Nebraska and No. 16 Indiana are fresh off a bye week and will clash in Bloomington on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff on Saturday.
Though the Hoosiers have been on fire through their first half of the season, it remains to be seen if they can continue their streak. Indiana has dealt with FIU, Western Illinois, UCLA, Charlotte, Maryland, and Northwestern, teams that have been struggling mightily this season.
Now, they face a Nebraska team looking to earn that ever-elusive sixth win. But the Huskers also seek to get a complete game under their belt. Multiple times this season the offense stalled out, whether due to penalties, bad throws, bad runs or missed field goals.
In their last two outings, the Hoosiers entered the fourth quarter with opponents right behind them on the scoreboard.
Northwestern scored 24 points against Indiana, their second-highest scoring game at the time, behind a 31-7 win over Eastern Illinois. Maryland dropped 28 on the Hoosiers before getting blown out by Northwestern following its bye week.
Maryland and Northwestern have struggled offensively this season, so Indiana allowing both teams to score over 20 points is something Nebraska’s offense can take advantage of.
But offensively, Indiana is currently further along than Nebraska on the ground and in the air. Plus, they’re a team that keeps its foot on the gas from start to finish, as shown by their current average of 47.5 points per game.
The Blackshirts have been strong against the run game all season. However, the passing game is a different story. Nebraska has surrendered every touchdown through the air this season.
In Big Ten play, the Huskers allow nearly 192 passing yards and two passing touchdowns per game. Now they face Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke, who averages almost 300 passing yards and over two touchdowns per game this season.
If Nebraska wants to stand a chance against Indiana, the defense needs to shut down the pass, and Nebraska’s offense needs to push the Hoosiers’ defense to its limits.
But with where Nebraska currently stands, it’s hard to see the Huskers pulling this upset off.
Score Prediction: Indiana 34, Nebraska 31