Judge Ellison ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns in the first half and No. 16 Indiana continued its best start in 57 years with a 56-7 loss to Nebraska on Saturday, matching the Hoosiers’ most lopsided Big Ten victory in program history.
Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke injured his right (throwing) hand and was on the sideline in street clothes in the second half. Tayven Jackson replaced him for the rest of the game.
“A little thumbs up, I feel good about it, I really do,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said of Rourke. “It was a precaution (to take him out).”
The Hoosiers (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) have not trailed yet this season and each win has come by double digits. The 49-point margin of victory was the largest in conference play since a 49-0 win at Minnesota in 1945. The last time Indiana started with seven straight wins was 1967, when it opened 8-0.
Cignetti is the first coach in program history to win his first seven games. He has never had a losing season in fourteen years as a head coach.
“I’m not going to let them get complacent, and neither are the coaches,” Cignetti said. “I was a maniac in the fourth quarter.”
The Cornhuskers (5-2, 3-2) would be Indiana’s toughest opposition yet. But the only defense in the country not to allow a rushing touchdown surrendered five, including Ellison’s 5-yard TD on the opening possession.
“We have some real workers out front,” Cignetti said. “They put a good day’s work into it.”
Ellison, a senior transfer from Wake Forest, added a 31-yard touchdown for a 28-7 lead just before halftime. His 105 yards came on just nine carries.
“This happened under my watch,” second-year Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. “And I’ll be honest: I didn’t see this coming. I am not ashamed of our players, but I am ashamed of the work I have done.”
Rourke completed 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards with one TD and one interception. He threw a 7-yard TD pass to Myles Price for a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
“You keep winning, people will come,” Cignetti said after Indiana’s first sellout since 2021.
Jackson added a pair of scoring passes to Miles Cross and Elijah Sarratt.
Ty Son Lawton ran for 64 yards on eight carries with a 1-yard TD. The Hoosiers averaged 9.3 yards per offensive play in the first half.
A Nebraska defense that had limited five of its six opponents to 10 points or less set a season-high in points for the nation’s No. 2 scoring offense, which came in averaging 47.5 points.
Nebraska freshman Dylan Raiola completed 28 of 44 passes for 234 yards with three interceptions and a lost fumble.
The takeaway
Nebraska: A slow start after an open date got worse as the Cornhuskers suffered their most lopsided loss since Ohio State beat them 62-3 in 2016. The defense couldn’t make stops and the offense failed to score on three red zone drives.
Indiana: The schedule looks to be more challenging with home games against Washington and Michigan and a road trip to Ohio State, but the Hoosiers’ confidence continues to rise. The upstart Hoosiers, projected to finish 17th in the 18-team league, have established themselves as legitimate title contenders.
Survey implications
The Hoosiers could earn a major promotion into the Top 25 depending on how the teams ahead of them do on Saturday.
Next
Nebraska: Visits Ohio State next Saturday.
Indiana: Hosts Washington next Saturday.
