Matt Rhule takes blame for Nebraska’s loss to Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Nebraska football writer Luke Mullin offers his extra points from the Husker football team’s 56-7 loss to Indiana on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Play of the game: A hard-nosed tackle from Ceyair Wright on a punt. The highlights were few and far between for Nebraska in a game that out of control quickly. Rahmir Johnson’s effort to prevent an interception return for a touchdown also deserves its plaudits.

Turning point: Running back Dante Dowdell’s first-half fumble. Trailing 7-0, Nebraska stopped Indiana on fourth down and began putting together its best drive of the game. But with the Huskers seeking seven points, not three, in a trip to the red zone, a fourth down try with Dowdell would’ve been good for a first down if he kept the football within his grasp. Indiana jarred the ball loose and drove for a touchdown on its ensuing possession, turning a game that could’ve been tied into a 14-point deficit for the Huskers to chase.

Quotable: Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule on the Huskers’ loss.

“It’s a bad loss and I apologize for the loss. I apologize for people who spent time and money to watch that.”

Game ball: Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke. The senior quarterback was downright unstoppable in a game where he completed 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown. Rourke threw to spots before his wide receivers even started their breaks on multiple occasions and kept the Nebraska defense honest by scrambling out of the pocket. Having injured his hand in the first half, Rourke didn’t even half to play a snap in the second half as his early work was enough to power the win.

Game ball: Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti. Talk about having a team ready to play. With both Nebraska and Indiana coming off a bye week, it was Cignetti whose team looked calm, composed and prepared to face whatever came its way. The first-year Indiana coach has built one of the Big Ten’s best offenses, and his defense did its part against Nebraska too.

Hat tip: To the entire Indiana offense. From offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, who dialed up the right plays at the right moment, to the players who executed them, the entire Hoosier offense did their job at a high level. Indiana ran the ball effectively, broke off many big plays and kept its top pass-catchers involved.

Questionable: Nebraska’s issues with kickoff returns. Freshman Jacory Barney might’ve been trying to stick Indiana with a penalty when he fielded the Hoosiers’ first kickoff, but touching down in bounds rather than out resulted in Nebraska starting at its 1-yard line, not its 35.

When Nebraska substituted running back Emmett Johnson in for Barney on the ensuing kickoffs, little changed. Johnson let a kick bounce precariously early in the third quarter, then dropped another kickoff before recovering it on his next attempt.

Tone-setter: Indiana’s game-opening touchdown drive. The Hoosiers’ first-quarter success has been a constant all season, but Nebraska still would’ve hoped its defense would hold its own early. The game was far from over when Indiana went up 7-0, but it was a big first step toward an eventual Hoosier win.

68: Points allowed over Nebraska’s first 360 minutes of football this season.

56: Points allowed by the Huskers in 60 minutes against Indiana.

7.9: Yards per play averaged by the Indiana offense.

4: Turnovers committed by Nebraska in the first six games of the season.

5: Turnovers committed by the Huskers against Indiana.