Indiana and Nebraska bring matching 5-0 records to Lincoln, but the challenge facing the Cornhuskers is anything but familiar: slow an Indiana attack that just overwhelmed Rutgers on the ground and through the air. No. 7 Indiana is a 7.5-point favorite at DraftKings, putting Nebraska’s ability to keep that attack in check at the center of this matchup. The Huskers showed a striking defensive turnaround last Saturday; now they need that version of themselves for more than a half.
Indiana gives Nebraska two problems to solve
In its 47-15 win at Rutgers last Saturday, Indiana piled up 593 yards. Turbo Richard rushed for 204 yards, Lee Beebe Jr. added 122, and Josh Hoover threw for 251 yards and four touchdowns. Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker each topped 100 receiving yards. That’s a lot of production spread across different players, rather than one standout performance carrying the whole attack.
Our yardage projections suggest a less overwhelming day in Lincoln, with roughly 395 total yards for Indiana against about 330 for Nebraska. The interesting detail is where that separation appears: we project approximately 235 passing yards for the Hoosiers and 170 for the Huskers, while both teams sit near 160 rushing yards. Indiana’s passing game is the clearest projected difference in offensive output, even after its runners stole much of the attention last week.
Nebraska’s response matters more than the final score
Nebraska beat Maryland 48-23 last Saturday, but its defense had two very different halves. The Huskers allowed 300 yards before halftime but only 62 afterward. Dwayne McDougle III’s 81-yard interception return for a touchdown helped turn an early deficit into a game Nebraska eventually controlled. That second-half performance gives the Huskers a credible counterweight to Indiana’s production, though the early struggles show why a repeat isn’t something to take for granted.
Anthony Colandrea also gave Nebraska multiple ways to move the ball, passing for 238 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 108. Kwazi Gilmer caught 11 passes for 147 yards and two scores. But Nebraska committed 16 penalties for 132 yards. Against an Indiana team that can produce through both the run and pass, giving away that much yardage would make an already demanding assignment harder.
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Unbeaten doesn’t always mean covering
Indiana has won all of its last 10 games, a stretch spanning the end of the 2025 season and the opening five games of 2026, but covered the spread in only five. Nebraska has covered in four of its five games this season. Those results don’t settle this matchup, but they’re a useful reminder that winning and rewarding a spread bet are different tasks.
The strongest case for Indiana is its range of productive options and the passing advantage in our projections. Nebraska’s answer is a defense that demonstrated it could recover from a poor start, paired with a quarterback who contributed both through the air and on the ground. With similar rushing output in our projections, the biggest test is whether the Huskers can limit Indiana’s passing production consistently without making their job harder through penalties. Their second half against Maryland offers encouragement; their first half shows how much more consistent they’ll need to be.
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