BLOOMINGTON – Has there ever been a time that Indiana is labeled as a football school? If not, it may be time to do so.
With a crowd of over 53,000+ in attendance, Indiana cruised to a 56-7 dominant victory over Nebraska on Saturday to stay undefeated and remain at the top of the Big Ten. Although many thought the Cornhuskers would be the toughest opponent the Hoosiers would face so far this season, it certainly didn’t look that way.
The Hoosiers got things going from the jump as they received the first-half kick, and looked like they hadn’t lost a step from the bye week. Indiana went eight plays for 75 yards, capped off by a Justice Ellison TD run, making it seven consecutive games with a touchdown for the Hoosier running back.
The rushing attack seemed to be the biggest question mark coming into the game for the Hoosiers. The Nebraska defense had not allowed a rushing touchdown coming into the game, and had only allowed an average of 11.3 points, good for seventh in the nation.
Those numbers did not hold up against the Hoosiers, however.
The running backs continued to dominate throughout the entirety of the game with Ellison finishing with 105 yards on just nine attempts and another touchdown. Ty Son Lawton was the key second contributor, adding 64 yards on 8 attempts and a touchdown. Kaelon Black and Elijah Green each got four touches and they both found the end zone as well.
Much like previous games, it wasn’t just one facet of the offense where Indiana shined. Kurtis Rourke continued to look incredibly comfortable in the pocket, leading the Hoosier passing game going 17-21 for 189 yards and one touchdown.
The only downside, and one to monitor, is that Rourke did not appear in the second half due to an injury to his hand. Rourke played through the injury in a drive at the end of the second quarter, but did not make another appearance.
As a result, Tayven Jackson went under center for the Hoosiers, but things didn’t look much different. Jackson finished 7-8 with 91 yards and two touchdowns, and led the Indiana offense to another impressive second half effort. Indiana scored 28 points in the first half, and another 28 in the second.
“It’s hard to be the second-string quarterback because you don’t get many reps,” Cignetti said on Saturday. “We put a lot of new stuff in in the pass game week to week…But I thought he (Jackson) went in there and did a good job. I had confidence. Team had confidence. I was proud of him.”
Both of Indiana’s quarterbacks deserve credit, but not without a nod to their receivers. Once again, the Hoosiers spread the love through the air, with Elijah Sarratt, Miles Cross, and Myles Price all finding the endzone. Cross led the group with six catches and 65 yards.
Indiana’s offensive line continues to surpass expectations, helping Indiana amass 215 rushing yards and allowing only one sack. Although they’re not the flashiest part of the offense, Cignetti gave the group their flowers.
“We got some real blue-collar guys up front coached by a blue-collar guy, he said on Saturday. “Coach Bostad is an old-school line coach. Put a good day’s work in.”
After one of their less memorable performances two weeks ago against Northwestern, Indiana’s defense was also a huge factor in their win against Nebraska.
The Hoosiers did a great job at containing freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who was held to 28-44 with 234 yards. The biggest story, however, was Indiana’s secondary, which hauled in three interceptions and did not allow a passing touchdown on the day.
The most notable of the three came from Shawn Asbury, who picked Raiola off near Indiana’s endzone, and was one broken tackle away from a house call. That came with IU leading 28-7 in the third quarter, and Nebraska driving into the red zone.
“Let me say this. Shawn Asbury’s play was probably the big play in the game,” Cignetti noted on Saturday. “There were a lot of big plays in that game, but that was a real momentum-turning play.”
The Hoosiers also did well getting pressure on Raiola, earning two sacks on the game, with one being a strip sack by Mikail Kamara. Kamara’s forced fumble was one of two on the day, with Jailin Walker forcing one on fourth down, again with Nebraska deep in Indiana territory in the first half.
In total, Indiana allowed 304 yards of offense compared to 495 of their own. They still have yet to trail in a game this season, and have not given up any points in the first quarter of any game as well.
With today’s effort, Indiana most definitely deserves its title as a football school, and many are already looking ahead to just how well the Hoosiers can finish off their season, with some even seeing a path to College Football Playoff contention.
However, for Curt Cignetti, he’s focused less on the “rat poison” and more on a present minded approach.
“Look, this is the here and now,” he said on Saturday. “This is where my feet are, right? I have to be focused, locked in, learning and have a great attitude rub off on other people positively as a teammate, okay? An hour from now is a concept. Tomorrow is a concept. All there is is the here and now…. We got to put ourselves in the best position. If you prepare properly, anything’s possible.”
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