Indiana football improved to 7-0 on Saturday behind a resounding 56-7 win over Nebraska. Following the Hoosiers' dominant performance, Indiana has moved up to No. 13 in the most recent AP Poll.
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Here's my final thoughts from Indiana's historic win over Nebraska.
SEE ALSO
- College Gameday coming to Bloomington next weekend
- From 'never lost a tailgate' to sold out: The emergence of Indiana Football
- Kurtis Rourke expected to miss IU's clash with Washington due to injury
- Indiana dismantles Nebraska's vaunted defense en route to 'statement' win
- Defense 'sets the tone' in Indiana's historic 56-7 win over Nebraska
THAT WAS UNEXPECTED
Before the start of the season, not many people thought Indiana would be sitting at 7-0 through the first eight weeks of the season, having not trailed for a single second of the year.
Even before Saturday's contest, I'm not sure many people expected to blow out Nebraska. The Hoosiers were around 6.5-point favorites, and many were predicting the Cornhuskers to give Indiana its first real test of the season.
That couldn't have been much farther from the truth. Indiana dominated four all four quarters of that ball game in all three phases of the game. Name any aspect of the game and any portion of the game, Indiana dominated it.
The win may not have been a surprise to many. Indiana's complete and utter dismantling of Nebraska, however, was a surprise to just about anybody. The Hoosiers made a statement on Saturday, proving that they are legit and worthy of all the national attention they've been receiving and will continue to receiver.
INDIANA IS ONE OF THE BEST OFFENSES IN THE COUNTRY
Nebraska entered the game ranking inside the top-15 in the country in both total defense and scoring defense. Nebraska was allowing just 11.3 points per game, less than 100 rushing yards per game and the Cornhuskers hadn't allowed a touchdown on the ground all season long.
So, what did the Indiana offense go out and do? Well, the Hoosiers hung 56 points on the Cornhuskers, rushing for 215 yards as a team and scoring the first five rushing touchdowns of the season against Nebraska. Indiana averaged 6.5 yards per carry on Saturday afternoon.
It wasn't just the rushing attack that was dominant. Quarterbacks Kurtis Rourke and Tayven Jackson combined to go 24-30 for 280 passing yards and three passing touchdowns.
Nebraska's defense was supposed to finally be able to slow down this Indiana offense that entered the game averaging around 45 points a contest. Simply put, that didn't happen. The Hoosiers did whatever they wanted offensively, consistently gashing the Cornhusker defense.
If Nebraska's loaded defense was unable to find any answer at all for Indiana's offense, then there probably aren't too many teams around the country that can slow down this offensive machine in Bloomington.
THE HOOSIERS ARE TOUGH TO CRACK WHEN THEY'RE FORCING TURNOVERS
While Indiana's offense has ranked near the top of the country in many major statistics, the Hoosiers' defense has gone slightly under the radar. Yes, the offense is doing things that pretty much no other team in the country is doing, but this Indiana defense is quite good in its own right.
On Saturday, the Hoosiers gave up one score, a second quarter touchdown. Outside of that, Indiana's defense was just as dominant as the offense.
The Hoosiers forced the Cornhuskers into five turnovers on downs during Saturday's contest. Indiana also intercepted Dylan Raiola three time, while forcing three fumbles as well -- two of which the Hoosiers recovered.
So far this season, Indiana's defense has been good. The Hoosiers still haven't given up a singular point in the first quarter. However, on Saturday, the Hoosiers showed off their ability to create turnovers -- something the Indiana defense had otherwise been lacking to begin the season.
Continuing to force turnovers only adds to the complimentary football that Indiana is able to play. if the Hoosiers can consistently create ideal scoring opportunities for the offense, then this team is going to be hard to beat.
TAYVEN JACKSON WILL BE JUST FINE
News broke on Sunday morning that Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke is likely to miss Indiana's matchup with Washington next weekend. While Rourke has been one of the best quarterbacks not only in the Big Ten, but in the entire country, the Hoosiers should be just fine with backup Tayven Jackson.
For starters, Jackson has a good amount of experience under his belt. He appeared in six games last season, and while the results and the stats may not have been there, Jackson flashed his ability to lead a football team.
The biggest difference between last season and this season for Jackson will be the fact that he's going to be in a much better situation to succeed next weekend when the Hoosiers host the Huskies.
Offensive Coordinator Mike Shanahan's offense is a thing of beauty. It can make any quarterback look like a Heisman Trophy candidate. There may not even need to be a ton of scaling back on Jackson's responsibilities against Washington.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said all throughout the spring and all throughout fall practice that Jackson's ability to throw the ball has never been in question. It's the decision making that Jackson has struggled with throughout the early stages of his career.
I expect Shanahan to keep the offense relatively simple and to rely on the ground game early on Satuday, so that Jackson can work his way into a rhythm.
Rourke has undoubtedly been the engine of the Hoosiers' offense this season. Despite that, this is still an uber talented and productive offense at every single position. All Jackson has to do is get Indiana's playmakers the ball and allow them to do the rest.
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