History Echoes for Huskers and Hoosiers

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On a Saturday in October, the defending national champions roll into Lincoln, led by their third-year head coach. Both teams enter the game undefeated, with the defending champs on a 20+ game winning streak. Nebraska’s fourth-year head coach looks to make a name for himself against the reigning champs.

Frank Solich would get the better of Bob Stoops that day, and Eric Crouch would have the moment that put him at the front of the Heisman race.

In the 25 years since that game, much has changed. However, the parallels between the Huskers’ upcoming matchup with Indiana and the 2001 Oklahoma game still exist. Indiana football is on a similar path to what the Sooners were doing under Bob Stoops.

A win for Matt Rhule and the Husker program would carry a similar impact to that 2001 win.

Colandrea’s Cool Composure

Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea remains a great player for the Huskers.

He had his slowest start of the season against Maryland, going just 2-for-6 and throwing a terrible interception. However, he bounced back, completing 15 of his next 17 passes in the first half. That included a great two-minute drill that put the Huskers ahead right before halftime. He’s thrown more touchdowns than any other Husker quarterback through 5 games. He’s also proved to be a threat on the ground, rushing for over 100 yards against Maryland. 

According to Game on Paper, Colandrea ranks 4th in EPA per dropback among Big Ten quarterbacks and 6th in passing success rate.

Hoosiers Heisman Hopeful Hoover

Unfortunately for Husker fans, Indiana’s Josh Hoover has been even better.

He ranks behind only Julian Sayin and Darian Mensah in EPA per dropback nationally. In passing success rate, he again trails only those two quarterbacks (in reverse order this time). His trajectory this season is extraordinary.

When Nebraska played Indiana in 2024, I thought Kurtis Rourke was putting together a Heisman-level season. Hoover’s EPA, over the same number of plays, is even higher than Rourke’s was in 2024 and the eventual Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza in 2025. An injury during the 2024 Nebraska game cost Rourke his Heisman chance.

Hoover is playing at a Heisman-caliber level. The only thing preventing Hoover from a trip to New York may be Indiana’s own running backs, who form the most dynamic duo in the country.

Lightning and More Lightning

The Hoosiers have the Big Ten’s leading rusher, Turbo Richard, and the Big Ten’s second-leading rusher, Lee Beebe.

Both running backs average over 100 yards per game. The last Big Ten team to do this was Wisconsin in 2013, with Melvin Gordon and James White. Game on Paper ranks the Indiana offense in the top 10 in both EPA per pass and EPA per carry.

While the Nebraska defense has come a long way since 2025, when it was among the worst in the country in EPA allowed per carry, it still ranks only 60th in the country in 2026. Beebe and Richard may be too much for the Huskers to stop. 

Matt Rhule compared defending Indiana to how he defended Army and Navy at Temple. The Hoosiers’ offense always has another option if you take one away. If the Huskers stack the box to slow down Beebe and Richard, receivers Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker will start making plays. Nebraska must be sound defensively and execute every assignment well. Rob Aurich noted that the Hoosiers' backs don’t run out of bounds. Nebraska will need to be ready to tackle this week.

Rule’s Return

The Nebraska ground game is also among the most impressive in the country, thanks to freshman superstar Jamal Rule.

With Rule missing nearly two full games, Anthony Colandrea stepped up to fill the Huskers’ rushing void. Colandrea led the Huskers in rushing yards in both games Rule was out. However, I think Nebraska is going to want to get him going again in this game. Keeping Hoover and the Hoosier offense on the sideline should be a big part of the strategy in this game. Indiana has allowed opponents to reach 100 rushing yards just nine times under Cignetti. I think Nebraska needs at least 150 rushing yards to win this game. 

X Factor

Nebraska’s best chance to win this game is to lose in a stat that typically predicts the winner – net success rate. Right now, Indiana sits 3rd in the nation in that measure, while Nebraska is right behind at 4th. The Huskers need to limit the Hoosiers’ opportunities, manage the clock, and win by capitalizing on high-variance plays. Northwestern lost the net success rate battle to Indiana by 8% two weeks ago. However, the Wildcats still kept it close.

Offensively, Nebraska faces a catch-22. The Huskers’ biggest advantage in this matchup is their ability to generate explosive plays, while Indiana’s biggest strength is stopping them. Nebraska needs to be strategic about how it uses them, as it did with the Black 41 Flash Reverse in 2001. I’d still like the Huskers to move the ball on the ground on early downs to keep the clock running and keep Josh Hoover on the sideline. 

On the other side of the ball, the Blackshirts need a bend-but-don’t-break mentality. Indiana doesn’t commit many mistakes. They rank third in the nation for fewest turnovers and penalties per game. Nebraska needs to force Indiana into long drives to increase the likelihood of a mistake. The Blackshirts may give up many successful plays to the Hoosiers, but a few timely plays of havoc could give Nebraska a chance to upset the champs. Nebraska ranks second in the country in third-down defense. Those will be the opportunities for Nebraska to get the ball back to its offense.

The Huskers’ punt return unit may also have another chance to make a big play. They have been opportunistic so far this season, ranking second in the country in blocked kicks and third in blocked punts. If they can flip the field on Indiana, Nebraska has a chance to steal a possession.

If Nebraska plays a perfect game, I think they could pull off the upset and secure a win similar to the one they achieved a quarter century ago. However, I don’t expect them to play a perfect game. They’ve committed the 16th-most penalties per game in college football. While Nebraska should play much better than they did in Bloomington two seasons ago, I think Indiana will hold a comfortable lead for most of the game. Colandrea will help keep the Huskers close and make the final score look better than it is. In the end, I have the Hoosiers winning 38-31.

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