Matt McMaster offers his three keys for Nebraska football to see success in Bloomington against No. 16 Indiana.

Win at the front

This game is all about Nebraska’s defensive line. This Indiana offense is powerful and balanced as they can beat you both on the ground and in the air. The big boys up front, Nash Hutmacher, Ty Robinson and company, need to have a big game for the Huskers to clear up the road anxiety.

Indiana has a two-headed monster in the backfield consisting of Ty Son Lawton and Justice Ellison. These two men set the tone for the offense. Don’t be fooled by the gaudy passing numbers. Indiana is a great football team. They run the ball 55% of the time and average 4.7 yards per rush and use the battery of Lawton and Ellison to set up their dynamic passing game.

If the Hoosiers can get their run game going, the Big Red will become more aggressive toward the line of scrimmage. Their corners will be closer to the ball to help set the edges, the safeties will be closer to the penalty box to fill gaps, and linebackers will reach their zones more slowly as they focus on stopping the run . Doing this makes the Big Red more vulnerable to play-action passes and RPOs.

This is what the Hoosiers do best.

When I watched the tape, I was most impressed with quarterback Kurtis Rourke’s execution of RPO plays. His eyes are downfield, focused on reading the cornerback. He shows incredible speed and confidence in getting the ball back from the running back and has the power to shoot it from anywhere. Of the 39 applications for RPOs, Rourke has completed 33.

If Nebraska can’t get pressure up the middle, it’s going to be a long day in Bloomington, Indiana.

Slow down the game

I can’t stress enough how good this Indiana offense is. They do everything right. They control the ball effectively, protect the quarterback, they can hurt you downfield, expose you with quick passes near the line of scrimmage, and can score 40 points and still win the battle for time of possession.

Thanks to their diverse attacks, they can compete well against whatever the defense throws at them. The longer this team has the ball, the more you will lose.

This key comes down to the Husker offense.

The Big Red will need to get around 30 points if they want to upset Indiana, but they also can’t compete in a track race. They lose that battle, they lose that battle nine times out of ten. They need long playing drives of 10, 11, 12 that take up a lot of free time and put seven points on the board.

Once again, I cannot emphasize enough how much of a nightmare it is to go against this Curt Cignetti offense. Three and zeros are simply not an option on offense. If you’re not going to score, you should at least be on the field long enough to let your defense catch their breath. The Big Red will need a serviceable run game that can run out the clock and great play from OC Marcus Satterfield.

Special teams Special teams Special teams

I know this is becoming a common key, but it also applies to big matchups like this. Games where both sides are talented and well-coached almost always come down to the wire.

John Hohl will have placekicking duties on Saturday and the Huskers can’t afford a repeat of his 0-for-3 field goal against Purdue. The same goes for the punting unit, which gave up two blocks in their last game against Rutgers. The competition is too fierce and the margins too small to sweep mistakes under the rug in the third phase of the game.

I predict this game will come down to a field goal. Whether Nebraska makes or misses that field goal will determine the outcome of this game.

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