless trust in your team.”
No matter how pretty it was, a win is still a win.
Looking ahead, Indiana can’t play the way it did Saturday, especially against Ohio State next week in Bloomington. For now, however, a hard-fought road win in a hostile environment is something the Hoosiers can build on, just as they did last season.
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
