Nebraska's defense had been a fortress all season long, causing consistent problems for nearly every offense the Cornhuskers crossed paths with.
One of the top defensive units in the entire country, the Cornhuskers entered Saturday's contest with the Hoosiers leading the Big Ten in sacks and tackles for loss. They also boasted top-15 national rankings in both total defense (13th), as well as total defense (11th).
On Saturday, Indiana played with a certain level of confidence and effortlessness offensively, seemingly unbothered by any of those numbers.
In front of a sellout crowd of 53,082 at Memorial Stadium, the Hoosiers' offense completely dismantled the vaunted Cornhusker defense to the tune of a 56-7 win that left no doubt about the legitimacy of this Indiana team.
"I think this says a lot about our team," head coach Curt Cignetti said postgame. "I know there was a national perception that Nebraska had a pretty legit defense on a national scale. So this [performance] will open their eyes. I think this is a great team win."
From the opening kickoff of Saturday's contest in Bloomington, the Hoosiers put to rest any lingering skepticism about their strength of schedule or ability to compete at the highest level.
“It was pretty much a statement game,” running back Justice Ellison said.
After losing the coin toss, the Hoosiers' offense took the field to begin the game, looking to set the tone early. That's exactly what Indiana did, driving 75 yards in eight plays to open the scoring on the first drive of the game.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke was flawless on the opening drive of the game, completing all six of his pass attempts -- including one on fourth down running back. Meanwhile, Ellison ripped of a 43-yard rush, the longest run allowed by the Cornhuskers all season long, before capping the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, the first rushing touchdown for any team against Nebraska all season.
The opening drive of the game was a sign of what was to come the rest of the contest. By halftime, Indiana had raced out to a commanding 21-point lead, scoring 28 first half points on a Nebraska defense that was surrendering just 11.3 points per game coming into the afternoon affair.
The Hoosiers' offense continued to click, even in the second half, when backup quarterback Tayven Jackson replaced an injured Kurtis Rourke.
"There's no drop off," Ellison said. "A standard is a standard, it doesn't matter who's in the game. We truly believe in keeping that standard no matter what jersey number you have."
Indiana's two signal callers combined to complete 24 of 30 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday, carving up a Nebraska secondary that was limiting opponents to just 188.3 passing yards per game.
It wasn't just the passing attack that was dominant during Indiana's week eight matchup with Nebraska. The Hoosiers' rushing attack was consistently able to gash the Cornhuskers' front seven, totaling 215 yards on 33 carries -- an astounding 6.5 yards per carry.
Four different Indiana tail backs found the end zone on Saturday, as the Hoosiers' offensive line opened up gaping holes that Ellison likened to the Red Sea.
"Those were probably the widest holes that we've seen all season long," fellow running back Ty Son Lawton added. "Shoutout to the offensive line."
Indiana's offensive efficiency was staggering on Saturday. The Hoosiers scored touchdowns on eight of the 11 drives in which they weren't kneeling the ball. They were also a perfect seven-for-seven inside of the red zone. The Cornhuskers' strength of their defense, the defensive line, managed just one sack and four tackles for loss -- both of which are below their season averages.
"We come to play hard against anybody they put out there," wide receiver Miles Cross said. "We'd take our chances with us against anybody in the nation. We're confident. We had a good game plan going into the game and we just executed."
The dangerous thing about this team is that they firmly believe they're just getting started. As the Hoosiers continue to dominant everyone that stands in their way, the team's confidence is continuing to grow.
"With success comes belief, which comes confidence, which comes success," Cignetti said. "It's that cycle. I think you saw that really kind of start against Western Illinois. That wasn't a great team, but we played well. We went to UCLA and you just have seen it build off every other week."
Indiana's 49-point victory over Nebraska, which tied a program record for largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game, improved the Hoosiers to 7-0 on the season. However, the win might've meant more than just another tally in the win column.
For weeks, critics have questioned Indiana's strength of schedule, downplaying Indiana's undefeated start to the season.
"We're not worried about any of that," Ellison said. "There's always going to be haters and there's always going to be someone saying 'they didn't do this and they didn't do that.' We ain't really too worried about what people have to say."
After dominating the Cornhuskers for 60 minutes in every single facet of the game, the Hoosiers sent a clear message that this undefeated start isn't a fluke, they're for real.
"A lot of people thought Nebraska was going to be the team that gave us a challenge," Lawton said. "It didn't really seem like that."
Indiana's offense has been like a runaway freight train this season, gaining momentum and confidence with each passing week. No matter the competition the Hoosiers have continued to dominate week in and week out.
The domination isn't new to this week. Indiana still hasn't trailed in a game this season, and the Hoosiers have won every game this year by double-digits. This is still the same dominant Indiana team from the beginning of the season.
"We're the same guys that we were this morning when we woke up," Cignetti said. "We just overcame another challenge."
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