Game Wrap and Reaction: Indiana 38 Nebraska 31

Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Opponent: Nebraska Cornhuskers

Location: Saturday October 26th, 2019 Lincoln, Nebraska

Why They Played: The Hoosiers and Cornhuskers played for the first time since 2016 as an inter-division matchup in the Big Ten.

What The Game Meant: This was an extremely important game for the Hoosiers as it was a chance to score a road win over a brand name in addition to clinch bowl eligibility before November.

Top Offensive Performers:

Peyton Ramsey, QB, Indiana- It was Peyton Ramsey to the rescue again for the Hoosiers as the redshirt junior started in place of the injured Michael Penix. Ramsey was phenomenal as he completed 27-of-40 passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns. Ramsey absorbed hits and ran for another touchdown and 42 yards.  

Whop Philyor, WR, Indiana- IU fans had to take the great with the bad today with Philyor. He tied a career-high with 14 catches for 178 yards, but his unsportsmanlike penalty and a dropped pass that went for an interception cost his teams points and momentum.

Wan’Dale Robinson, AP, Nebraska- This guy is special and Nebraska’s offense was just different when he was on the field. Robinson had 154 all-purpose yards (83 rushing 71 receiving) with a touchdown.

JD Spielman, WR, Nebraska- Spielman burned the Hoosiers for 97 yards receiving and even threw a 22-yard pass to quarterback Noah Vedral.

Top Defensive Performers

Alfred Bryant, DL, Indiana- Bryant made six tackles including one for a loss and forced a fumble late in the second half.

Micah McFadden, LB, Indiana- McFadden led the linebackers on a day where tackling Wan’Dale Robinson was difficult. He made 11 tackles (10 solo).

Khalil Bryant, DB, Indiana- Bryant was a force in the secondary that proved shaky at times on Saturday. He made 10 tackles (seven solo) and has been a steady hand at safety.

Mohammed Barry, LB, Nebraska- Barry led the Cornhuskers in tackles with six including one for a loss. Four other Nebraska defenders made six tackles.

Special Team Performance

Well, I jinxed Logan Justus. Justus missed his first extra point of the season in the first quarter on a blustery day in Lincoln, but recovered nicely to hit a 22-yard field goal and three more extra points.

The Hoosiers had the real advantage on special teams on Saturday. Jared Smolar and Nathanael Snyder handled the wind pretty well and when the pooch kicks were not working special teams coordinator William Inge changed kickers and got a touchback. Nebraska missed a field goal, had a kick-off go out of bounds and shanked a punt that set up Indiana at the Nebraska 35-yard line. It was a major factor in the outcome of Saturday’s game.

​Key Stat(s)

22-3

Over a span of about 11 minutes of game time the Hoosiers went on a 22-3 run that put the game out of reach. The Hoosiers took a 24-21 lead at the 7:30-mark of the third quarter and extended that lead to 38-24 when Stevie Scott blasted through the defense for a nine-yard touchdown.

Turning Point

The Hoosiers were trailing 14-9 in the second quarter and Nebraska was moving the ball well down to the Indiana 24-yard line and looking to extend the lead. However, Jamar Johnson made an instinctive play to go after the quarterback and forced a fumble that Allen Stallings picked up and rumbled 68 yards to the Nebraska eight-yard line. One play later Indiana was in the end zone with a 16-14 lead.

I Knew it Was Over When…

Peyton Ramsey ran 11 yards on third-and-seven. This first down essentially sealed the game for IU.

Players of the Game

Peyton Ramsey, Indiana- Once again Ramsey was tough, gritty and productive as he had 351 yards passing and lead the Hoosiers to a huge road win.

Wan’Dale Robinson, Nebraska- He was a difference maker when he was on the field for Nebraska. He was slippery and powerful. He had 28 touches and 154 total yards for Nebraska.

What I took away from the game

Indiana is 6-2 (3-2) and is bowl eligible for the third time in five years. The fact that they knocked off a brand name in Nebraska on the road to get that sixth win, made this a special win. This was just a darn good football game. A back-and-forth battle with two offenses putting up points and defenses coming up with big takeaways. This game had a little bit of everything. The Hoosiers are making it hard for the non-believers. Tom Allen’s team came on the road and played with a banged up offensive line, without Michael Penix and overcame an early 14-3 deficit to win at a place that is historically very difficult to win. The Hoosiers did what they needed to do. Indiana dominated average starting field position by 15 yards and threw the ball all over the yard. While the defense was shaky, it came up with two fumble recoveries and a huge fourth down stop late in the game. They made enough plays to win, but the offense carried the day. Indiana lost the explosive play battle 18-to-14, but that was due more to the inability on defense than the Hoosier offense.

The Hoosier offense was six-for-six in the red zone, coming away with five touchdowns and a field goal. They converted 7-of-14 third downs and were a perfect 2-of-2 on fourth down. Were there still concerns about this team? Yes, again silly penalties almost sunk the six, but the Hoosiers went from 11 penalties last week to six, so there’s that. The run game struggled early, but they finished strong.

While the analytics had they as favorites in the game, many were not buying into that. Is this the marquee win that Indiana needs to build upon, we’ll see what they do next week at home? However, this was a special win for Allen and his team. Maybe, just maybe the fan base rewards this kind of effort with a great home crowd on Saturday when a lowly Northwestern squad limps in the Bloomington. Either way, Hoosier fans can celebrate this one for a few days and focus on the what-ifs of bowl destinations. It was the first undefeated month of October for the Hoosiers since 1993. This program is starting to break records that haven’t been sniffed it decades.