Husker Heartbreak vs. Hoosiers is Reason for Hope

For the 31st time since 2016, Nebraska lost to an AP-ranked team.

Late in the game, it looked like Nebraska might win. However, Nick Marsh showcased why he’s one of the best receivers in the Big Ten with a 75-yard touchdown reception. In the end, Nebraska did almost everything I thought they needed to do to win. Unfortunately, the result was the same as it’s been every time since 2016.

At the end of the day, I’m proud of the Huskers despite the result. The Huskers went toe-to-toe with the defending national champions and looked better than Indiana did through three quarters. Moral victories don’t show up in the box score or the conference standings, though. The Huskers can prove this result wasn’t an aberration next weekend when they take on another ranked opponent – Oregon. 

I see this game as a step forward for the Huskers. Heading into future ranked matchups, the question is no longer, “Can Nebraska stay competitive?” It’s “Can Nebraska turn a late lead into a win?”

In my preview, I outlined a few things I thought the Huskers needed to do to win this game, and for the most part, they did those well.

I thought the Huskers should surrender the success-rate battle to control the ball for more of the game. The Huskers actually won the success-rate battle, 39% to 32%, but more importantly, they didn’t abandon running on early downs. 43% of the Huskers’ early-down plays were runs. The Huskers held the ball for nearly 40 minutes in this game. The Hoosiers ran just 44 plays, their fewest since 2007. Limiting the talented Indiana offense’s opportunities was a major victory the Huskers will need again in the Oregon and Ohio State games this year.

The Huskers won this aspect convincingly.

This goal was a bit arbitrary (but I am the go-to source for arbitrary stats), but it was closely tied to clock control. The Huskers were alright on the ground against a very good Hoosier defense, finishing with 128 rushing yards. Jamal Rule was solid in his return, but after his injury and the elevated degree of difficulty, his play looked more consistent with that of a freshman. Colandrea did the most with the ball for the Huskers as a runner, but after sacks removed 27 yards, Rule led the rushing attack. 

Like the scoreboard tally, the Huskers came up just short here, but there was still more good than bad. Removing sacks, Nebraska did surpass 150 yards on positive plays.

This aspect was a mixed bag for the Huskers. Ten of Indiana's 44 plays came on third down. Nebraska got the stop on 9 of those, forcing punts and field goal attempts rather than touchdowns. However, on one of those 9, Indiana went for it on 4th, and Nebraska broke catastrophically. The Huskers had the wrong personnel on the field, and Nick Marsh made the Huskers pay. 

The Hoosiers finished with 5 explosive passing plays. Two were long Nick Marsh touchdowns, while the other three came on drives that produced only three points. I’d say the Blackshirts won 9 of the 11 drives against the Hoosiers.

When the two breaks changed the outcome of the game, it’s impossible to give this phase a good grade. The Huskers need to improve here against other strong Big Ten teams.

I’ve written about the Huskers’ struggles in ranked games before. I’m also well-known on X for posting about Nebraska’s historic streak of one-score losses. This loss fits both categories, so I completely understand how it feels “the same” as the 30 games that came before it. However, this game still represents real progress for the Huskers.

In most of those games, Nebraska wasn’t very competitive. Over the 31-game losing streak to ranked teams, Nebraska led in 16 of those games. In 10 of them, Nebraska trailed for 90% or more of the snaps played. In 25 of those games, Nebraska trailed in over 50% of snaps. Learning to win is hard when playing from behind.

Against Indiana, Nebraska led for 65% of the snaps. Only one of the 31 games had a higher lead time: 2021 Iowa, where Nebraska led 74% of the snaps before being outscored 19-0 in the 4th quarter. The 2025 USC game was the 3rd-highest lead percentage, with Nebraska leading 63% of the snaps. The last ranked win, Oregon in 2016, ranks 4th by percent of snaps, with the Huskers holding the lead just 31.8% of the snaps.

Matt Rhule and his staff still have a big question to answer: “How can Nebraska close teams out?” But the Huskers are in a far different place than they’ve been since 2016. In almost every one of those games, the question was “How does Nebraska even stay in this game?”

Nebraska likely has three more chances to be ranked this season (Oregon, Ohio State, Iowa). After the Indiana game, the Huskers should have the confidence to play with anyone in the country. Now it’s time to start winning them close.