Gut Punch! Nebraska's Upset Bid of No. 7 Indiana Falls Short

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.

NU 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.

Ten 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.

The 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.