Kwazi Gilmer celebrates in the end zone after a touchdown in a college football game.Kwazi Gilmer celebrates in the end zone after a touchdown in a college football game.
Eli Larson/Nebraska Athletics
Football

Huskers Welcome Top-10 Indiana for Undefeated Matchup

Nebraska squares off against the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Game time is set for shortly after 11 a.m. CT with FOX and its Big Noon Kickoff team providing the television coverage. 

The matchup between a pair of 5-0 teams is the Huskers' fifth home contest in six games to open the 2026 season. It also marks the first visit to Memorial Stadium by a defending national champion since a 2006 matchup with Texas. 

The Huskers remained unbeaten last week with a 48-23 home victory over Maryland. The win continued Nebraska's best start to a season since 2016, and its 2-0 Big Ten record is the Huskers' first since 2017. The Huskers trailed by nine points late in the second quarter, before scoring two touchdowns in less than three minutes before half to take the lead into the locker room. Nebraska dominated the second half to pull away for the victory, out-gaining Maryland by 221 yards over the final three quarters. 

Indiana comes to Lincoln ranked seventh in the Associated Press poll and fifth in the Coaches poll, following a 47-15 victory at Rutgers on Saturday night, as Indiana rolled up nearly 600 yards of offense. The Hoosiers have won 21 consecutive games, the fifth-longest winning streak by a Big Ten team in the past 80 years. Indiana posted a perfect 16-0 record last season en route to a national championship and owns a 32-2 record under Head Coach Curt Cignetti. 

The Hoosiers are once again dominant on both sides of the ball, ranking among the top 10 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Indiana also ranks fourth nationally in total defense and 14th in total offense. 

Nebraska to Face First Ranked Foe of 2026 Season
The matchup with No. 7/5 Indiana will mark Nebraska's first game with a ranked opponent this season, and its first overall since taking on No. 15 Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl last season.

  • The Huskers will be looking for its first victory over a ranked opponent since a 35-32 victory over Oregon in 2016.
  • Nebraska's most recent victory over a top-10 opponent was a 39-38 win over sixth-ranked Michigan State at Memorial Stadium in 2015.
  • The matchup with Indiana is the first of four games remaining on the schedule against currently ranked teams. The Huskers will also play at 13th-ranked Oregon (Oct. 17), host No. 5 Ohio State (Nov. 21) and play at No. 20 Iowa (Nov. 27). 
Nebraska Off to Best Start in a Decade
Nebraska improved to 5-0 with its victory over Maryland, marking the first time Nebraska has been unbeaten through five games since 2016 when NU opened 7-0. This is Nebraska's sixth 5-0 start to a season since 2000.
  • Nebraska has won its first two Big Ten games for the first time since also starting league play 2-0 in 2017.
  • Nebraska has won each of its first five games by at least 18 points. Nebraska last won five straight games by at least 18 points at any point in a season in 1997. The last time Nebraska won each of its first five games by at least 18 points was in 1983.
  • Nebraska completed non-conference play unbeaten for the third straight season. This is Nebraska's longest streak of unbeaten non-league seasons since a five-year stretch from 1997 to 2001.
  • Nebraska has now won 11 straight regular-season conference games dating back to 2023.
Offense Showing Balance and Explosiveness
The Husker offense has been prolific in 2026, ranking in the top 25 in scoring offense (43.6 ppg, 9th), total offense (475.6 ypg, 24th), rushing offense (231.0 ypg, 17th) and third-down conversion percentage (52.4%, 10th).
  • Nebraska has topped 200 yards in both rushing and passing in four of the first five games, including each of the first three games. That marked the first time Nebraska has reached that statistical milestone in three straight games since 2016. Nebraska has now topped 200 yards in both categories six times in Rhule's tenure. 
  • Nebraska surpassed 500 yards in each of the first two games, marking the first time NU had topped 500 yards of total offense in back-to-back games since against Akron and Houston Christian in 2025. The Huskers have topped 500 yards five times under Matt Rhule.
  • The Huskers have 29 offensive plays of 20 yards or more through five games, a total that ranks 23rd nationally. Nebraska's 11 rushing plays of at least 20 yards rank eighth in the nation. 
  • Nebraska scored three rushing touchdowns and three passing touchdowns against Maryland. NU has had at least one rushing and passing touchdown in every game this season.
  • Nebraska has scored at least 30 points in every game this season. This is the first time Nebraska has scored more than 30 points in five consecutive games since 2018, and the first time NU has scored at least 30 points in each of the first five games since 2014. 

Blackshirt Defense Off to Strong Start
The Husker defense has been among the nation's best through five games, helping the Huskers to an unbeaten start. Nebraska ranks among the top 20 nationally in total defense (265.8 ypg, 17th), scoring defense (14.2 ppg, 15th), pass efficiency defense (104.74, 13th) and third-down defense (21.3%, 2nd). 

  • Against Bowling Green, Nebraska allowed only 169 total yards, the fewest by the Blackshirts since allowing 160 yards to Houston Christian last season. North Dakota picked up only 205 yards against the Huskers. In the Big Ten opener at Michigan State, NU held the Spartans to just 39 rushing yards.
  • Nebraska allowed Bowling Green just nine first downs, while North Dakota picked up 10 first downs against the Blackshirts. North Dakota had just two first downs in the first half. This was the first time Nebraska has allowed 10 or fewer first downs in consecutive games since the first two games of the 1999 season.
  • After the season's opening quarter, Nebraska has been difficult to move the ball against. In the past 19 quarters, Nebraska has allowed a total of 1,193 yards on 285 snaps, an average of 4.2 yards per play.
  • Nebraska is allowing just 5.0 points per game in the second half this season and has allowed a combined three second-half points in two Big Ten games.
  • The Husker defense allowed 207 yards on 24 snaps in the first quarter against Maryland. However, the Blackshirts quickly recovered allowing just 112 yards on 24 plays over the next two quarters, including just 19 yards in the third quarter. The game also changed on an 81-yard interception return for a score by safety Dwayne McDougle III.
  • The Husker defense has excelled on third down, allowing opponents to convert just 21.3 percent, ranking second in the country. Maryland did not convert a third down until the game's final minutes and finished 1-of-14 on third down conversions. North Dakota was 1-of-12 on third downs.