Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff will be in Lincoln on Saturday, and this will be the first time both Indiana and Nebraska have been in the spotlight this season. You better believe that won’t be missed by Curt Cignetti, as this will be his chance to make a statement.
Indiana will be the first team this season Nebraska faces that has equal or better talent. That matters, because while Nebraska won’t be perfect, they must play an error free game to have a shot. One example in point, Indiana had zero penalties last week against Rutgers. Nebraska had 16 for 147 yards against Maryland. There are two things Indiana does better than Nebraska, they are consistent in their approach and they are fundamentally sound.
Against Maryland you could list a slew of mistakes the Husker can’t have against Indiana. Not only the penalties, but turnovers, poor tackling, and missed opportunities throughout the game. We won’t talk about the special teams, the coordinators getting off to a slow start or Rhule’s continued poor management of timeouts. And the Huskers cannot come into the game with a lack of focus as we’ve seen at times this season.
Just Run the Damn Bowl…If you can
Nebraska will not win this game if they can’t run the ball. The Huskers need Jahmal Rule to be available. In two Big Ten games without Rule Nebraska’s top two running backs, Mekhi Nelson and Isiah Mozee, have combined for 169 yards on 44 carries for a 3.8 yards per carry average. Not horrible, but it won’t get the job done against Indiana.
Nebraska continues to struggle to run the ball between the tackles and if you watched Nelson and Mozee Saturday, they tried to bounce everything outside. That’s because that’s where they’ve found success.
And while some of that is on the offensive line, part of it has to do with running style as well. Rule looks like a natural, hitting the hole and slashing toward daylight without hesitation, and that’s against the grain or with the flow of the play. Rule creates the hole, Nelson and Mozee look for them.
Mozee hits the hole and when it closes, he hesitates, usually long enough to get tackled. Nelson is better, but he still isn’t the slasher Rule is. He likes hitting the hole and then uses his speed to hit a crease if there is one. Mozee can be lethal on outside runs.
But no matter who lines up in the backfield it’s important Nebraska utilizes all three backs because they each bring something different. Which means Indiana’s defense must pay attention to who is on the field and when.
If Rule can’t play, the offensive line will need to open holes and then hold their blocks longer if they are to have any success. It helps but isn’t ideal that Colandrea has been the leading rusher in the last two games. Whether it’s running the ball or passing, he’s clearly the juice that makes the offense go. The Hoosier’s may concentrate on shutting him down, which could open things up for the running backs.
No matter what, the offensive line has their work cut out for them and my guess is we’ll see yet another reiteration of starters. Holgorsen was clear on the challenges Indiana’s defense presents.
“They’ve had three teams in the last year and half rush for 100 yards on them,” Holgorsen said Tuesday. “They pose a lot of problems. Everything starts up front with them. They’re big, experienced, thick, active, deep…it’s going to be challenging to scheme them up and run the ball.”
Trained Killers
Sunday on the Average Joe Sports Show Chris Schmidt used an old George Darlington line when describing Indiana’s defense, “They’re all trained killers.” That description isn’t too far off.
The Hoosiers run the 4-2-5 alignment and are led by defensive coordinator Brian Haines who has been with Curt Cignetti since 2017, first at Elon, then JMU, and now Indiana.
Haines’s crew only allows 64.4 yards rushing and 2.1 yards per carry a game. So, no matter who the Huskers line up in the backfield, running the ball will be difficult. Part of that success is the depth on the defensive line.
On the interior the Hoosiers return 6’4”, 290-pound Mario Landino and 6’0”, 305-pound Tyrique Tucker from last season. Tucker came from JMU with Cignetti and is a run stuffer in the middle who has also created 7 quarterback hurries. Landino uses his quickness to disrupt blocking. They are backed by 6’3”, 305-pound Joe Hjelle and 6’1”, 273-pound Stephen Daley. When you look at Daley, think Nebraska’s Jahsear Whittington. The interior two-deep has 43 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss and 6 sacks after five games.
The outside is just as deep and effective with 6’2” Tobi Osunsanmi and 6’2”, 270-pound Keishaun Calhoun rushing off the edge. Backups 6’5”, 280-pound Chiddi Ndukwe and 6’4”, 260-pound Joshua Burnham rotate in when needed. The four top defensive ends have logged 34 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, and 6 sacks thus far. They will put pressure on Nebraska’s tackles.
In all, the Hoosiers defensive front is responsible for 27.5 of their 41 TFL’s and 12 of their 15 sacks. And while they’re aggressive, one of their greatest contributions to the defense is controlling the gaps and occupying blockers. They keep their linebackers free to play downhill instead of having to defeat offensive linemen.
That stat shows up with the top two tacklers on the defense being linebackers in, 6’2”, 227-pound Isiah Jones and 5’11” 228-pound Rolijah Hardy. The pair are free to search and destroy and have 45 STOP tackles between them. They also logged over 70 total tackles, 4, tackles for a loss, and have 2 of the team’s 3 interceptions.
Amare Ferrell leads an aggressive secondary from his safety position with both run support and coverage. At one corner will be Jamari Sharpe, a proven player who has started the last 21 games. On the other side will be Jaylen Bell. Both corners are experienced and neither has missed a tackle this season.
Bell has filled in admirably for A.J. Harris, an experienced player who went down with a knee injury in the first game of the season. Cignetti indicated Monday Bell was day-to-day. Rylan Gandy rotates in at corner when needed.
Also seeing action will be Byron Baldwin Jr. and Jiquan Sanks. Baldwin has registered 23 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, and 1 sack. Cignetti called out Sanks in his Monday presser, saying he likes the way flies to the ball. Sanks has 10 tackles and 1 interception.
Only One of the Band Members is Making Any Noise
Coming into the season I was confident there would be a battle throughout the season for the top wide receiver spot. Hunter, Barney, and Gilmer had all been either first or second in receiving yards with their team over the last two seasons.
In saying that, it’s clear Nebraska struggling to run the ball between the tackles isn’t their only problem. The wide receiving corps we were so high on coming into the season has become a one-man band in Kwazi Gilmer.
Yes, he and Colandrea have a connection, but part of that is Gilmer seems to be the only guy that can get open. Nyziah Hunter has become non-existent and part of that is due to his inability to win the battle at the line of scrimmage. Barney started strong but has slowed over the last two games due to being dinged up.
As of now Kwazi Gilmer is truly Nebraska’s number one. That separation isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It means he’s gotten Indiana’s attention. The Hoosier’s defense has had to work all week on knowing where Gilmer is each time the Huskers line up. That effects what coverage Indiana goes with. The more attention paid to Gilmer, the less there is on Barney, Hunter, and Quinn.
Yet, Holgorsen didn’t seem to mind Gilmer leading the way. “I’m not saying Kwazi’s Jeremiah Smith, but he’s pretty damn good,” Holgorsen said of Nebraska’s top receiver.
Gilmer has 29 receptions for 387 yards and 6 TDs for the season. The next closest receiver behind him is Jacory Barney with 18 receptions for 233 yards and 2 TDs. Hunter has 8 receptions for 74 yards. We’ve all seen what Hunter was capable of last season and we’ve been waiting for him to break out. He has that ability.
Just as in the running game, Holgorsen knows what they’re dealing with in the Hoosier’s secondary, “They’re sound on the back end, they have great continuity. Their coaches have been together for a long time,” Holgorsen said.
Colandrea is the Key
As I said earlier, Colandrea is the juice that makes this offense go. We’ve seen it in the first two Big Ten games with his being Nebraska’s leading rusher in both. He carried the ball 10 times for 66 yards against Michigan State while going 15-of-27 passing for 212 yards and 2 TDs. Last week against Maryland he again had 10 carries for 108 yards while going 26-of-39 passing for 238 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception.
Rhule has stated he wants defenses to have to defend against Colandrea’s ability to run the ball. But most of his plays aren’t designed QB runs, they are plays that have broken down and he was forced to scramble. It’s great that positive yards can be created when things aren’t there, but too many times it was because of poor blocking or that receivers are unable to get open.
Running the ball had a negative effect on Colandrea last week. After a long run in which he hurdled a defender, he missed open receivers with bad passes the next two plays. Holgorsen indicated Colandrea gets too excited and is over-hyped after making such plays and needs to slow down, take deep breaths and calm himself. That means controlling his emotions better. It’s a fine line, because it’s that fire and emotion that elevates him and his teammates.
On the season Colandrea has totaled 1,391 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns through five games. If the offensive line executes and provides a running game, receivers get open and Colandrea can add either Hunter or Barney to Gilmer, Nebraska will give Indiana problems. Something to be aware of, Northwestern passed for 293 yards and 2 TDs against Indiana with a 13.3 yard per catch average. The back end of the defense may be suspectable.
The key element in this game. Holgorsen coming up with a scheme that throws the Hoosiers off.
“There are no weaknesses,” he said when talking about Indiana’s defense. “My job is to find some, but I haven’t found any yet…I do know this, though…Man, the opportunity is there. We’re excited about what the opportunity is. It’s a big-time game, which is why everybody’s here… Excited about the opportunity, excited about the challenge.”
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
Numbers to Know
Indiana’s Defense
Overall: 237.8 yards per game (4th in FBS)
Passing: 173.4 yards per game (29th)
Rushing: 64.4 yards per game (7th)
Scoring: 10.8 points per game (5th)
Nebraska’s Offense
Overall: 475.6 yards per game (24th in FBS)
Passing: 244.6 yards per game (55th)
Rushing: 231 yards per game (17th)
Scoring: 43.6 points per game (9th)
Photos courtesy of the Falls City Journal Home - Falls City Journal - Falls City, NE
Stats gathered from ESPN - Serving Sports Fans. Anytime. Anywhere.
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