BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Irrespective of who performed quarterback, No. 16 Indiana had its means with a Nebraska protection that entered Saturday’s recreation ranked seventh nationally with simply 11.3 factors allowed per recreation. 

The Hoosiers exploded for 495 yards of complete offense on their approach to a 56-7 win over the Cornhuskers on a picture-perfect fall day at a sold-out Memorial Stadium. That ties the most important margin of victory in a Huge Ten recreation in program historical past, together with its 49-0 win over Minnesota on Nov. 10, 1945.

With a number of pregame TV exhibits on the town and a nationwide broadcast on FOX, the sport carried extra pregame hype than any since at the very least the 2021 recreation in opposition to Cincinnati and maybe  for many years. Indiana lived as much as its billing. 

The Hoosiers intercepted Nebraska’s extremely touted freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola thrice, and so they held the Cornhuskers to 2.4 yards per keep on 29 makes an attempt. Earlier than leaving the sport with an damage, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke was near-perfect. So was his alternative, Tayven Jackson.

With this win, Indiana improves to 7-0, its finest begin since 1967. The Hoosiers stay tied for first place within the Huge Ten standings. 

“I do know there was a nationwide notion that Nebraska had a fairly legit protection on a nationwide scale,” Cignetti mentioned. “So that may open their eyes, okay. I feel this can be a nice crew win.”

Nebraska was broadly seen as one of the best opponent with the strongest protection that Indiana had confronted thus far, rating seventh nationally with 83.8 speeding yards allowed per recreation. Which crew managed the road of scrimmage would go a great distance in deciding the end result. 

Indiana had the benefit on either side, sacking Raiola twice, together with two quarterback hurries and 7 tackles for loss. Rourke was sacked simply as soon as and had zero quarterback hurries, and Indiana ran the ball with ease all through Saturday’s recreation, averaging 6.5 yards per keep on 33 makes an attempt for 215 yards.

“The o-line, we got here in pondering that the holes have been gonna be very tight as a consequence of their good d-line, and people have been in all probability the widest holes we’ve seen all season,” Indiana operating again Ty Son Lawton mentioned. “So shoutout to the o-line.”

Rourke mentioned after Indiana’s win at Northwestern on Oct. 5 that he wished to get off to stronger begins in future video games. He threw two interceptions on Indiana’s first two drives in opposition to Maryland and failed to attain by way of two drives in opposition to Northwestern. That time of emphasis over the bye week was rapidly resolved.

On the Hoosiers’ first drive, they reached Nebraska territory on an out of doors pitch to operating again Justice Ellison on Third and 1, who made a lower up the center for a 43-yard acquire. Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan got here out aggressive, and the sold-out Memorial Stadium crowd cherished it. 

Going through 4th and 1, Rourke remained poised within the pocket and accomplished a go to Miles Cross over the center for 9 yards and a primary down. Ellison completed off the drive with a five-yard speeding landing, giving the Hoosiers an early 7-0 benefit. Rourke went 6-for-6 passing on the primary possession.

Nebraska kick returner Jacory Barney Jr. made a expensive mistake on the following kickoff, catching the ball on the one-yard line and stepping out of bounds. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola transformed a Third-and-8 go to get Nebraska out of its personal finish zone, however Indiana linebacker Jailin Walker pressured him on the next third right down to pressure a Nebraska punt.

The Hoosiers stayed aggressive on their second possession. They went for it on 4th and a couple of from the Nebraska 26-yard line as an alternative of trying a 43-yard discipline aim with Nico Radicic, who hasn’t missed a discipline aim or further level all season – however that may have been his longest try of the season. This time, although, Indiana’s gamble backfired, as Rourke was sacked for a nine-yard loss. 

Nebraska steadily labored its means down the sector, with seven constructive good points however none for greater than 10 yards. Coach Matt Rhule matched Indiana’s aggressiveness by going for it on 4th and 1 on the Hoosiers’ 12-yard line. Working again Dante Dowdell appeared to transform the primary down, however Walker flew in and compelled a fumble. Indiana’s Jacob Mangum-Farrar pounced on the free ball, halting Nebraska’s once-promising drive and flipping possession simply earlier than the conclusion of the primary quarter.

Walker left the Northwestern recreation with an damage, however on Saturday he recorded six tackles, one sort out for loss, a quarterback hurry and a pressured fumble. He mentioned the bye week helped him return to motion on Saturday.

“Coming from a child from Virginia, we simply ball with toughness,” Walker mentioned. “That’s like how I used to be raised. I used to be raised from an amazing mother and pa, and so they simply constructed the toughness in me since I used to be a bit child. After I went down within the Northwestern recreation, I knew the crew wanted me so I gotta hurry up and get therapy and be again.”

Following the turnover, Rourke displayed spectacular precision and timing with completions of 28 and 36 yards to Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr, respectively, down the left and proper sidelines. Nebraska performed tight protection on each, however Rourke put the ball proper the place it wanted to be. On the following play, he swung a display go out to Myles Value, who beat the Nebraska protection for a seven-yard landing, giving the Hoosiers a 14-0 lead.

Nebraska put factors on the board the next possession, as Raiola led a 13-play, 75-yard landing drive. His completions of 25 and 19 yards arrange Barney’s seven-yard landing run.

However Nebraska merely had no reply for Indiana’s offense all recreation lengthy. Ellison and Lawton gashed what had been a robust Cornhuskers run protection coming into the sport for good points of 12 and 14 yards. Rourke unfold the ball round with chunk performs to Sarratt and Williams. Lawton completed off the well-rounded drive with a one-yard speeding landing with 3:48 left within the half.

After the landing, the FOX broadcast confirmed an Indiana workers member holding a towel wrapped round Rourke’s proper hand. On a 12-yard completion to E.J. Williams Jr. with 6:13 within the second quarter, Rourke’s proper hand appeared to collide with Nebraska defensive lineman James Williams’ hand when following by way of on the go..

“He hit this thumb on, I consider, a helmet and a nail sort of got here off. So we’ll know extra tomorrow, however optimistic,” Cignetti mentioned postgame.

After a Nebraska three and out, Rourke stayed within the recreation, scrambling for six yards and finishing an eight-yard go to Value. However Indiana’s run recreation, once more, shredded Nebraska’s defensive entrance. Lawton ran the ball for 29 yards, and Ellison burst by way of the road of scrimmage for a 31-yard landing run.

Nebraska went three and out for a second straight drive, and Rourke remained Indiana’s quarterback for its final probability to attain earlier than halftime. He accomplished two passes, however threw his third interception of the season on a Hail Mary go that flew wanting the aim line and was picked off by Nebraska’s Malcolm Hartzog as time expired.

Indiana took a 28-7 lead into halftime, and Nebraska threatened to make it a two-score recreation on the primary possession of the third quarter. The Cornhuskers drove 14 performs into the purple zone, however Raiola threw an interception to Indiana security Shawn Asbury II on the three-yard line, who returned it 78 yards to the Nebraska 19-yard line.

“Shawn Asbury’s play was in all probability the massive play within the recreation,” Cignetti mentioned. “There have been a number of massive performs in that recreation, however that was an actual momentum-turning play.”

That was maybe the sport’s largest swing, as Miles Cross scored a two-yard landing three performs later to provide Indiana a 35-7 lead with 6:27 left within the third quarter. That landing got here on a go from Indiana backup quarterback Tayven Jackson, who changed Rourke for the whole second half.

Rourke completed the sport having accomplished 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards, one landing and one interception. 

“I assumed he performed very well,” Cignetti mentioned. “Made performs. Ran a bit bit, too. The wideouts made some catches. He threw some good balls on these again shoulders, and people wideouts made some actual good catches.”

One could have thought that Rourke’s damage would put Indiana’s lead at jeopardy, as Rourke entered the sport with the nation’s third-best quarterback score, per ESPN. However with Jackson underneath middle, Indiana’s offense didn’t skip a beat.

On the primary play of Jackson’s second drive, he accomplished a 35-yard go to Lawton. With gentle contact, Jackson lofted the ball completely to Sarratt within the nook of the top zone for a 15-yard landing. That put the Hoosiers forward, 42-7 with 1:50 left within the third quarter. 

Its again in opposition to the wall, Nebraska went for it on 4th and seven, however Raiola’s go flew incomplete. Indiana took benefit of the constructive discipline possession – and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Rhule – and scored 5 performs later. This time, it was Kaelon Black’s flip within the operating again rotation, and he scored a 10-yard speeding landing to provide the Hoosiers a 49-7 lead.

Raiola drove the Cornhuskers deep into the Hoosiers’ territory once more, however Indiana defensive lineman Mikail Kamara sacked him for a nine-yard loss on 4th and 6 from the Indiana six-yard line with 10:34 to play.

Indiana was pressured to punt on the following possession, nevertheless it acquired the ball proper again as freshman linebacker Rolijah Hardy got here down with Raiola’s third interception of the sport. 

“They threw the ball much more than that they had,” Cignetti mentioned. “Then they acquired behind, they needed to throw the ball extra. So he is underneath strain. Then he is in some powerful down and distance conditions. Perhaps he is forcing the ball. He is younger. Very proficient man, however he is younger. We made some good performs on the market.”

Indiana prolonged its result in 56-7 shortly after, due to a one-yard rating from operating again Elijah Inexperienced. 

Jackson completed the sport finishing 7 of 8 passes for 91 yards, two touchdowns and 0 turnovers. He additionally picked up 21 yards on two carries. 

“Nonetheless has to apply higher. It is laborious to be the second-string quarterback, as a result of you aren’t getting many reps,” Cignetti mentioned. “We put a number of new stuff in within the go recreation week to week. You have a look at the variables when it comes to their coverages and defenses, proper. However I assumed he went in there and did a great job. I had confidence. Group had confidence. I used to be happy with him.”

9 Hoosiers caught at the very least one go, led by Cross with seven receptions for 65 yards and a landing. 4 operating backs contributed, and Ellison completed with a team-high 9 carries for 105 yards.

The ultimate minutes have been a formality, and afterward the Hoosiers celebrated with a crowd that has generated newfound pleasure across the soccer program.

“There’s a number of pleasure in a number of locations, which is superior,’’ Cignetti mentioned. “I might inform they have been actually loud. We did have some folks go away, which I perceive, as the sport waned on. We had a fairly large lead. All the time on Scott [Dolson] and his crew about in-game leisure, music choice within the second half. Maintain profitable, persons are going to return. I felt assured it might occur right here like that, too, as a result of I would performed it at one different place that was similar to this getting in.”

Subsequent up, Indiana hosts Washington on Saturday at Midday ET at Memorial Stadium. The Huskies reached the nationwide championship recreation final season underneath former Indiana offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer and former Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr., however their 2024 roster and training workers are far totally different. 

Washington’s new head coach is Jedd Fisch, who went 10-3 at Arizona final season. The Huskies are 4-3 and most lately misplaced 40-16 at Iowa. They’ve a bye week to organize for the Hoosiers.

Success comes with consideration, however Cignetti refuses to permit that to negatively have an effect on his crew – even within the closing minutes of a 49-point win.

“I am not going to allow them to get complacent, or the coaches both,” Cignetti mentioned. “I used to be a maniac within the fourth quarter of this recreation, a maniac.”