Hoosier Huddle's Game Day Primer: Indiana Hoosiers at Nebraska Cornhuskers

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

What: Indiana Hoosiers (3-1) at Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-3)

When: Saturday, October 1 at 7:30 on BTN

Where: Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska  

How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.

Picks For Tonight:

Check out PicksforTonight college football computer picks to see which way their model is picking the Hoosier game and more this weekend

Series History: Indiana and Nebraska will be meeting for the third time as members of the Big Ten conference with the pair splitting in conference matchups. Nebraska won in Bloomington (27-22) in 2016 and IU won in Lincoln in 2019 (38-31). Prior to that, the schools last played in the 1970s with Tom Osborne’s juggernaut drilling Lee Corso’s Hoosiers four straight times. IU actually won nine straight prior to that after the Huskers won the first three games in the series. In total, the Hoosiers lead 10 wins to eight with three ties.

What’s at Stake: The Indiana Hoosiers are 3-1 after falling to Cincinnati. Realistically, that’s the best anyone could have hoped for at this point in the season. The mission to find six wins and return to the postseason is a tough one but there is still certainly a pathway for the Hoosiers. Beating Rutgers, Michigan State, Purdue and Maryland are possibilities but getting three of those four will be incredibly difficult. That means a win at Nebraska, albeit as a slight underdog, is a very important ingredient in that recipe for six wins. The Hoosiers host Michigan and Maryland before heading to Rutgers so getting to 4-1 with victory in Lincoln could set things up nicely for IU. A loss would put them behind the eight-ball with top-five Michigan on deck. Nebraska is 1-3 and looking for a new head coach. The Huskers will be looking at Indiana as a must-win game themselves in order to right the ship for interim coach Mickey Joseph. They get Rutgers and Purdue next before a bye week so the opportunity is there to get back on track. A loss to Indiana may send the mental psyche of this team packing for the remainder of the season.

A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1.    Can IU Get Adequate Play From the Offensive Line?

Indiana fans knew going into the season that the offensive line was going to be an issue. Matthew Bedford was injured in the season opener and the issue became even larger as Parker Hanna was forced into action at right tackle. Zach Carpenter was injured in pregame warm ups before the Western Kentucky game and third string center Caleb Murphy was rushed into duty. Things came to a head at Cincinnati as the offensive line was repeatedly overwhelmed by the Bearcats defensive front. Connor Bazelak took a beating and was sacked six times with several other pressured throws and hits endured. The running game didn’t get going and one Shaun Shivers run to the outside prevented the numbers from being embarrassing. Tom Allen and Walt Bell both hinted at their weekly press conference that changes in personnel along the line are possible and they needed to find the best five guys to play. Will Zach Carpenter be back at center? If not, do they shuffle Mike Katic to that position? Do Josh Sales and Khalil Benson get chances to play extended snaps on the right side of the line? Nebraska has allowed 5.7 yards per carry and only garnered four sacks all season. This is a defense the IU line has to find success against.

2.    Complete Effort

Indiana University, specifically the defense, has been up and down from quarter to quarter so far this season. To win on the road in a hostile environment, the Hoosiers will have to find a way to put together a solid sixty minutes. The Hoosiers were shredded through the air by Cincinnati in the first half, made adjustments at halftime and were much better in a good second half effort. The week prior, they claimed to have over-adjusted against the quick passing game of Western Kentucky and got gashed on the ground but ultimately found a way to escape with a win. Indiana is not good enough to play poorly for two quarters and then try to complete a comeback against a team with a pulse. Nebraska brings some weapons to the contest as running backs Anthony Grant (5.66 ypc) and Ajay Allen (5.76 ypc) both present threats and Casey Thompson has been mostly effective with a 65% on 8.5 yards per attempt.

3.    What Does the Offense Want To Be?

The Indiana Hoosiers likely did not plan on leading the nation in pass attempts per game but through four games, that is where they sit. The Hoosiers are playing at a very quick tempo and at times, that has worked. Josh Henderson’s touchdown against Cincinnati was a direct result of the confusion caused by the uptempo attack. At other times, going so quickly has resulted in poor execution and mistakes. Walt Bell touched on that aspect in his weekly press conference saying, “the execution has to match the pace.” There was also hints at adjustments along the offensive line and you can be certain Allen and Bell both want to see an increase in success for the running game. This Nebraska defense does present opportunities for success. They surrendered more than 400 yards of passing against Georgia Southern, more than 500 yards of offense against Northwestern and were shelled by Oklahoma until the Sooners called off the dogs in the second half. Fans should look for an effort at balance as well as how the Hoosiers manage to begin the game on offense, something that has been an issue so far this season. Bell took the blame for that and it was something they would focus on this week.