Indiana

Nebraska Football Preview: No. 16 Indiana

Published

1 year ago

October 18, 2024

Nebraska Football Preview: No. 16 Indiana

Fresh off bye weeks and treated to the FOX Big Noon stage, the Nebraska Cornhuskers face their biggest test of the 2024 season with a surprising ranked trip to No. 16 Indiana where they’ll face an upstart Hoosiers squad under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti.

Plenty is on the line for the Huskers who enter the second half of its schedule only one win away from locking up its first bowl berth since 2016. While a loss wouldn’t crater NU’s season, a win over a ranked opponent on the road to kick off a difficult later half of the schedule would do wonders for Nebraska’s confidence in making this season a special one.

But the pressure may be on the Hoosiers who have inspired College Football Playoff talks from the national talking heads after their perfect 6-0 start. Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke is the best quarterback to wear the Cream and Crimson since Michael Penix in 2020, throwing for over 1,700 yards and 14 touchdowns in just six contests.

What awaits him is a Blackshirt unit that’s the only team in the NCAA to not allow a touchdown and are top ten nationally in rushing and scoring defense. A classic may ensue in Bloomington, but first here’s all you need to know ahead of Nebraska’s second trip to Indiana as a member of the Big Ten.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: Nebraska (5-1, 2-1 B1G) at No. 16 Indiana (6-0, 3-0 B1G)

Line: Indiana (-6.5), 50.5 O/U (BetMGM)

Where: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IND

Time: 11 a.m. CDT

TV: FOX

Broadcast Crew: Gus Johnson (PxP), Joel Klatt (Color) & Jenny Taft (Sideline)

Radio: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Sep 14, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti reacts at the end of the game against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Indiana Scout

Head Coach: Curt Cignetti | 1st season at Indiana | 125-35 Career HC Record | 2023 Sun Belt Coach OTY, 2017 Colonial Athletic Association Coach OTY | Previous HC stops at IUP (FCS), Elon (FCS) and James Madison (FCS into D1).

2023 Record: 3-9 (1-8 B1G, 7th B1G East) | Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award Winner, One All-B1G First-Team selection (Media), One All-B1G Second Team selection (Coaches), Three All-B1G Third Team members (Coaches & Media), four All-B1G Honorable Mentions | Did not qualify for the postseason.

All-Time Series: Indiana leads 10-9-3 (2022 last meeting, 35-21 NU)

Fun Fact: Saturday’s game will mark the sixth time in the past eight meetings at least one of the teams has been nationally ranked. It will be the first time that both teams have been ranked in at least one of the national polls entering a Nebraska-Indiana matchup. The Huskers are No. 25 in the Coaches Poll. This will only be the fourth matchup between the two schools as members of the Big Ten.

Key Returners: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, R-Soph. | Amare Ferrell, DB, Soph. | Jacob Mangum-Farrar, DL, Gr. | Josh Sanguinetti, DB, Gr. | Lanell Carr Jr., DL, Gr.

Outlook: Indiana is one of the feel good stories at the midpoint of the wild 2024 college football season as the Hoosiers sit at 6-0 their first start to a season since opening up with eight-straights wins in 1967. But new head coach Curt Cignetti doesn’t want his team to be viewed as a feel-good story, but rather a serious contender to disrupt the hierarchy of the Big Ten and make a run at the inaugural 12-Team College Football Playoff.

Following the firing of previous coach Tom Allen, over three dozen transfers exited the program, scattering around to different Power Four and Group of Five programs across the country. Cignetti, who was on the first staff of Nick Saban at Alabama, went to work on the recruiting trail and transfer portal bringing in 46 players as part of his first recruiting class. That included 30 transfers and over a dozen following him from his previous stop of James Madison, in which he posted a 52-9 (.853) overall record, plus an 11-1 final season mark in 2023.

Ohio transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke has used his veteran experience from playing in Maction to become the engine of this nearly unstoppable Hoosier offense. Indiana are tops in the Big Ten and top ten in the country in passing offense (315.3), scoring offense (47.5) and total offense (515.7). He’s been completing over 73% of his passes through six games with a 14-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio.

Sep 28, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) warms up before a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Nearly the entire offensive skill players have been plucked from the transfer portal with the Hoosier’s three leading rushers as well as the three of the four top receivers coming from different schools including Wake Forest’s Justice Ellison who leads IU with 409 yards on 64 carries with six touchdowns. Ty Son Lawton splits the reps with Ellison racking up 329 yards of his own with seven scores on 68 carries. One of many transfers from James Madison, Elijah Sarratt is the leading receiver as the junior has recorded 513 yards on a team-high 29 catches and a pair of touchdowns. Returning wideout Omar Cooper Jr. has 375 yards and three scores while Texas Tech transfer Myles Price (266 yards) and Ohio transfer Miles Cross (208 yards, two touchdowns) also factoring into the passing game.

The calling card of his coaching style, Allen left behind some defensive gems that Cignetti convinced to stay after the transition. Gone is 2023 sack and tackles for loss leader Aaron Casey to the NFL as well as Andre Carter who posted a pair of sacks and 11 TFL. However, grad student and defensive linemen Lanell Carr Jr. is back after five sacks and 8.5 TFL last year. Mikail Kamara has filled that hole from Casey, garnering a team-high five sacks and 7.5 TFL. James Carpenter has been a menace up front from James Madison corralling four-and-a-half sacks and three TFL from the middle. Another follower from JMU, linebacker Aiden Fisher leads the team with 55 tackles which is 21 more than second-place Jailin Walker (34), who also followed Cignetti.

Granted, all these stats come from a schedule with opponents that have a combined record of 14-22 and no one currently above .500. However, the margin of victory has been extremely lopsided with an average win margin of over 32 points. There is a skill of stomping opponents you should beat, a skill that has escaped the Huskers over the past half decade.

Momentum is riding high for the Hoosiers and a victory Saturday is necessary for their postseason hopes as it seems unlikely for IU to get into the CFP with a 10-2 record and a lackluster schedule. A reasonable path is to split the games against Ohio State and Michigan while winning the rest. So, plenty is at stake Saturday morning for both teams and it’s safe to assume we’ll see play from both sides that reflects that sentiment.

MORE: Stukenholtz: Halfway Home, But Toughest Miles Still Ahead

MORE: Nebraska’s Midterm Exams Begin in the Form of Indiana & Ohio State in Back-to-Back Weeks

MORE: Kicker Remains Out, Cornerback Questionable for Nebraska Against Indiana

MORE: Keys to Victory: Nebraska vs. Indiana

MORE: Joel Klatt Says Dylan Raiola Needs a ‘Real Threat’ at Wideout

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

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Indiana

Oregon OC Will Stein blames turnovers for CFP loss to Indiana Hoosiers

Published

3 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Oregon OC Will Stein blames turnovers for CFP loss to Indiana Hoosiers

The Oregon Ducks’ season has ended in heartbreak for the second-straight season. They advanced farther than they did last year, reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals before they succumbed to the red-hot Indiana Hoosiers.

In the days leading up to the rematch, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning spoke about what needed to change from the last matchup, and the turnover battle was one of the things he spoke most passionately about. There is no way he can be happy after the Ducks lost the turnover battle 3-0, with each one leading to easy points for the Hoosiers.

Offensive coordinator Will Stein was asked to reflect on this aspect after the game, and he had this to say, “We just spotted these guys 21 points. You know, it’s hard to win when you turn the ball over three times in your own territory, plus a pick six.”

Oregon’s defense wasn’t great in this game either, but a lot of their struggles were the result of being asked to shut down an Indiana offense that was often set up in or near the red zone. Stein acknowledged this in his answer, telling reporters, “You don’t do anything good for your defense in that aspect. So obviously, poor job by us taking care of the ball, and it was obviously the big difference in the game.

The Hoosiers scored 28 points off Ducks turnovers, which ended up being the key difference in the 34-point loss. It also doesn’t feel farfetched to believe that Oregon would have played with much more fire if the turnovers didn’t put the game out of reach.

This game will leave a sour taste in this group’s mouth because they know things will never be the same. Stein and Tosh Lupoi are going off to lead their own teams now, along with a ton of uncertainty about which players will remain in Eugene after this loss.

The Ducks had a prime opportunity to achieve glory, but they came up just short yet again thanks to a slew of giveaways.

Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.

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Why Indiana football regretted one Fernando Mendoza play

Published

15 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Why Indiana football regretted one Fernando Mendoza play

ATLANTA — Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza has burned teams throughout the College Football Playoff with his scrambling ability.

Mendoza was lights out through the air in a 56-22 win over Oregon in the Peach Bowl on Friday night, but he made a handful of plays with his legs again starting with a 21-yard gain early in the second quarter that helped the No. 1 Hoosiers (15-0) flip the field.

Mendoza’s sneaky athleticism has put pressure on defenses already struggling to contain IU’s impressive arsenal of skill players, but there came a time in the CFP semifinals where the coaching staff asked him to put that scrambling ability in his back pocket and keep it there.

“Coach (Chandler) Whitmer was in his ear about getting down as quickly as possible,” Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan told The Herald-Times.

Re-live IU’s 2025 season

The Heisman winner had the large contingent of IU fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium holding their breath while he was weaving through defenders and taking hits with his team up by four possessions coming out of halftime.

Mendoza lost the ball in the third quarter while getting tripped up from behind on a run up the middle after busting out a spin move on the play to gain extra yards.

While the coaching staff appreciates Mendoza’s competitiveness, they didn’t want him putting himself at risk with the team less than two quarters away from playing in the national title game.

“We were very conscious (of the situation),” Shanahan said after the game.

Mendoza had one more carry after that off an RPO near the goal line right after IU blocked a punt. It was a play call that Shanahan immediately regretted with Oregon loading up the box.

“That wasn’t the best position to put him in,” he said.

Mendoza closed out the game for the Hoosiers under center by simply handing the ball off while the Hoosiers put the finishing touches on another lopsided win. He threw for 177 yards (17 of 20) and finished the game with more passing touchdowns (five) than incompletions (three) for the sixth time this season.

Oregon’s Dan Lanning had high praise for Mendoza’s overall performance after the game, but he became the latest in a long line of opposing coaches to mention his scrambling ability in the same breath as his arm talent.

“The guy makes the right decisions,” Lanning said. “You consistently see if he sees the right coverage, you know, he takes the ball where it’s supposed to go, dictated by coverage. I think he did a great job again on the scrambles early. I thought we had him boxed up in the third down early in the game, which was critical and was able to scramble for a first down.”

Shanahan underlined Mendoza’s decision-making as well in talking about the growth he’s seen from the quarterback this season and his improvisational skills (and when to use them) are a big part of that.

“He makes my life and my job so much easier,” Shanahan said. “I think he’s playing his best ball right now. I don’t know if that was the confidence he got from winning Heisman or beating Ohio State, I feel like we are on the right path. We got one more to go.”

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

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Indiana

Live updates: Indiana vs. Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Live updates: Indiana vs. Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal

Atlanta will host a top-five Big Ten rematch in the Peach Bowl on Friday. No. 1 Indiana will take on No. 5 Oregon in a semifinal of the College Football Playoff for a chance to compete for a national championship. The Hoosiers won the regular-season matchup 30-20. This is the fifth all-time meeting between the teams, with the series tied 2-2.

Both defenses have proved stout, making the offenses the biggest determining factor in this game. Indiana is second in scoring defense, while Oregon is close behind at sixth. The Hoosiers have the advantage on the line, giving up the third-fewest rushing yards in the nation. Oregon, however, has the edge in the air, allowing the ninth-fewest passing yards. The Ducks also pitched a shutout in the Orange Bowl against Texas Tech.

The Hoosiers didn’t skip a beat on offense, handing Alabama its first 30-point loss this side of the new millennium. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza was highly efficient, going 14-of-16 with three touchdowns and no interceptions. That efficiency has helped Indiana earn the top seed; the Hoosiers have committed the fewest penalties of any CFP team and have the fourth-fewest penalty yards in the nation.

Oregon, meanwhile, struggled to score for most of its quarterfinal matchup against Texas Tech. The Ducks didn’t reach the end zone until 11:20 remained in the third quarter and rushed for just 64 yards. Dante Moore threw for 234 yards but had no touchdowns, an interception and minus-12 rushing yards due to constant pressure.

Indiana is the favorite, but Oregon has been one of the strongest units in the country, with its lone loss coming against the Hoosiers. Will the Ducks learn from their earlier mistakes, or will Indiana continue one of the most dominant runs of the CFP era?

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