Instant takes from Nebraska's homecoming win against Indiana
Here are three instant takes from Nebraska’s 35-21 victory over Indiana. It’s the first Husker win following a bye week since Oct. 28, 2017 against Purdue.
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Nebraska’s opening drives are great…
…the hangover that follows not so much.
The Huskers have scored on their first drive in four of five games this season. The longest of the year was a 87-yard drive against North Dakota that took a little over two minutes. Tonight’s lightning fast three-play, 75-yard charge culminated in a 34-yard yard touchdown pass to Oliver Martin and lasted 1:03.
The next four Husker drives ranged from extremely forgettable to disastrous.
Those drives resulted in three punts, 54 yards of offense and a fumble recovered for a touchdown. Freshman quarterback Chubba Purdy entered the game for a series after a confrontation between starting quarterback Casey Thompson and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple. Purdy’s stint at the helm concluded with the aforementioned fumble.
With the exception of a touchdown drive that put Nebraska ahead 21-7, the Huskers’ futile offensive output continued. Nebraska’s first four drives in the second half ended in three punts and an interception.
Then with 13:43 to go in the fourth, Thompson and Trey Palmer connected for a titanic touchdown of 71 yards and everything changed. The Huskers came up with the big play when it mattered after generating 12 yards of offense in the third quarter.
The ensuing drive was an opportunity to put a stranglehold on a win. Thompson led the Huskers on a 12-play, 54-yard drive that took 6:05 off the clock and gave Nebraska a 35-21 lead.
A win in any form carries a ton of weight with this team in its current position and the offense deserves credit for pulling it together when it counted. Even so, this group is still striving to apply the standard of their first possessions to the rest of the game.
Aggression partially pays for Nebraska’s defense
The Huskers played like a different defense for the first 25 minutes of the opening half.
Nebraska forced three-and-outs on four of the first six Indiana drives totaling 94 yards of offense. In that time, the Huskers had five pass breakups, two hurries and two sacks from Garrett Nelson. Interim defensive coordinator Bill Busch dialed up the pressure more often and his defensive backs were much more willing to play press coverage.
Then Indiana got the ball with 5:54 left in the first half and drove 75 yards in less than three minutes for a score. After a Nebraska punt, the Hoosiers drove the length of the field once again. This time it was a 70-yard touchdown march to tie the game at 21-21. The majority of the Hoosiers yards on that drive came from Jaylin Lucas, who juked Husker Myles Farmer out of his shoes en route to a 34-yard scamper.
Indiana had out-gained Nebraska 219-207 by the time the clock hit triple zeroes in the first half.
The Hoosiers gashed Nebraska time and time again throughout the game. All told, Indiana averaged 10.1 through the air and 2.9 per carry. Additionally, the Hoosiers had 9 big plays (passes of 15+ yards and runs of 10+) for 196 yards or 67% of their offensive production.
It’s part of the double edged sword that comes with a changed plan of attack.
The second-half shutout Nebraska pitched is the other side of that coin. The Huskers forced seven three-and-outs, which is four more than in the win over North Dakota, and held the Hoosiers to 2-of-15 on third downs. For the second time this season, Nebraska’s defense did its job and the Huskers emerged the victors.
The offensive line became a story in the first half
Nebraska’s offensive line found itself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons Saturday.
It began on the second drive of game when a free rusher got his shot at Thompson and forced an intentional grounding. Anthony Grant was buried in the backfield on the next play and the Huskers had to punt.
Purdy was gobbled up in the endzone and coughed up the football for a score two drives later.
Hunter Anthony replaced Bryce Benhart at right tackle partway through the second quarter. Yet that wasn’t the only change the Huskers would see in the opening half. On Nebraska’s final true drive of the first half, left tackle Turner Corcoran earned back-to-back unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and was disqualified.
There was certainly improvement in the second portion of the contest. For example, Nebraska allowed four sacks for 48 yards in the first half and didn’t allow a sack in the second half. There was the occasional quarterback hit like the nasty one Thompson took at halfway through the third quarter, but overall the Huskers upped their game.
This unit is far from out of the woods and needs to find a way to stay out of the headlines in future weeks. That’s especially true when it comes to self-inflicted wounds.
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