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Indiana’s Curt Cignetti Compliments Nebraska Football’s Defense, Dylan Raiola in ‘Important Game’

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Indiana’s Curt Cignetti Compliments Nebraska Football’s Defense, Dylan Raiola in ‘Important Game’


Curt Cignetti is keeping the focus on Indiana football.

“As always, it’s more about us and what we do, controlling what we can control. Having a great day today of preparation and stacking good days,” Cignetti said on Monday during his media availability.

Cignetti addressed the media as part of his team’s preparation leading into their home tilt with Nebraska football, adding that Saturday’s contest is an “important game, because its the next game.” While the coach did not give any bulletin board material for the Huskers after each team’s bye week, he did provide some compliments to the team overall in his opening statement.

“Coach (Matt) Rhule has done a great job with the football team there, 5-1, impressive team on tape,” Cignetti said. “Giving up 11 points a game on defense, a veteran outfit, and offensively; big offensive line, big tight ends, play a lot of guys, really skilled receivers, a lot of good running backs and a mega talented young quarterback.”

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Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti talks to the defense during the Indiana versus Maryland football game

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti talks to the defense during the Indiana versus Maryland football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cignetti added that the Hoosiers will focus internally, as “it’s more about us and what we do” adding that his team can only “control what we can control.”

Indiana’s offense has done more than just control their opponents – they have boat-raced several early foes enroute to their 6-0 start and No. 16 Associated Press ranking in Cignetti’s first season. The Hoosiers are top of the conference in total yards per game (515.7), passing yards per game (315.3), first downs converted (165) , third down conversion percentage (54 percent), and points per game (47.5). However, the former James Madison coach knows how stingy the Blackshirt defense has been throughout the season.

“Well, they’ve got good players. They’re very well-coached. They play really hard. They’re very multiple in their scheme. They’ve got guys that can affect the passer, a couple big guys inside, 315-plus type guys. They play a lot of people. They do everything they can to keep you off balance,” Cignetti said.

Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker John Bullock (5) and defensive back Isaac Gifford (2) celebrate after a fumble

Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker John Bullock (5) and defensive back Isaac Gifford (2) celebrate after a fumble against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The coach added that the Huskers break up “a lot of passes”, bringing up Nebraska’s season stats of seven interceptions and only 85 rushing yards allowed per game. The Huskers have benefited from a positive turnover margin as well, starting their next stretch of the season with a +6 turnover rate. Cignetti recognized that part of Nebraska’s offensive balance is in part due to the play of their freshman quarterback.

“Yeah, he’s a really talented guy who’s got great arm talent. (Dylan Raiola) plays with a lot of confidence. He’s got a really nice supporting cast. They protect him well up front. They’ve got one receiver who’s 6-4, 225 and can really go, deep-ball type guy, and schematically the staff does a really nice job of — they don’t put too much pressure on him,” Cignetti said.

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The Indiana coach added that Nebraska’s offense is “balanced” and that the Huskers will “want to run the football” to set up Raiola’s ability to use play-action for a big play. He concluded his Raiola thoughts saying that Rhule’s staff “has done a tremendous job with him.”

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) throws a pass against the UTEP Miners

Aug 31, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) throws a pass against the UTEP Miners during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Both teams are coming off their first bye of the season, as Cignetti said his team never relented during the break.

“It’s balls to the wall all the time because you’re getting better or getting worse, never staying the same. We practiced three times, and we did some prep on this upcoming opponent,” Cignetti said. “Then you’re looking at other people across the country seeing who’s doing what well and trying maybe to get a few ideas that may help you down the road. Using that time wisely.”

Indiana has been on an impressive start to their season, and awaits 5-1 Nebraska on Saturday in Bloomington. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CDT.

MORE: Husker Football Begins Second Half at 5-1

MORE: Why Nebraska Football’s Exclusion From the AP Poll Makes No Sense

MORE: Is Nebraska Football’s Offense a Liability against Indiana?

MORE: Nebraska Football Awards Brian Buschini, Ceyair Wright with Blackshirts

MORE: Nebraska Volleyball Setter Claims Third Weekly Big Ten Honor

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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Nebraska softball team hits four homers en route to series win over No. 7 Bruins

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Nebraska softball team hits four homers en route to series win over No. 7 Bruins


LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Athletics) – The No. 9 Nebraska softball team hit four home runs, including three in the second inning, to down the No. 7 UCLA Bruins by a score of 8-4 on Sunday afternoon at Bowlin Stadium.

With the win, the Huskers clinched the series over the Bruins and moved to 26-6 on the season with an 8-1 mark in Big Ten play. UCLA fell to 29-5 (10-2 Big Ten).

Hannah Camenzind accounted for three RBIs and two hits for the Big Red, as she knocked a three-run homer as part of the Huskers’ six-run second inning. Alexis Jensen and Ava Kuszak contributed the other two home runs in that inning. Jordy Frahm was 2-for-4 with a homer and Lauren Camenzind went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Jesse Farrell also added two hits.

Jensen (13-2) threw six innings with four runs and six hits, along with five strikeouts, to claim the win in the circle. Frahm threw a scoreless final inning to close out the win. Brynne Nally (2-1) took the loss for UCLA.

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UCLA loaded the bases with one out in the top of the first, but NU worked its way out of a jam and only allowed one Bruin run.

Frahm tied the score, 1-1, in the bottom of the first on a solo shot to center field.

In the bottom of the second, Farrell singled and Jensen hit a 273-foot homer to score the both of them. Frahm singled and Coor walked to set up an H. Camenzind homer and Kuszak hit a solo shot immediately after to give the Huskers a 7-1 advantage.

UCLA added a run in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 7-2.

Farrell singled to lead off the bottom of the fifth and advanced to second on a throwing error. Kacie Hoffmann singled to send Farrell to third and Farrell crossed the plate on a Lauren Camenzind RBI single to extend the lead to 8-2.

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The Bruins knocked a two-run homer with no outs in the top of the fifth but the Huskers retired three of the next four batters to earn the 8-4 win.

Nebraska is set for a midweek game against the Creighton Bluejays in Omaha, Neb., on Tuesday, March 31. The contest will start at 5 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network.

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No. 24 Nebraska wins slugfest over Indiana

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No. 24 Nebraska wins slugfest over Indiana


A windy day led to a wild slugfest at Hawks Field Saturday, but No. 24 Nebraska baseball knocked off Indiana, 12-7, clinching the conference series for the Cornhuskers while running Nebraska’s home record to 11-0.

The Huskers scored three runs in the first and two in the fourth to build a 5-0 lead. The Hoosiers answered with three in the sixth and one in the seventh to cut the NU lead to 5-4. Nebraska took control of the game with seven runs in the bottom of the seventh to grow the lead to 12-4. IU scored one in the eighth, but drew no closer.

Drew Grego was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Dylan Carey drove in five runs and hit a home run, while always drawing a pair of walks. Case Sanderson was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a pair of walks. Jeter Worthley added a 2-for-4 showing with an RBI and a walk. Carson Jasa (5-1) earned the win, throwing 5.2 innings for NU. He allowed four hits while striking out 10 and walking five. For Indiana, Owen ten Oever was 1-for-3 with three RBI. Cooper Malamazian was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

The Huskers aim for the sweep Sunday at Hawks Field against Indiana. First pitch is slated for noon with pregame coverage at 11:30 a.m. on KLIN.

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No Kings protests return to Nebraska, draw hundreds and thousands

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No Kings protests return to Nebraska, draw hundreds and thousands


LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) – Hundreds of Nebraskans protested against the Trump administration Saturday along Nebraska Parkway in Lincoln, and thousands protested near Northwest Radial Highway in Omaha as part of No Kings demonstrations statewide.

Protesters along Nebraska Parkway in Lincoln on March 28, 2026. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)(Nebraska Examiner)

The third iteration of No Kings protests organized border to border gatherings to vent displeasure at President Donald Trump and his administration’s policy decisions. The Lincoln protest was held on the Helen Boosalis Trail between North 27th Street and North 56th Street.

“I don’t like what’s going on … I know it’s not the world I want to live in,” said Ford Kloepper, a 17-year-old Lincoln resident.

Kloepper said people his age are going to take the “brunt” of Trump’s “mistakes.” He pointed to the recent U.S. conflict in Iran as a motivator to protest for him, as he doesn’t want to get “drafted into a war in the Middle East for no reason at all.”

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Many of the protesters, much like previous demonstrations, held anti-Trump signs with slogans like, “Trump lies” and “Stop Trump, save democracy.” Others held American flags and wore costumes. Volunteers from different groups gathered signatures for ballot initiatives and at least one candidate. One of the petitions sought to let voters decide on a state constitutional amendment requiring larger majorities to repeal or change any law passed by voters. Volunteers for nonpartisan U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn collected signatures to get him on the November ballot. 

People gather at the Omaha No Kings protest. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
People gather at the Omaha No Kings protest. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)(Nebraska Examiner)

Organizers planned 18 protests across Nebraska. In Omaha, the rally was held at Gallagher Park, with thousands of protesters filling the sidewalks and grassy areas near the intersection of Maple Street and the Northwest Radial. 

Organizers said the spot let protesters draw attention to historic Benson and all of the restaurants, galleries and coffee shops that have made the neighborhood a cultural destination since 1887.  Among the crowd filled with a variety of ages and races was Lorin and Elwin Moseman, waving signs that said, “End Wars Before Wars End Us” and “No Kings No ICE.”

It was the Mosemans’ third anti-Kings rally, and despite the chill of the day, they said they wouldn’t have missed it. 

“It could have been an ice storm,” said Elwin, who was motivated in particular by “the Epstein files and Trump being in them, this stupid war we’ve got involved with Iran.”

His wife, Lorin, said she came to “stand up for democracy.”

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“I want to show up, stand up and speak out about our country,” she said, decrying “leadership incompetency from the very beginning.”

She said the nation needs a presidential job description and interview, and she was not short on words to describe her disgust and disappointment about current leadership: “Shameful, disgusting, exhausting.” 

“We’re in a broken world,” she said.

Nearby, a bundled up woman in a wheelchair held onto a sign that said, “I’m mad about everything.”

Lorin and Elwin Moseman of Omaha were among the thousands of protesters who participated in...
Lorin and Elwin Moseman of Omaha were among the thousands of protesters who participated in the Omaha demonstration on Saturday. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)(Nebraska Examiner)

Sara Peterson led buses carrying about 75 protesters from First United Methodist Church of Omaha. She said people felt a sense of unity and joy seeing the chanting crowd, which she said reflected her group’s makeup — diverse in age, ethnicity and political party.

“We’re not alone,” she said “It’s an exciting day to be a part of.”

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Peterson called the rally a “tangible sign of people coming together … for democracy.” Her group included church members and their friends — some of whom never participated in such a protest or rally before but felt the urge and were nudged “out of their comfort zone to take back our country and democracy.

Since the return of Trump for a second term, the anti-Trump group has organized national protests. Nebraska, much like the rest of the nation, saw multiple demonstrations throughout 2025. 

The group also bought ads in local newspapers ahead of the Saturday protests. Nebraska Republican Party chair Mary Jane Truemper had no immediate comment on the protests.

As Election Day gets closer, political observers have wondered how organizers might harness the political energy, whether the demonstrations might signal a coming wave of change at the polls, or whether momentum will fizzle after the crowds go home. Some have argued Democrats and progressives are good at mobilizing people for large-scale protests but have lagged conservatives in building local infrastructure to affect sweeping policy changes.

Back in Lincoln, Erik Betts, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln student, said the political winds are in Democrats’ favor, and he feels the possibilities are endless, even in a reliably red state. He said he thinks Osborn could beat Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, and he hopes the “blue” wave might be large enough to beat Nebraska 1st Congressional District Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, a former speaker of the Legislature. 

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“We need to really show up this time …We’ve got to take this motivation … and make a difference,” Betts said. 

Betts said events like these help him stay hopeful because it reminds him that he is not alone.

“When you are in your own house and just scrolling on social media, it’s easy to feel just defeated,” Betts said. “So I come out as much to show support for everyone else, to feel that maybe a bunch of people agree with [me] and things can change.”

Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Aaron Sanderford for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com.

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