3 takeaways from a disastrous loss by Nebraska football to Indiana

The first play of the fourth quarter summed up the entire day for Nebraska football. The Huskers were facing a fourth-and-two, coming out of a break for the third quarter.

Instead of having a clean operation, they false started. Then they needed to take a timeout. You can guess what happened next.

Nebraska football failed to convert. It was a mistake on a day filled with them, starting from the opening possession.

Nebraska defenders had Indiana dead to rights on a third-and-short, yet one cut, one missed tackle and it was off to the races. For the Hoosiers, the race never stopped.

For Nebraska, it felt like it never started. That’s incredibly disappointing after a bye week. Indiana dominated in all three phases of the game and it felt like one of the strongest indictments of Matt Rhule’s program.

Regardless of the situation he took over, the Huskers should have made more progress than they have. Nebraska football is 10-9 under Matt Rhule and here are three takeaways from an embarrassing 56-7 loss to Indiana.

Matt Rhule didn’t have his team ready to play

This was billed as a head-coaching matchup by a lot of people but it turned out to be no contest. Curt Cignetti coached circles around Rhule and his staff.

Tony White had no idea what was coming. Indiana had a plan to take Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson out of the game. White had no counter for it.

If the Hoosiers don’t drop a pass on the second drive, they score 35 in the first half. Offensively, things weren’t much better. There was a fumble on the second possession and a litany of turnovers.

The play-calling was too predictable and Marcus Satterfield had no answers for what Indiana was doing. Things only got worse after the half.

It was ugly and it’s hard to feel warm and fuzzy about this team after that performance. Hell, it’s hard to not to re-think the direction of the program after a loss like that.

The special teams aren’t fixed

Matt Rhule told the media this week that the special teams were fixed and that he was “excited” to see how the special teams played.

Well, from the start, it was more of the same. Jacory Barney fielded a kickoff at the one-yard line, instead of calling for a touchback, then stepped out at the one.

There were low snaps, bad coverage, and nothing positive to say about a part of the team that keeps failing to hold up its end of the bargain.

A bowl game doesn’t feel like a sure thing

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but Nebraska football will be 5-3 after losing to Ohio State next week, probably in much the same fashion as this week.

That will leave the Huskers at 5-3 with four winnable games left, sort of like last season. Nebraska football lost all four games to miss a bowl game last season.

This year, the last four games are home against UCLA, at USC, home against Wisconsin, and at Iowa. That will be the real test to see if this program has truly improved.

Win a game or two down the stretch and Nebraska football can claim tangible improvement. But if the Huskers somehow miss the postseason again, Matt Rhule’s seat will be justifiably hot going into 2025.

At some point, talk is just that — talk.

It’s time to win.

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