Nebraska
HUSKER GAMEDAY: Nebraska seeks road win vs. No. 18 Indiana
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WOWT) – A bye week gives way to another road trip for the Huskers as they march into the back half of the regular season.
Nebraska (5-1, 2-1) takes on No. 16 Indiana (6-0, 3-0) in a pivotal Big Ten matchup between two teams that — perhaps to the surprise of their respective fanbases — are still very much alive in the race for a bid in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff with just six games left.
GAME INFO
- WHERE: Indiana Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Ind.
- WHEN: 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 19
- WATCH: FOX
- LISTEN: Huskers Radio Network
- VEGAS ODDS: Nebraska +6.5, O/U 49.5
The Huskers entered their bye week off a 14-7 win over then-unbeaten Rutgers two Saturdays ago. The defense shined in a game that looked like a classic Big Ten slugfest. as Rutgers only mustered 78 yards on the ground against a Blackshirts defensive front that has yet to allow a rushing touchdown all season.
“They don’t get in,” said Nebraska’s veteran defensive lineman Ty Robinson in a press conference earlier this week. “Plain and simple. That’s just our mindset and mentality. That’s what we tell each other when we’re in the huddle. ‘They don’t get in.’ We go out there and work together.”
For the first time in 2024, the Huskers will be an underdog when they take the field in Bloomington on Saturday. In fact, Nebraska was favored a touchdown or more in each of its first six games. While it may be new for this year’s squad, it’s not like the Huskers are total strangers to being underdogs over the past decade, and they’re leaning into that status this week.
“I’d much prefer [being an underdog],” Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said in his press conference Thursday. “I love turning on [ESPN] Gameday and seeing them all pick the other team. That’s good for us.”
Rhule’s squad has business to tend to. A win would be Nebraska’s sixth of the season, meaning the Huskers would finally cross the threshold of bowl eligibility to end their 8-year bowl drought. That possibility gets Big Red nation fired up, but Rhule and company aren’t interested — at least for now.
“I’m only focused on the game,” Rhule said. “I answered that question last year and never got there. I’m just gonna focus on the football and make sure our guys are locked in. They’re all in on everything we’re asking them to do and it’s been a great week of practice. To me, it’s just about us playing well against a great team.”
That great team standing in their way Saturday are the darlings of the 2024 college football season. Well, at least in Power 4 college football. After all, Army and Navy are both ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since the 1960s.
But speaking of the ‘60s, Indiana is 6-0 for the first time since 1967, and head coach Curt Cignetti has managed to put the Hoosier State in a state of frenzy about a sport that doesn’t involve a round ball and a hardwood court.
Cignetti was the frontman for James Madison University during the program’s jump from FCS to FBS in 2022. Cignetti led the Dukes to become the first team to ever be ranked inside the AP Top 25 in their first year as an FBS program. Then last year, JMU went 11-1, won the Sun Belt East and appeared in a bowl game under Cignetti. And that was all she wrote.
Cignetti signed on to be the Indiana head coach in November 2023 and has yet to lose a game. During the offseason, he enlisted the help of one of college football’s best transfer quarterbacks, luring Kurtis Rourke to Bloomington from the University of Ohio. That move has paid off, as the fifth-year senior has thrown for over 1,700 yards and 14 touchdowns to just two interceptions while boasting the third-highest QBR in the entire country through six games.
“[Rourke] is an excellent player in a great system,” Rhule said. “I think the biggest thing, too, is they have weapons around him. They have a great O-line. They have an excellent tight end. They have two great backs. About five receivers who can make plays. They just have a great system. They know who they are and they know what they do.”
One of those receivers is Elijah Sarratt, who quickly developed a chemistry with Rourke. Sarratt came over from JMU with Cignetti after catching eight touchdowns and racking up nearly 1,200 receiving yards in 2023. So far this year, he’s just as productive, and he will pose a challenge to a Nebraska defensive that ranks in the top 30 in passing defense.
Suffice to say the obstacles are aplenty for the Huskers as they enter what promises to be a hostile environment in front of a crowd that hasn’t experienced success on the gridiron in several decades.
But the focus remains all the same for the Huskers: Block out the noise, throw out the records and go win a football game.
“The team that plays the best wins,” Rhule said. “Not the team with the best roster, not the team with the best record, not the team that won last week, not the team that has better music in the locker room. The team that plays better wins. So we’ll just try to be in the moment, [play] one snap at a time, and don’t worry about the scoreboard.”
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The New Orleans Saints made a big splash in free agency when they signed Travis Etienne Jr. to pair with Alvin Kamara in the backfield. Etienne’s addition probably means that the Saints won’t select a back with an early choice in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, don’t be surprised if the team adds another back with a later pick. If that’s the case, Emmett Johnson of the Nebraska Cornhuskers could be someone on their radar.
Etienne will likely be the featured back, but Kamara’s future beyond 2026 is in some doubt. Kamara turns 31 in July and is entering his 10th season with a big contract after already showing some possible decline. Behind them, Kendre Miller has proven he shouldn’t be relied on and 2025 sixth round choice Devin Neal has flashed potential but remains unproven. The Saints may be wise to add more talent to their backfield with a middle or later round pick.
Emmett Johnson bio
- Position: Running back
- College: Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Height: 5-feet, 10 inches
- Weight: 202 pounds
- 40-yard dash: 4.56 seconds
- 10-yard split: 1.59 seconds
- 3-cone drill: 7.32 seconds
- 20-yard shuttle: 4.29 seconds
- Vertical jump: 35.5″
- Broad jump: 10′
Recipient of the 2021 Minnesota Mr. Football award at Academy of Holy Angels High School, Johnson began with the Nebraska Cornhuskers as a three-star recruit. He’d take a redshirt in 2022 then rushed for 411 yards with 2 scores in 2023 as part of a backfield committee. In 2024, Johnson picked up 598 yards on the ground and caught 39 passes for 286 yards with 3 total scores.
By 2025, Johnson was the Cornhuskers featured weapon and exploded onto the national radar. Johnson’s 1,451 rushing yards and 251 carries both led the Big Ten and were among the NCAA leaders. He also caught a team-high 46 passes and scored 15 touchdowns, as his 1,821 yards from scrimmage were second across the NCAA. Those eye-popping numbers earned him 1st Team All-American honors as well as the 2025 Big Ten Running Back of the Year.
Strengths
- Hits rushing lanes with authority
- Makes sharp cuts at top speed
- Decisive north-south runner
- Good acceleration into the second level
- Legitimate receiving threat
Weaknesses
- Doesn’t have breakaway speed
- Has trouble creating yards when the hole isn’t there
- Must maintain balance better through contact
- Doesn’t break many tackles
- Only one year of high-level production
Emmett Johnson 2026 draft outlook
Johnson’s 2025 tape and production are worthy of a high pick, but teams looking for a featured back might be wary of his lack of power. Still, Johnson has a strong chance of being picked somewhere on the second day and shouldn’t last later than the fourth round. His decisive one-cut and go style and receiving ability gives him a strong chance to be an instant contributor with an incredibly high upside of a potential starter.
New Orleans has had success with late-round picks and undrafted players at running back. Emmett Johnson won’t last that long. But, if Johnson slips into Day 3, the Saints could be tempted to add him and bolster their backfield in multiple ways.
Carson Jasa pitched a strong game, earning his second complete-game of the season. Nebraska’s offense started fast and kept rolling, leading to a 12-2 run-rule win over No. 12 USC in seven innings on Saturday at Hawks Field. This marked head coach Will Bolt’s 200th career win at Nebraska.
A season-high crowd of 7,602 fans filled the ballpark, making for one of the most exciting games of the year. This attendance is the 25th largest in Hawks Field history and the second biggest since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, just behind the 7,650 fans at a 2021 doubleheader against Michigan. The fans saw Nebraska play a complete game, improving to 30-9 overall and 14-3 in the conference. USC fell to 30-10 and 13-7 in Big Ten play.
Nebraska’s offense scored 12 runs on 12 hits and made only one error. USC scored just two runs on five hits and had two defensive mistakes. Drew Grego led the way, going 3-for-4 and missing the cycle by only a triple. He hit a home run, a double, and drove in four runs. Dylan Carey also went 3-for-4 with a home run and scored three times. Case Sanderson went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, and Jett Buck added a double and scored three runs. Mac Moyer, Joshua Overbeek, and Trey Fikes each had a hit.
Jasa took control on the mound right from the start. He pitched all seven innings, giving up just two runs, only one earned, on five hits. He struck out seven and walked only two, moving his record to 7-1 this season.
The Huskers started strong, taking an early lead in the first inning. Nebraska sent eight batters to the plate and scored four runs right away. Sanderson brought in the first run with a groundout that scored Moyer. Buck hit a double to bring home Carey, Grego added an RBI double to score Buck, and Overbeek finished the inning with a single that made it 4-0.
Nebraska added to its lead in the third inning with three solo home runs.. Sanderson and Carey hit back-to-back homers, and Grego followed by sending the first pitch he saw over the left field wall. That made it 7-0 and put the game out of reach.
The Huskers continued to add on in the fifth inning, capitalizing on aggressive baserunning. Carey and Buck each stole. The Huskers kept building their lead in the fifth inning by taking advantage of aggressive baserunning. Carey and Buck both stole bases to get into scoring position, and Grego singled to left field to drive them both in, making it 9-0.
USC rallied briefly in the top of the seventh, scoring two runs on three hits and a Nebraska error. A solo home run gave the Trojans their first run, and a mix of hits and a defensive mistake brought in another, making it 10-2. Stokes drew walks to put runners on base, and Trey Fikes delivered an RBI single to left field. A USC fielding error on the play allowed both Buck and Stokes to score, ending the game at 12-2 and clinching the series for the Huskers.
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On the 12th day of the 2026 transfer portal cycle, Nebrasketball picked up its fourth commitment.
Boden Kapke, a 6-foot-11 forward/center out of Boston College, has committed to the Huskers. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
Kapke announced his commitment on social media, captioning his post, “🔴⚪️GBR🌽”
Kapke began his college career at Butler. As a true freshman, he played in 22 games, averaging 7.0 minutes of action per contest. In limited run during his first season of collegiate action, he shot 48% from the field and made seven of his 17 attempts (41%) from three-point range.
As a sophomore, Kapke made 16 starts while appearing in 34 of the team’s 35 games. In just 13.4 minutes per game, he averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds. He shot 40% from the field and 27% (18-for-66) from deep.
Kapke transferred to Boston College for his junior season. In his lone year with the Eagles, his numbers jumped to 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds over 26.7 minutes a game. He made 17 starts in 31 appearances on the year. He shot 47% from the field and 33% on three-pointers.
Out of Victoria, Minnesota, Kapke was a finalist for his state’s 2023 Mr. Basketball. As a senior, he averaged 23 points and 13 rebounds a game, helping Holy Family Catholic to a 29-3 record and the Class AA State Tournament semifinals.
Kapke finished his prep career with 1,796 career points and 1,062 rebounds.
Nebraska lost nearly all of its frontcourt production from a 28-7 campaign that ended in the Sweet 16. Starter Rienk Mast and backup Jared Garcia have both exhausted their eligibility, while starter Berke Büyüktuncel entered the transfer portal last week.
The Huskers do have a returning frontcourt player in Leo Curtis. The 7-foot-2 native of Iceland appeared in 17 games as a true freshman.
Nebraska also picked up a likely starting four man from Belmont in Sam Orme. The full-time starter as a redshirt sophomore this past season, Orme averaged 12.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 25.8 minutes per game.
Still up in the air is the status of Central Michigan transfer Ugnius Jaruševičius. The Lithuanian big man played in just one game in 2025-26 with Nebraska and is seeking a medical waiver for an additional year of eligibility. With his back issues and a waiver being needed from the NCAA, the coaching staff can’t be certain that he’ll be available next season.
As of this commitment, Kapke would slide into the starting five spot. Kapke is nearly identical to Mast in terms of size, bringing one more inch of height and five more pounds of weight. His offensive play style, however, would be more similar to what Husker fans saw from Büyüktuncel.
A final decision is still to be announced from Boise State forward/center Drew Fielder. The former Georgetown big averaged 14.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists this past season with the Broncos, shooting 40.9.% on three-pointers and 60.6% inside the arc. Fielder has visited Nebraska and Washington and is visiting Alabama this weekend.
On Friday, Nebraska picked up a starting ball handler in Utah Valley’s Trevan Leonhardt. This past season, he started all 35 games, averaging 11.8 points, 6.0 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per contest. He earned first-team All-WAC and All-Defensive team honors.
Nebraska’s starting lineup right now projects to be Leonhardt, Sandfort, Frager, Orme, and Kapke. That gives the Huskers a starting lineup height of 6-foot-5, 6-foot-7, 6-foot-7, 6-foot-9, and 6-foot-11. As for three-point shooting, that group had averages in 2025-26 of 37%, 41.6%, 35.2%, 40.4%, and 33%.
Multiple pieces from last year have confirmed they will be returning.
First-team All-Big Ten selection Pryce Sandfort will be back for his senior season. Coach Fred Hoiberg confirmed earlier this month that the first-team All-Big Ten selection had been battling a sports hernia injury. Sandfort underwent surgery after the season ended and will be rehabbing for several weeks, diminishing the potential of him leaving early for the NBA draft.
Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Braden Frager re-signed with Nebraska. He will slide into one of the starting spots vacated by Sam Hoiberg and Jamarques Lawrence. In his redshirt freshman season, Frager hit the 20-point scoring mark six times on his way to averaging 11.8 points a game off the bench.
Curtis and main rotation piece Cale Jacobsen have also had their returns confirmed. In 2025-26, Jacobsen played in all 35 contests, averaging 4.6 points on 52 percent shooting, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game with a 2.1-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Along with Jaruševičius, sharpshooter Connor Essegian is also seeking a medical waiver for an additional year of eligibility. However, he did get an official return post on social media. In the seven games he was on the floor this season, he averaged 5.4 points per game, making eight three-pointers.
Other players on the roster to be confirmed returning are Henry Burt and Will Cooper.
The Huskers are also adding a pair of high school signees. Colin Rice and Jacob Lanier are both four-star forward prospects and could see the floor earlier in their collegiate careers.
Besides 61-game starter Büyüktuncel, Nebraska has also seen Quentin Rhymes and Justin Bolis leave via the transfer portal.
Nebraska now has two open spots remaining on the roster. The portal remains open through April 21.
Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.
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