Road To 10-0: Indiana Hammers Nebraska And The Nation Takes Notice

Hoosiers On SI looks back game-by-game at the path Indiana football took to create a dream season. How did this game inform what we know now that we didn't know then?

Indiana's Shawn Asbury II (1) celebrates his interception at the Indiana versus Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s football team just had its second bye week of the season. It wasn’t long ago that bye weeks were looked at as respites from gridiron misery for the Hoosiers, but Curt Cignetti’s 2024 team has flipped the script.

Indiana has had an unprecedented season. The 10-0 record amassed by the Hoosiers has never been achieved in program history. With the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff in place in just the nick of time to give a historic season its possible proper reward, a world of possibilities is in front of Indiana in a way no one would have dreamed of in August.

The bye week provides an opportunity to reflect on what has been with just two regular season games left, at No. 2 Ohio State Saturday and at home against Purdue Nov. 30. Hoosiers On SI will take a look at each game and put into context how each fits into the puzzle of what has been a perfect season.

We’ll continue with Indiana’s home game against Nebraska.

Narrative Entering The Game – Indiana was 6-0 and came off its first bye week to host Nebraska on Oct. 19. While the Hoosiers were in the national rankings, ranked 16th in their third week in the poll, they were still something of an unknown quantity nationally. None of the teams Indiana had beaten were having successful seasons. How good were the Hoosiers really?

Nebraska would be the first decent team Indiana would face in the eyes of many. The Cornhuskers were 5-1 and had been ranked earlier in the season. Indiana was favored in the game, but not by much, as the Hoosiers were 6-point favorites.

Some national outlets were taking notice as FOX Big Noon Kickoff came to Bloomington.

The bigger deal was the fan following. The Nebraska game was announced as a sellout as Indiana fans were ready to embrace a winner.

The Result – The Hoosiers were at their best against the Cornhuskers. Indiana scored 42 unanswered points in a 56-7 romp against Nebraska. The Hoosiers forced five Nebraska turnovers in a dominant performance.

Player Fans Learned To Love – RB Justice Ellison: From the beginning, Curt Cignetti and his staff built the offense around a running back-by-committee approach. The running backs were recruited that way, took practice reps with that in-mind, and evened out their carries in games as a collective whole.

Starting with the Nebraska contest, Ellison, a Wake Forest transfer, began to break away from the pack. Ellison had 107 rushing yards on just nine carries against the Cornhuskers. It would begin a stretch of games where he would start to get more carries than his teammates.

One of the many older contributing players on the offensive side of the ball, Ellison has been a good voice in the locker room and a leader. He’s finishing his college career with a flourish, too. In his fifth college season, his 5.7 yards per carry is a career-high. His 686 rushing yards leaves him 13 yards shy of his single-season high in yardage.

Trend That Would Stick – Indiana Spreads The Wealth: Indiana has scored 59 touchdowns in 2024, an average of 5.9 per game. Of those, 57 touchdowns have been scored by the offense. Fifteen different offensive players have scored a touchdown for the Hoosiers.

The Nebraska game bore out Indiana’s balance. Ellison, Myles Price, Ty Son Lawton, Miles Cross, Elijah Sarratt, Kaelon Black and Elijah Green all scored against the Cornhuskers. Ellison was the only one to score more than once.

It’s easy to keep the locker room happy when everyone feels like they’re involved. Indiana has thrived on this concept in 2024.

Any Postgame Worries? – The biggest one of all. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke left the game at halftime with a thumb injury. Rourke broke his thumb when he hit his throwing hand on a Nebraska defensive lineman during the second quarter.

Rourke is the engine for Indiana’s offensive success. Tayven Jackson played very well in his absence against Nebraska – Jackson completed 7 of 8 passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns in the second half – but the loss of a starting quarterback is always a stressor. Cignetti preached calm, but Indiana was venturing into dangerous territory without their offensive talisman.

Narrative Exiting The Game – The ease of Indiana’s victory got doubters on the national stage to acknowledge Indiana’s success. The Hoosiers were 7-0 and had put together their most dominant display against the team that was perceived to be the best they had played.

National notice would come in a way no one would have guessed at the start of the season. ESPN announced that its iconic College GameDay program was coming to Indiana. The fun was kicking off in a big way in Bloomington.

Pro Football Focus stars (top 5 scoring players in each unit, 10 plays or more)  – Offense: QB Tayven Jackson (81.9), QB Kurtis Rourke (81.7), RT Trey Wedig (79.4), WR Miles Cross (78.5), WR Elijah Sarratt (76.3); Defense: DE Mikail Kamara (79.9), LB Isaiah Jones (79.4), DT Tyrique Tucker (76.8), DT James Carpenter (76.4), LB Aiden Fisher (73.9).

Next game – Indiana would welcome new Big Ten member Washington to Memorial Stadium on Oct. 26.

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• ROAD TO 10-0 - CHARLOTTE: Hoosiers surge past Charlotte after close first half. CLICK HERE.

• ROAD TO 10-0 - UCLA: Indiana earns an eye-opening victory at the Rose Bowl as more fans and national observers began to take notice. CLICK HERE.

• ROAD TO 10-0 - WIU: Indiana romped past FCS Western Illinois to keep its good vibes flowing. CLICK HERE.

• ROAD TO 10-0 - FIU: Indiana's road to 10-0 began with the season opener against Florida International. If we knew then what we know now ... CLICK HERE.