Huskers Falter at No. 16 Indiana

Indiana scored on the opening possession and never looked back, as Nebraska fell 56-7 to the 16th-ranked Hoosiers on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington, Ind.

The Hoosiers improved to 7-0 with the victory, while the Huskers slipped to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten contests.

Nebraska totaled 304 yards on the day, including 234 yards on 28-of-44 passing by Dylan Raiola. The Huskers added 70 on the ground, led by Heinrich Haarberg with five carries for 32 yards. Jacory Barney Jr. hauled in a team-high eight receptions for 32 yards, while Thomas Fidone II had six catches for 91 yards.

Indiana put up 495 total yards, including 280 through the air and 215 on the ground. Kurtis Rourke was 17-of-21 passing for 189 yards and a score. Justice Ellison paced the Hoosier rushing attack with nine carries for 105 yards and two scores, while Miles Cross led the Indiana receiving corps with seven catches for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Indiana scored on the game’s opening drive, covering 75 yards on eight plays capped by a five-yard rushing score from Ellison, which was the first rushing touchdown allowed by the NU defense this season.

The two teams exchanged a turnover on downs on consecutive possessions, before the Hoosiers grabbed a 14-0 lead on a seven-yard scoring pass from Rourke to Myles Price with 13:37 left in the first half.

The Husker offense used 13 plays and ate up 5:57 of the game clock to cut the deficit in half with a 75-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a seven-yard rushing touchdown by Barney Jr.

Indiana took a 28-7 lead into halftime after consecutive scoring drives that ended with rushing touchdowns in the final four minutes of the second quarter.

The Husker offense reached the red zone on two drives after halftime, but were kept off the scoreboard in the second half to conclude the 56-7 win for the 16th-ranked Hoosiers on Saturday.

Isaac Gifford led the Nebraska defense with eight tackles on the afternoon. Ceyair Wright contributed six stops and a pass breakup, while Javin Wright and Mikai Gbayor had four stops each.

Nebraska makes its second consecutive road trip next Saturday when the Huskers travel to Columbus, Ohio, to face No. 4 Ohio State. Kick-off against the Buckeyes is set for 11 a.m. (CT).