Why Nebraska’s best unit — the defense — performed at its worst during Indiana’s flood of points

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Nebraska players squinted into the sunlight as they walked off the Memorial Stadium field Saturday from an afternoon of watching red blurs catch and run. Some let their gaze linger on an end-zone videoboard with numbers that still seemed hyperbolical.

Did Nebraska really give up 56 points? How many yards? How many big plays?

These were the Blackshirts, the older brothers who mostly protected their wilder siblings on special teams and offense in the season’s first half. They forced takeaways — or at least made stops — even when NU was figuring itself out elsewhere.

Not Saturday, when Nebraska set new Matt Rhule-era records for points allowed and total yardage surrendered. The latter total was 495, the most given up by the Huskers since a 2022 shootout at Purdue (608).

Unlike a 38-point loss last year to Michigan, Rhule said, he didn’t see quit in this group. But the result “infuriates” him no less.

Big Red had been allowing an average of 272.5 yards per game — Indiana eclipsed that number midway through the second quarter. Its scoring average of 11.3 points was already going up after three possessions.

“I felt the game plan was good,” NU senior defensive lineman Jimari Butler said. “We just didn’t get it done. Quick memory because we’re going to be in the same position again next week.”

The task ahead — at top-10 Ohio State in a matter of days — started for NU defenders in rural Indiana as they processed what had just happened against the No. 16 Hoosiers. Butler was the only defender to speak with reporters after — Nebraska officials limited postgame interview sessions to a select few players and turned away a couple other Huskers willing to talk, citing the travel schedule.

Rhule called the football “bad” and a reflection of him not properly preparing his players and coaches. Indiana frequently put the Huskers in a “run-pass bind” with run-pass option plays led by veteran quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who completed 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards to 10 different receivers. The Hoosiers completed back-shoulder fades, timing routes and screens for big gains over and over.

Nebraska also allowed four rushing touchdowns after entering as the last FBS defense this season that had yet to let any back across the goal line. It hadn’t yielded that many scores on the ground in a game since Oklahoma in 2022.

Some of the problem Saturday, Butler said, may have been mental.

“Confidence, I feel like,” Butler said. “At times a big play happened and everybody’s head was kind of down.”

Five turnovers from the offense didn’t help, leading to 28 points in what were the first NU opponent points off Husker giveaways this year. Nebraska wrap-ups of ball carriers — shaky at times against Northern Iowa and Illinois — became porous against the fleet-footed Hoosiers who generated six passing plays of 15-plus yards and nine running plays of 10-plus.

“Just couldn’t really tackle the back today,” Rhule said. “Couldn’t stop the run.”

Indiana rolled up 215 yards rushing — 6.5 per attempt — with 5-foot-9, 210-pounder Justice Ellison the biggest star after 105 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. Ellison and counterpart Ty Son Lawton (eight for 64) knifed around the edge of Nebraska’s big defensive line with regularity, busting into the secondary and cutting back in the open field.

“I’m not surprised at all they’re a great team,” Butler said. “They have great backs who see the hole and they get north to south very good. I wasn’t surprised at all.”

NU saw its streak end at 13 straight games holding an opponent to fewer than 400 yards. The total of 495 is the most in a Tony White-coached defense since the NU coordinator was at Syracuse two years ago.

Indiana bested Nebraska’s man defense repeatedly, with receivers beating corners in one-on-one situations. The Huskers mustered a lone sack — Mikai Gbayor flying unblocked to take down Rourke on a fourth and 2 on IU’s second possession — and rarely applied pressure otherwise.

The Hoosiers didn’t punt until early in the fourth quarter with the game well in hand. The Blackshirts’ lone takeaway was a Malcolm Hartzog interception on a Hail Mary try into halftime.

Not nearly enough from Nebraska’s best unit that for the first time this season had its mortality laid bare.

“I haven’t seen a day like that defensively,” Rhule said. “Never a day where we just couldn’t get a stop.”