"The Hogs" Pave The Way For a Stellar Performance by "The Ninja Turtles"

Written By Nick Gonzales (@nrgonzales_)

There have been many doubts if Indiana would be able to perform against tougher teams and they made a statement today in a huge blowout against the Cornhuskers. The Hoosiers put up a whopping 56 points and allowed only 7 from the Huskers during Saturday’s matchup. Some people didn’t believe that Nebraska’s defense would be too difficult for Indiana to handle, which was the complete opposite of what happened. Indiana’s running backs took control of the game with the help of this stellar offensive line.

“The O-Line. We came in thinking that the holes were going to be very tight due to their D-line, and those are probably the widest holes that we have seen all season. Shoutout to the O-line.” Ty Son Lawton responded when asked about their success in the run game during a postgame interview.

The offensive line was working overtime today against a very stout defensive line for Nebraska. Nebraska’s defense had not allowed a rushing touchdown all season, but that was until they met “The Ninja Turtles” who scored 5 rushing touchdowns against them. Nebraska was the last team to not allow a rushing touchdown this season and on average allowed 84.2 rush yards per game and 2.7 yards per attempt. With how they’ve been in previous games, not many would’ve expected the Hoosiers to put up 215 rush yards and average 6.5 yards per carry.

“I saw the first drive. I got a good sense of what they were giving me after playing a lot of games in my college career. Our coaches kept telling us all week, ‘you don’t have to be Superman, just play what they’re giving you.’ They give you those inside runs, we will just take them and run away with it. I think we did a wonderful job with our execution which allowed us to make those explosive plays on the backend as far as running the ball and passing the ball. But we have to continue to have that humble mindset.” Justice Ellison stated during his postgame interview.

Ellison had a hell of a game with 121 yards from scrimmage (2 receptions for 16 yards and 105 rush yards) and 2 touchdowns on only 9 attempts. He had two really big plays where he set the tone early with a 43-yard run and then later a 31-yard touchdown run. Ellison and Lawton combined for 153 yards and 3 touchdowns in just the first half. While the running backs are electric, you can’t forget about those boys up front who pave the way for the big runs.

“We got some real blue-collar guys up front coached by a blue-collar guy. Coach Bostad is an old-school line coach. Put a good day's work in. Never coached for a guy like me that gets them off the field like I do (smiling).

Those guys are tight, they're tough guys. Those backs we got, they're all about the same. They're good players. Perimeter blocking is important, too. Explosive plays happen with great downfield blocking,” Curt Cignetti said during his postgame press conference.

The offensive line, or “The Hogs” (the unofficial nickname that running back Kaelon Black gave them), did an excellent job at opening up the field. Nebraska underestimated how dominant the Hoosiers’ O-line can be and how great they are at opening holes and running the ball. The Cornhuskers downfall was they heavily underestimated the Hoosiers and their ability to run but also pass the ball.

Saturday’s win against Nebraska was a statement directed towards the college football world. Indiana is legit and will continue to dominate teams each week. They are having a historic year so far and are only getting started. The job isn’t finished yet. They want to be the best and they won’t settle for anything less. Hoosier fans can enjoy this week after a spectacular win in front of a sold-out crowd in Bloomington. Once Sunday arrives, the Indiana Hoosiers are focused on the next game where they host the Washington Huskies in Bloomington.