What is Indiana football's biggest worry? Defense, run game, Josh Hoover? | Overreactions

LINCOLN, NE — Shades of the win at Iowa last year, as No. 5 Indiana erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Nebraska20-17 on Saturday afternoon.

The Hoosiers moved to 6-0, 3-0 in Big Ten play. Let's overreact to it.

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Indiana’s defense is in trouble

In trouble? No. Incapable of replacing some of last year’s key pieces? Maybe.

This felt like the moment, for example, when the Hoosiers could most have used Aiden Fisher so far this season. Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen used quarterback Anthony Colandrea’s mobility to widen the field, making IU defend sideline to sideline.

There, Bryant Haines’ defense missed the instincts and the sure-handed tackling of its departed All-American middle linebacker. Fisher might have sometimes seemed to ghost his way through games, piling up tackles without much fanfare. But he was a master of stopping small plays from becoming big ones.

We could assign similar value to others, including D’Angelo Ponds. This defense isn’t a weakness, but it remains incomplete. It has yet to replace some of last year’s most impactful players.

Indiana's defense is the rock upon which this team is built

Listen, we call them overreactions for a reason.

But on an afternoon when temperatures touched 90, Nebraska took 83 offensive snaps to Indiana's 44, and the Hoosiers didn't lead until the fourth quarter, that defense took center stage and did not disappoint. Five sacks, seven tackles for loss, an interception (and another unfairly chalked off for a questionable roughing call) — Haines' defense was far from perfect, but it adjusted, dug in, stepped up and won this game.

Indiana's won 22 in a row now. Today, this group was the reason why. That's no overreaction at all.

Rewind: Indiana survives Nebraska football's upset bid, sets up showdown vs Ohio State

IU goes as its ground game goes

This isn’t an overreaction. The explosiveness of Indiana’s rushing attack is where the Hoosiers find their offensive rhythm. That includes their quarterback, Josh Hoover, who struggled for his own rhythm thanks to the disjointed nature of Indiana’s offensive possessions.

Josh Hoover’s strength, as well as that of his receiving corps, is pushing the ball downfield. Indiana’s passing game isn’t designed to act as a surrogate run game. So when the run is bottled up, trouble finds the Hoosiers.

There have certainly been times this season when Indiana’s ground game felt more explosive than consistent. For this offense, either will do. Saturday’s struggles made that clear.

The Hoosiers have a Josh Hoover problem

Again, there’s some truth in it. But perhaps not quite such simple truth as you think.

Curt Cignetti would be quick to say any quarterback will shoulder too much blame for a loss. Hoover still probably owns his fair share for the offensive misfires that threatened the Hoosiers' first loss since December 2024.

Indiana fought field position all day. The complete lack of a running game forced Hoover into disadvantageous down-and-distance situations. And Hoover himself missed some windows for big plays.

He would say a quarterback has to help all those facets succeed. His teammates would probably say they gave him too little help.

Everyone has to own a piece of it. But this season isn’t going anywhere special until that offense gets more down-to-down consistency.

Report card: Indiana football grades from surviving Nebraska's upset bid, 22nd straight win

Don't let stress discount all 22

That's 22 wins in a row now for Indiana. This is no overreaction — that doesn't happen very often. It will probably happen less often in this era of player movement and roster churn. It cannot be overlooked, or underappreciated.

Indiana fans should not. One suspects they will not.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What is Indiana football's biggest worry? Defense, run game, Josh Hoover? | Overreactions

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