Nebraska vs. Indiana Recap: Two Long Touchdown Passes Sink the Huskers, 20-17

For three quarters and change, Memorial Stadium had the upset it had waited a decade for. Then two plays took it away.

No. 7 Indiana beat Nebraska 20-17 on Saturday, October 10, scoring two long touchdowns in the fourth quarter to erase a 17-6 deficit. A sellout crowd of 85,653 watched the Huskers lead or stay level with the defending national champions until 7:13 remained.

The loss is Nebraska’s first of 2026. The Huskers are now 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten. Indiana moved to 6-0 and stretched its winning streak to 22 games.

Nebraska Controlled the First Half

The Huskers set the tone right away. A 13-play opening drive ended with a 28-yard Kyle Cunanan field goal. Indiana tied it on a 42-yard kick from Nico Radicic, and Nebraska answered with a 75-yard march. Nyziah Hunter finished it with a 10-yard end-around, the first rushing touchdown of his career, for a 10-3 lead.

The first-half numbers were lopsided:

• Nebraska outgained Indiana 216 yards to 115.
• The Huskers ran 43 plays to Indiana’s 16.
• Nebraska held the ball for more than 22 of the 30 minutes.
• Indiana, which came in averaging 252.6 rushing yards per game, had 12 at halftime.

The scoreboard did not match. Cunanan missed a 40-yard field goal wide right in the final seconds of the half, at the end of a drive that lasted more than six minutes. Nebraska went to the locker room up only seven.

The Fourth Quarter Turned on Two Plays

Radicic cut the lead to 10-6 with a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter. Later in the quarter, Jamari Sharpe intercepted Anthony Colandrea to end a long Nebraska drive. It was the only turnover of the game.

Colandrea made up for it early in the fourth. He broke loose for a 39-yard touchdown run, and Nebraska led 17-6 with 12:01 to play.

That lead lasted one snap. On Indiana’s next play, Josh Hoover hit Nick Marsh on a deep post for a 75-yard touchdown. Ten seconds after Nebraska’s score, it was 17-13.

The winning points came with 7:13 left. Facing fourth-and-1 at the Nebraska 44, Indiana changed personnel and hurried to the line. Hoover faked a handoff and found Marsh uncovered for a 44-yard touchdown. It was Indiana’s first lead of the day.

Nebraska had three more chances:

• A fourth-and-9 pass fell incomplete with 4:47 left.
• A drive that started at the Nebraska 5 ended on a fourth-down sack by Tobi Osunsanmi with just over a minute to go.
• The Huskers got the ball back with 13 seconds left and ran out of time.

By the Numbers

Nebraska won nearly every column. Indiana won the one that mattered, and it did so with big plays. The Hoosiers gained 155 of their 328 yards on three snaps.

Standout Performances

• Anthony Colandrea completed 25 of 43 passes for 263 yards with one interception and added the 39-yard touchdown run. He was sacked five times.
• Jacory Barney Jr. caught nine passes for 108 yards. He has now caught a pass in all 32 games of his career.
• Luke Lindenmeyer tied his career high with seven catches, good for 45 yards.
• Archie Wilson averaged 57.3 yards on three punts, including a career-long 68-yarder and one downed at the Indiana 1.
• The Blackshirts held Indiana to 65 rushing yards and 1 of 10 on third down. Vincent Shavers Jr. and Owen Stoudmire each had a sack.

For Indiana, Hoover threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns on 12 of 22 passing. Marsh caught six passes for 187 yards and both scores.

What Matt Rhule Said

Rhule put the fourth-down touchdown on himself. He said the defense misread Indiana’s personnel group and that he should have called a timeout before the snap.

He also pointed to the points Nebraska left on the field, including the missed field goal before halftime and drives that stalled in Indiana territory.

Nebraska played nearly the entire second half without safety Jamir Conn, who left with an injury on the first play of the third quarter.

What It Means

The loss extends a streak Husker fans know too well. Nebraska has now dropped 31 straight games against AP Top 25 opponents.

There is still plenty to build on. Nebraska outplayed the defending national champions for most of the afternoon, shut down one of the best rushing attacks in the country and pushed a team that has won 22 in a row to the final minute. A 5-1 record with six games left keeps every goal for this season in play.

Up Next: at Oregon

Nebraska goes back on the road Saturday, October 17, to face Oregon at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks are 3-2 after a 17-15 home loss to UCLA on Saturday.

The matchup comes with some history. Nebraska’s last win over a ranked team was a 35-32 victory against No. 22 Oregon in Lincoln in 2016. The Huskers lost 42-35 on their last trip to Eugene in 2017.

After Oregon, Nebraska has an open date before hosting Washington on October 31.

One loss does not undo a 5-0 start. Go Big Red.

Dr. Bruce Marko is a University of Nebraska alum and a proud supporter of the Huskers. Read more about his Nebraska Cornhuskers roots.