Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Indiana Hoosiers Match Player Stats On Oct 15, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Oct 15, 2016

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- No. 10 Nebraska enjoyed its first trip to Indiana in 38 years as the unbeaten Cornhuskers, fresh off a bye week, opened with 17 first-quarter points and held on to spoil the Hoosiers' homecoming with a 27-22 victory Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Just when it seemed as if Indiana had all the momentum, Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw a 72-yard touchdown pass to Stanley Morgan Jr. on a pivotal third-and-10 play to make it 24-15 with 9:57 remaining.

Indiana junior running back Devine Redding tried to bring the Hoosiers back with two second-half touchdowns. His second score on a 4-yard pass made it 24-22 with 8:26 remaining.

Redding also faked a double-reverse handoff on a 33-yard touchdown run to make it 17-15 on the final play of the third quarter.

But the Cornhuskers (6-0, 3-0 in the Big Ten) converted a key fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak by Armstrong at the Hoosiers' 47 with 3:54 remaining in a time-consuming drive that resulted in a Drew Brown 39-yard field goal with just 45 seconds remaining.

Indiana (3-3, 2-1) thought it had come up with a late fumble recovery with 2:06 remaining, but running back Terrell Newby was ruled down before the ball came out at the Hoosiers' 20 and replay upheld the ruling.

Nebraska's Aaron Williams sealed the outcome with an interception.

Not since 2001 has Nebraska started a season with six consecutive victories.

Indiana alternated two quarterbacks but was inconsistent at best on offense in losing to a top-10 team for a second consecutive week. No. 2 Ohio State routed the Hoosiers 38-17 in Columbus, Ohio, last Saturday.

Indiana turned the ball over on downs on two drives into Cornhuskers territory, including in the latter stages of the third quarter, when linebacker Josh Banderas stopped Hoosiers backup quarterback Zander Diamont a yard shy on a fourth-and-3 rush to the 30.

Cornerback Jonathan Crawford's interception and return to the Nebraska 28 gave Indiana a chance to trim its deficit late in the first half.

Three plays didn't gain a yard but Griffin Oakes kicked a 45-yard field goal to cut Nebraska's lead to 17-8 with 1:18 remaining in the first half.

In need of a spark on the previous series, the Hoosiers turned to Diamont, who ran for 20 yards and completed an 18-yard pass to set up Oakes' 36-yard field goal.

After falling behind 17-0, Indiana finally got on the board with a safety as Chase Dutra blocked Caleb Lightbourn's punt and the ball bounced through the back of the end zone with 12:29 remaining in second quarter.

Before that, a rather loud Cornhuskers fan contingent had plenty to cheer about from the outset. Nebraska drove 52 yards in 12 plays to start the scoring with Drew Brown's 40-yard field goal after 5:12 had elapsed.

When Nebraska regained possession, it scored 14 points in only 14 seconds after a fortunate bounce.

Wide receiver Brandon Reilly, while laying on his back, caught an underthrown deep ball by Armstrong that was tipped ahead by cornerback Marcelino Ball for an improbable 45-yard gain.

Four plays later, running back Terrell Newby practically walked into the end zone on a 4-yard run for a 10-0 lead with 4:47 remaining in the first quarter.

On Indiana's next offensive play, Richard Lagow threw an ill-advised outside pass directly to Nebraska cornerback Chris Jones, who returned the gift 33 yards to make it 17-0 with 4:33 remaining.

The Hoosiers have not upset a top-10 team since a 31-10 victory at No. 9 Ohio State in 1987. And it hasn't happened at Bloomington since a 19-14 victory over third-ranked Purdue in 1967.

NOTES: Indiana All-American senior guard Dan Feeney missed his fourth consecutive game because of a concussion. ... Nebraska junior right tackle David Knevel injured his left knee on the game's first play and did not return. ... Nebraska entered with its highest national ranking in the Associated Press poll (10th) since it was ninth in November 2011. ... The last time these schools met was Sept. 30, 1978, when the 12th-ranked Cornhuskers crushed the host Hoosiers 69-17. ... Nebraska and Indiana were originally scheduled to meet for the first time in the Big Ten in 2015, but the schedule changed with the adoption of the East-West Division format. The Hoosiers aren't scheduled to visit the Cornhuskers until 2019.