No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers
Bloomington, Indiana
Record: 5-0, 2-0
Head Coach: Curt Cignetti (third season)
Opponent Overview
When Nebraska football’s schedule was released in January, fans immediately circled its matchup with Indiana. The Huskers were favored in their first five games and handled business in each, making the showdown with the defending national champion the premier game of the early slate.
The matchup has drawn enough attention that Fox’s traveling pregame show, “Big Noon Kickoff,” will broadcast from Lincoln for the first time since 2022 and the network will carry the game, too.
The Hoosiers are also undefeated. They beat Rutgers 47-15 last Saturday, a week after a close 29-23 win over Northwestern and like Nebraska, they beat three non-Power Four opponents in nonconference play. Now in his third season at Indiana, head coach Curt Cignetti looks to repeat last year’s run, when the Hoosiers went 16-0 and won the national championship.
Meanwhile, head coach Matt Rhule is trying to secure the Huskers’ first ranked win since 2016 and their first win against a top-10 opponent since the 39-38 win over then-No. 6 Michigan State in 2015.
The teams last met in 2024, when Indiana routed Nebraska 56-7 in Bloomington. This time, the Hoosiers are looking to keep their 21-game undefeated streak alive, while Nebraska wants to avenge that loss at home.
Offense
In its championship run last year, Indiana’s offense ranked eighth nationally in points per game (41.5), 11th in yards per game (485.8) and second in yards per play (7.6). Fernando Mendoza led the Big Ten in passing yards, threw a conference-best 41 touchdowns to six interceptions, and won the Heisman Trophy on his way to becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
Senior quarterback Josh Hoover, a TCU transfer, has stepped in for Mendoza and is tied for the Big Ten lead with 15 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. The Hoosiers have turned the ball over just once, and Nebraska twice, meaning the teams are heading into Saturday’s matchup with a combined three turnovers.
Another key piece from last year’s championship team is wide receiver Charlie Becker, who has already doubled his touchdown total from last season, catching eight after four in 2025 and his 477 receiving yards are the fourth-most among Big Ten receivers.
Hoover can also look downfield to Nick Marsh, a junior wide receiver who has 341 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Marsh spent two years at Michigan State before transferring this offseason.
On the ground, junior Turbo Richard and senior Lee Beebe Jr. have combined for nine rushing touchdowns while gaining 587 and 520 yards, respectively. The duo has accounted for the second-best rushing offense in the conference and the ninth-best in the nation.
The Huskers will be stretched thin covering Becker and Marsh while also containing the Hoosiers’ two-headed backfield and the nation’s eighth-best scoring offense. What’s concerning for Nebraska fans is that Indiana’s defense is arguably the tougher challenge.
Defense and Special Teams
One could explain why the Hoosier defense has played well this season, but the numbers speak for themselves. Nationally, Indiana has the seventh-best rushing defense, the fourth-best total defense and the fifth-best scoring defense. Among Big Ten teams, it ranks first in those same categories.
The Hoosiers allowed just 59 rushing yards last week against Rutgers, extending the nation-leading streak of holding opponents under 100 rushing yards to 25 games since Cignetti’s start to his tenure.
Senior linebacker Isaiah Jones leads the team in tackles with 36 while senior defensive lineman Tobi Osunsanmi has notched four sacks, tied for the most in the conference. Senior defensive lineman Stephen Daley follows closely behind with three sacks, while junior linebacker Rolijah Hardy has 28 total tackles, the second most of the unit. Jones and Hardy have each secured an interception as well.
One area Indiana hasn’t necessarily dominated is pass defense, in which it ranks 28th nationally and seventh in the Big Ten. In their closest game yet this season, the Hoosiers allowed Northwestern’s Aiden Chiles to throw for 293 passing yards on just 22 completions. The Wildcats’ 23 points were the most IU has given up since allowing 24 to Penn State last November.
On special teams, a blocked punt from Osunsanmi last week gave Indiana its 10th blocked kick since 2024, another nation-leading record. Seniors Nico Raidic and Paddy McAteer have both seen the field as placekickers, with Raidic going 5-for-6 on field goals, including a long of 49 and a perfect 3-for-3 from 40 yards or longer.
Rhule and the Huskers have their toughest test yet ahead of them, but Cignetti’s experience and dominant defense could give the Hoosiers an upper hand.
Nebraska and Indiana play Saturday at 11 a.m. CT at Memorial Stadium. The game will be broadcast on Fox.
Matthew Malloy is an assistant sports editor for The Daily Nebraskan. Follow him on X at @matt_malloy1.