The Huskers have a program changing opportunity at their hands this Saturday as they host the defending national champion and 7th ranked Indiana Hoosiers in a battle of Big Ten unbeatens.
Head coach Matt Rhule has to feel confident about this Husker team, they’re resilient, composed and still should have a massive chip on their shoulders after being left out of this week's AP Top 25 rankings.
The opponent this week is a little different, the Indiana Hoosiers are one of the most talented teams in the country and have a system in place under head coach Curt Cignetti that has bolstered them into one of the premier programs in America.
The Hoosiers are playing the second of back to back road games and are coming into Lincoln after a 47-15 win against Rutgers.
TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover led the way, throwing for 251 yards and 4 touchdowns, while the Hoosiers running back duo of Turbo Richard and Lee Bebee Jr. combined for 326 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground.
For the Huskers it was a different story, facing a 23-14 second quarter deficit with the Terrapins deep into Husker territory, safety Dwayne McDougle III saved the day with an 81 yard interception return for touchdown, propelling the Huskers to a 48-23 homecoming victory.
The amount of hype surrounding this game has been off the charts, everyone wants to see if the Huskers can pull off what would be a monumental, program defining win that would announce Nebraska back to the world as a legitimate program once again in college football.
Key #1: Start Fast:
This might be the biggest key for the Huskers if they want to win on Saturday, the Hoosiers have not trailed at any point in a game this season.
This offensive unit for Nebraska and offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen has to provide an early punch to this Hoosier defense, we really have not seen the Huskers start quickly on offense in conference play.
Against the Terrapins, the Huskers went three and out and against the Spartans it was the same result. You absolutely can not rely on slowly figuring out your offense as the game goes on against a Hoosiers defense that allows only 10.8 points per game.
We need to see some innovation in the play calling this weekend and I think the return of running back Jamal Rule will help in that area.
Rule is the most versatile back on this roster and should provide the opportunity for big plays in the run and pass game.
Key #2: Josh Hoover:
Hoosiers transfer quarterback Josh Hoover has been nearly perfect this season throwing the ball, he is completing 71% of his passes, throwing for 15 touchdowns and most importantly, 0 interceptions through five games, shutting down all the preseason narratives surrounding his turnover issues.
The biggest key for that is the talent that is on this roster as opposed to what he was working with at TCU.
This Hoosier offense fields two of the 14 running backs in college football that have run for over 500 yards, while Hoover has only thrown 107 passes this season, a marginal difference from the 413 passes he attempted last season with the Horned Frogs.
That’s where the turnover issue comes into play. Hoover threw a total of 33 interceptions in his 3 seasons at TCU and if the Huskers can somehow limit a Hoosiers ground game that averages 6.4 yards per carry, it should allow an opportunity for the blackshirts 13th most efficient pass defense in the country to try and revert Hoover back to his old ways.
Key #3: Limit the Penalties:
Last week against the Maryland Terrapins, the Huskers committed 16 penalties, pushing their average close to 9 per game, the Hoosiers are 3rd in the FBS in fewest penalties.
The Huskers simply can’t beat themselves in this game like we’ve seen in years past, even some this season.
Playing at home, there is absolutely no excuse for a presnap penalty of any kind, nor should we ever see another game with 16 penalties called on a team that is made up mostly of juniors and seniors.
Prediction:
There are a lot of people out there that think this is going to be a rematch of when these two teams met in 2024, and you can’t necessarily blame them.
Year in and year out, we see a good Nebraska team by record, get embarrassed when the lights shine the brightest. With that being said, I think the Huskers are going to make this a very interesting four quarter football game.
Out of all the opponents that the Hoosiers have played this season, I think the Huskers provide the hardest matchup for them on the line of scrimmage that they’ve seen to this point.
I think the Huskers will make a ton of plays throughout this game that will have us seeing a victory in sight by the time the clock hits zero.
Ultimately, I think the national championship experience in both the roster and coaching staff for the Hoosiers will propel them to a late victory in Lincoln.
Nebraska: 24 Indiana: 26
