Huskers and Hoosiers Set for First Big Ten Meeting

GAME 6: NEBRASKA at INDIANA
OCT. 10, 2016 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
BLOOMINGTON, IND. | 2:30 p.m. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - ABC (Regional)/ESPN2 (Outside B1G Region) (Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Dr. Jerry Punch)
RADIO - Husker Sports Network
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 132, XM 196
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com

HUSKERS
Record: 5-0, 2-0 Big Ten
Last Game: Illinois, W, 31-16
Rankings: AP-10; Coaches-9
Series: Indiana, 9-7-3
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 104-87 (16th Year)/11-7 (2nd Year) 
vs. Indiana: first meeting

HOOSIERS
Record: 3-2, 1-1 Big Ten
Last Game: Ohio State, L, 38-17
Rankings: NR
Coach: Kevin Wilson
Career/Indiana Record: 23-43 (6th Season)/Same
vs. Nebraska: first meeting

The Matchup
Nebraska returns to the field after a bye week and will face its second Big Ten road test of the season. The unbeaten Huskers will travel to Bloomington, Ind., to take on Indiana in a cross-divisional matchup. Game time at Indiana's Memorial Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. CT, and the contest will be televised on either ABC or ESPN2 depending on specific markets.

The Huskers are 5-0 and 2-0 in the Big Ten, marking their second 5-0 start in three seasons. Nebraska picked up its fifth win of the season on Oct. 1 in Lincoln, when the Huskers continued their dominant fourth-quarter ways, outscoring Illinois 21-0 in the final quarter en route to a 31-16 victory.

The Huskers' perfect start has allowed NU to continue to gain ground in the national rankings. The Huskers are No. 10 in this week's Associated Press Poll and ninth in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The top-10 ranking is Nebraska's first since being ranked No. 9 before a November 2011 loss to Northwestern.

Indiana owns a 3-2 record, including a 1-1 mark in Big Ten action. The Hooisers are coming off a 38-17 road loss to second-ranked Ohio State on Saturday afternoon. A week earlier, Indiana posted an impressive 24-21 overtime victory over defending Big Ten champion Michigan State.

Indiana once again has a high-powered offensive attack. The Hoosiers average better than 450 yards per game, including 290 passing yards per game. Indiana also boasts one of the nation's most improved defenses, allowing 375 yards and 25 points per game.

Nebraska Football Top 10
• Nebraska is 885-368-40 all-time, one of only 10 schools with 800 wins.

• The Cornhuskers rank fourth all-time with their 885 victories.

• Nebraska has won five national titles (1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997).

• The Huskers have won 46 conference championships.

• Nebraska’s 52 all-time bowl appearances rank third nationally.

• Three Huskers have won the Heisman Trophy (Rodgers, Rozier, Crouch).

• Nebraska’s 107 football Academic All-Americans lead the nation.

• The Huskers have 110 first-team All-Americans in school history.

• Nebraska football is the only team in any sport in NCAA history to total 100 athletic and academic All-Americans.

• Memorial Stadium has been sold out every game since Nov. 2, 1962, a streak of 351 consecutive sellouts.

Nebraska-Indiana Series
• The meeting will be the first between the schools as Big Ten opponents. Nebraska has played all other schools who were members of the league when the Huskers joined in 2011. Nebraska will face Maryland on Nov. 19, the final Big Ten school Nebraska will face on the gridiron.

• Nebraska and Indiana were originally scheduled to meet in 2015, but the schedule changed after the adoption of the East-West format.

• The schools have not met since 1978, and just four times since 1959. While Indiana holds an overall advantage in the series, Nebraska has won the past four meetings (1975-78). The four straight wins ended a 10-game NU winless streak in the series.

• Indiana is not scheduled to visit Nebraska's Memorial Stadium until 2019.

Huskers Continue Rise in National Rankings
Nebraska began the season unranked, before entering the national polls after starting 3-0. The Huskers have continued a steady rise in the polls the past three weeks. NU is ranked No. 10 in this week's AP poll and ninth in the coaches rankings.

• The No. 10 ranking in the AP poll is the Huskers' highest since being ranked No. 9 in the country in November of 2011. That also marked the Huskers' most recent visit to the top 10 in the AP poll.

Nebraska Looks to Build On Strong Start to 2016
Nebraska has opened the season with a 5-0 start for the sixth time since 2000, and the second time in the past three years.

• A victory over Indiana would mark Nebraska's first 6-0 start since opening with 11 straight wins in the 2001 season. Nebraska opened the 2003, 2010 and 2014 seasons with 5-0 records, but dropped their sixth game.

• The Huskers are 2-0 in Big Ten play for the second time since joining the conference (also in 2013). Nebraska's last 3-0 start to conference play came in 2006 when the Huskers opened Big 12 play with a 3-0 record.

• Nebraska is looking for its third straight Big Ten Conference road victory, dating back to last season. It would mark NU's longest conference road winning streak since winning four straight Big Ten games away from Lincoln spanning the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Huskers Hammering Foes in Fourth Quarter
Nebraska has proven to be a dominant fourth-quarter team in opening the season with a 5-0 record. The Huskers' 21-0 fourth-quarter advantage in a 31-16 win over Illinois was Nebraska's latest show of dominance in the final quarter.

• Against the Illini, Nebraska out-gained Illinois 149-18 in the final quarter, had a 6-0 advantage in first downs and held the ball for 10:59.

2016 Fourth Quarter Scoring
Fresno State 22 0 +22
Wyoming 28 0 +28
Oregon 7 6 +1
Northwestern 0 0 0
Illinois 21 0 +21
Totals 78 6 +72

• Nebraska's 78 fourth-quarter points rank fifth nationally in points in the final quarter. NU's six points allowed in the final quarter trail only Ohio State and Baylor, who have not allowed a fourth-quarter point.

• The Huskers' 72-point fourth-quarter advantage is the best in the nation in that category.

4th-quarter Scoring Margin (FBS)
Nebraska +72
Arizona State +64
Tennessee +62
TCU +59
Washington State +58
Michigan +53
Ohio State +52
Baylor +45

• Nebraska also controls the ball in the fourth quarter, averaging 9:43 in time of possession in the final period.

The Huskers have also dominated the opening quarter of games this season, outscoring the opposition 28-8 in the first quarter, allowing only a touchdown by Oregon.

Big Red Balancing Act
The Nebraska offense is showing outstanding explosiveness and balance in its second season under Head Coach Mike Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf. The 2016 success comes a year after Nebraska ranked second in the Big Ten in total offense and passing offense, while finishing third in scoring offense.

Nebraska made a powerful running game and a balanced offense primary goals for 2016. Through five games the results have been outstanding.

• Nebraska is averaging 234.2 rushing yards per game to rank fourth in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally. NU had a season-high 310 rushing yards at Northwestern and has rushed for at least 200 yards in four of five games.

• Nebraska is among the nation's most balanced offensive attacks. The Huskers average 238.4 passing yards per game and 472.6 total yards per game, which ranks second in the Big Ten and 32nd in the nation.

• Nebraska's 310 rushing yards at Northwestern was the Huskers' fifth-highest rushing total in a Big Ten Conference game.

• The 556 yards of total offense at Northwestern marked the second-highest total in a Big Ten Conference game in NU's six seasons in the league, trailing only a 624-yard effort against Illinois in 2014.

• Nebraska has gained at least 400 yards of total offense in seven straight games dating back to last season. This is Nebraska's longest streak of 400-yard games since topping 400 yards in each of the first seven games of 2012.

• Nebraska has topped 28 points in 10 of its past 12 games.

• Nebraska is averaging 37.0 points per game in 2016 to rank fourth in the Big Ten. The 52 points against Wyoming were the most in two seasons under Mike Riley.

• Nebraska topped the 300-yard passing mark for the seventh time in two seasons under Mike Riley with 412 passing yards against Wyoming. The yardage total was the fifth highest in school history and most since the 2007 season.

• Nebraska has also shown big-play ability again this season. Nebraska's 15.3 yards per completion ranks 11th in the nation. The Huskers had five passing plays of at least 25 yards against Wyoming. Last season, NU's 78 plays of 20-plus yards ranked second in the Big Ten.

• In addition to its 310-yard rushing effort at Northwestern, the Huskers rushed for 292 yards on 51 carries in the win over Fresno State. NU also had 228 rushing yards against Oregon, including 166 after half.

Nebraska Looks to Keep Pounding Ball on Ground
Nebraska has shown the ability to control the running game on both sides of the ball in 2016.

Nebraska out-gained Northwestern 310-137 on the ground, marking the third time since the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl that the Huskers have had at least 290 rushing yards. NU churned out 292 rushing yards on 51 carries in its season-opening victory over Fresno State. That rushing effort came on the heels of running for 326 yards in the Foster Farms Bowl win over UCLA to close the 2015 season.

The Blackshirts have been strong against the run in four of five games, limiting Fresno State to just 31 rushing yards, while holding Wyoming, Northwestern and Illinois to less than 140 yards on the ground. Oregon did rush for more than 300 yards, but Nebraska held the Ducks' high-powered pass game in check with only 146 passing yards.

• Nebraska is 8-0 under Riley when rushing for 200 yards or more, including 4-0 in 2016. The Huskers are 7-0 under Riley when out-rushing the opposition.

Pound the Rock, Control the Clock
Nebraska's ability to dominate the line of scrimmage and control the running game has translated directly to controlling the football.

• Nebraska averages 34:41 of time of possession to rank second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally in that category. Nebraska has won the TOP battle in all five games this season and has possessed the ball for at least 35:00 in each of the past three games.

• The Huskers' ability to control the football has resulted in Nebraska running 56 more plays than the opposition through five games. NU has 372 plays (74.4 per game), while opponents have just 316 offensive plays (63.2 per game).

Still Going...?
Nebraska took the lead for good against Illinois with a memorable drive that spanned parts of the third and fourth quarters. Trailing 16-10, the Huskers embraked on an 18-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 10:42. The Huskers scored on a Terrell Newby 3-yard TD run and went on to a 31-16 win.

• The 18-play drive was Nebraska's longest in terms of plays since a 20-play drive at Colorado in 2005 that ended in a missed field goal.

• The 10:42 consumed on the drive is the most for a Husker scoring drive since at least 1990.

* Check out the attached Nebraska Games Notes PDF for more notes