Oct 10, 2026 8:17 PM
Updated Oct 11, 2026 2:17 AM
The Huskers had opportunities to grab the upset and earn an AP-ranked win for the first time in a decade. Instead, the fourth quarter tipped to the visitors as Nebraska suffered its first loss of the season.
LINCOLN — Nebraska tried to play keepaway on Saturday, limiting chances for No. 7 Indiana's offense to make plays. The Hoosiers were able to make enough plays in the fourth quarter to avoid the upset bid.
Indiana has now won 22 straight games, including the 16-0 campaign last year that culminated in a national championship. Nebraska falls to 5-1 on the season.
The Huskers have not beaten an AP-ranked opponent since Oregon in 2016.
The formula was there for the Big Red from the beginning on Saturday. Nebraska did not have a drive of shorter than 4:20 through its first five. The first two drives for the Huskers went 6:03 and 5:20, ending with a field goal and a touchdown.
Nyziah Hunter scored his first touchdown on the year on a run in the first quarter. | Kenny Larabee, KLINNU ran 43 plays in the first half, holding the ball for 22:19 of play.
On the other side, Indiana barely touched the ball over the first 30 minutes. The Hoosiers got a field goal on their opening drive, going 51 yards in 2:36. The rest of the half, IU ran 11 plays for 64 yards and no points.
But some momentum was left on the field for the Big Red. With 20 seconds left, Kyle Cunanan missed a 40-yard field goal to the right. It was his fourth miss of the season, dropping his kicking percentage to 50% through six games.
Out of the half, Indiana immediately marched 10 plays and kicked another field goal.
The next two possessions for the Hoosiers started at their own goal line: one on an interception at the two and another on a brilliant Archie Wilson punt to the one. Those two drives both ended with punts.
Leading 10-6 early in the fourth quarter, Nebraska appeared to take firm control of the game. Anthony Colandrea broke loose for a 39-yard touchdown run, putting NU up 17-6 with 12:01 to go.
Anthony Colandrea's electric play helped Nebraska move the chains on several third downs throughout the game. | Kenny Larabee, KLINTen seconds later, Indiana had a touchdown to put the result back in doubt. After a four-play drive ended in a punt, the Hoosiers had a shot to take the lead.
That set up several key moments the rest of the game.
First, Indiana had a 4th-and-1 at the NU44. Nebraska brought out its goal-line defense, but the Hoosiers had Nick Marsh break wide open for the 44-yard touchdown pass from Josh Hoover.
Second, Nebraska had a 4th and 9 at its own 44-yard line with 4:47 left on the clock. Matt Rhule elected to go for it instead of utilizing Wilson and his big leg to play field position with the wind. Colandrea's pass fell to the turf, handing Indiana the ball at midfield.
Third, after a three-and-out, Nebraska had the ball at its own five with 3:15 to play and two timeouts. On the second play, Colandrea floated a ball downfield, which was caught by an Indiana defender. However, a roughing-the-passer penalty wiped away the penalty and gave NU new life. That led to another fourth-down attempt at midfield, where Colandrea was sacked on a three-man rush.
Finally, the Huskers got the ball back at their own 11 with 13 seconds to go. A pass down the middle to Jacory Barney Jr. and a clocked ball left five seconds. Rhule and Dana Holgorsen could have tried to run a play to the sideline and get closer for a Hail Mary attempt, but that left the potential for the clock running out. Instead, Colandrea passed to Luke Lindenmeyer in the middle of the field, which led to several laterals and ultimately went nowhere as time expired.
Former Husker and current Kansas City Chief Emmett Johnson returned to Lincoln to pump up the Memorial Stadium crowd between the third and fourth quarters. | Kenny Larabee, KLINThe Blackshirts held the potent Hoosier run game to just 65 yards, allowing 328 total yards in the game. Nebraska's offense totaled 391 yards, including 128 on the ground.
Colandrea completed 25 of 43 passes for 263 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. He added 17 runs for 47 yards and a score.
The top target was Barney, who had nine receptions for 108 yards.
Jamal Rule returned from injury to lead the backfield with 15 carries for 53 yards.
Nebraska's ability to stay on the field was completely eliminated in the second half. The Huskers converted 8 of 11 third downs in the first half. After halftime, that number was 2-for-8.
After 16 penalties last week, the Huskers tallied seven for 59 yards. The Hoosiers had just three for 35 yards.
Nebraska goes on the road next week to face No. 13 Oregon. The kickoff time and television destination have yet to be announced.
Nebraska Athletics Postgame Notes
- With the loss, Nebraska fell to 9-12-3 all-time against Indiana, including 6-9-2 in Lincoln.
- Quarterback Anthony Colandrea had 310 yards of total offense in the game, including 263 passing yards and 47 rushing yards. This marks the fifth time in six games that Colandrea has accounted for at least 250 yards of total offense.
- Colandrea rushed 17 times for 47 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to give NU a 17-6 lead. The 39-yard run marked Colandrea’s second run of at least 35 yards in the past two games, including a career-long 51-yard run last week against Maryland.
- Receiver Nyziah Hunter scored his first touchdown of the season on a 10-yard run in the first quarter. It also marked his first career rushing touchdown, to go along with 10 career receiving scores.
- Hunter finished the game with season highs of five receptions and 43 yards.
- Tight end Luke Lindenmeyer had seven receptions for 45 yards, tying his career high in receptions.
- With his seven receptions today, Lindenmeyer increased his career receptions total to 53. He is the 12th tight end in Nebraska history with at least 50 career receptions.
- Nebraska converted 10-of-19 third-down conversions in the game, including 8-of-11 in the first half. The Huskers limited Indiana to 1-of-10 on third downs. Nebraska was the only team in the country entering the game in the top 10 in both third-down offense and defense.
- The Husker defense limited Indiana to 65 rushing yards on 22 attempts, including just 12 rushing yards in the first half. The Hoosiers entered the game ranked ninth nationally, averaging 252.6 yards per game.
- Nebraska held Indiana to 328 total yards, including 115 yards in the first half. The Hoosiers came into the game averaging 490.6 yards of total offense per game. Indiana gained 155 of their yards on three plays.
- Receiver Jacory Barney Jr. had nine receptions for 108 yards, marking his third game this season with at least five receptions. Barney had a 100-yard receiving game for the second time this season and the fourth time in his career. Barney has a catch in all 32 games in his career, tying the fifth-longest streak in NU history.
- Sophomore punter Archie Wilson had a career-long 68-yard punt in the fourth quarter, bettering his previous long of 60 yards in the second quarter. He also downed a punt on the Indiana 1-yard line. Wilson had three punts for a 57.3-yard average in the game, just shy of the school record average of 57.6 yards per punt by Dan Hadenfeldt against Colorado in 1999.
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