LINCOLN, Neb, (AP) — Josh Hoover surprised a Nebraska defense stacked to stop the run on a fourth-and-1, flipping the ball to a wide-open Nick Marsh for a 44-yard touchdown to give No. 7 Indiana its first lead in a 20-17 victory over Nebraska on Saturday.
The Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten Conference) were pushed to the limit by a Cornhuskers team looking for a program-turning victory under fourth-year coach Matt Rhule. Instead, the defending national champion Hoosiers won their 22nd straight game.
“I’m not sure it’s completely sunk it — it’s starting to — that we won because it took everything the players and coaches had in that one to find a way to overcome,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said moments after the game. “Give Nebraska a lot of credit. We did a nice job of regrouping at halftime. Great win on the road, hard fought. A win like that has a lot of value.”
Nebraska lost its 31st consecutive game against a Top 25 opponent and Rhule lost his 21st in a row over a combined seven seasons at Baylor and Nebraska.
“I’m just disappointed we didn’t win that game for everybody,” he said. “I think it would have been pretty cool downtown tonight.”
Nebraska (5-1, 2-1) looked to be on the verge of putting away the Hoosiers when quarterback Anthony Colandrea broke a 39-yard touchdown run for a 17-6 lead early in the fourth quarter.
But Hoover connected with Marsh for a 75-yard catch-and-run TD on a run-pass option on the first play of the ensuing possession, and then Indiana got a stop to set up its winning drive.
On fourth down at the Nebraska 44, Indiana brought in an extra lineman in a tightly bunched formation. The Huskers crowded the line as if they were expecting a run. Hoover faked a handoff, drawing in the defense, and Marsh got behind the secondary. He caught Hoover’s floating pass and ran into the end zone with no one around him.
Cignetti said he stole the play from Kansas five or six years ago and used it against Northwestern two weeks ago.
“They covered the guy we thought would get the ball and Nick flashed open and Josh found him,” Cignetti said. “Nick made some big plays over the second half.”
Rhule said there was confusion before the ball was snapped. Though there was an extra tackle in for Indiana, there also were three receivers on the field. Nebraska mistakenly had its goal-line defense on the field.
“We should have called a timeout,” he said. “It didn’t happen. The organization is my fault.”
Nebraska was in control for most of the warm, sun-splashed afternoon at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers led 10-3 at halftime, the first time the Hoosiers trailed after two quarters since the Big Ten championship game last season.
Big Ten rushing leader Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr., both averaging better than 100 yards per game, were all but shut down. Richard ran eight times for 10 yards and Beebe nine times for 31. Hoover was 12-of-22 passing for 263 yards, with Marsh catching six balls for 187.
Indiana finished with season lows of 65 yards rushing and 328 total.
“We’ve been through a lot of adversity this season so far, and for us to come out on top today meant a lot,” Marsh said. “We know we’ve got a lot of guys that can mentally fight, physically fight. I think today was more of the mental challenge.”
Colandrea was 25 of 43 for 263 yards and Jacori Barney caught nine passes for 108 yards to lead Nebraska.
“That wasn’t an Indiana team sleepwalking through this and that wasn’t a Nebraska team that’s not in that class,” Rhule said. “That was two guys battling. But we’re not OK with that. We’ve got to make a step.”
The takeaway
Indiana: The Hoosiers improved to 27-0 against unranked opponents under third-year coach Cignetti, and their 22-game win streak is the longest in the Big Ten since Ohio State won 23 straight from 2013-14.
Nebraska: Six of the Huskers’ 10 losses to Top 25 teams under Rhule have been decided by seven points or fewer.
Up next
Indiana: Hosts No. 5 Ohio State.
Nebraska: Visits No. 13 Oregon.
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