Indiana vs. Nebraska: Keys to victory, HuskerOnline score predictions for Saturday

Indiana (3-1, 1-0) will come to Memorial Stadium for only the second time to face Nebraska (1-3, 0-1) since the Huskers joined the Big Ten Conference in 2011.

The Hoosiers and the Huskers both find their seasons in different spots. Indiana’s Tom Allen is trying to bounce back after a rough 2021 season, while the Huskers are led by interim head coach Mickey Joseph and interim defensive coordinator Bill Busch.

As things get closer to kickoff, here are today’s keys to victory for Nebraska over Indiana, along with the HuskerOnline Saturday score predictions. The Huskers are currently a 6-point favorite over the Hoosiers. Tonight’s game is set for a 6:30 p.m. CST kickoff on the Big Ten Network.

Click here for a limited time, register and get an unprecedented 12 months for only $10.00. 

---

KEYS TO VICTORY: Indiana at Nebraska

KEY 1: Early game focus

How will Nebraska come out of the gates on Saturday? It’s been a long week filled with plenty of emotions. The Huskers need to come out with focus and stand strong to the first bit of adversity they face.

KEY 2: Give the ball to No. 10

The game plan on Saturday should be pretty simple. Mark Whipple needs to control the pace of this game and let his running back Anthony Grant get into a rhythm. This will help out his offensive line and quarterback Casey Thompson, along with keeping the defense off the field.

KEY 3: Defensive alignment

What difference will two weeks make for the Nebraska defense? Will Busch have things simplified enough to get the Blackshirts lined up properly? The Hoosiers will try to run around 100 plays if they can. The defensive alignment will be critical today.

KEY 4: Get off the field on third down

Nebraska has some of the worst third-down defense in the country. Can they have enough early down success today against Indiana to be put in winnable third-down situations?

KEY 5: Keep the crowd engaged

Despite Nebraska’s struggles, there will still be 87,000 people in Memorial Stadium on Saturday night. That’s an advantage. The Hoosiers have not played in front of a crowd like this all season. The Huskers need to keep the crowd engaged and make them a factor in the game. The team needs to feed off this emotion.

---

Get the latest news and inside scoop on Nebraska football, recruiting, basketball, baseball and volleyball in this week's Exclusive Tunnel Talk.

We cover a lot of ground as the #Huskers get ready for Indiana on Saturday. https://t.co/LMl1c7NR0U

— HuskerOnline (@HuskerOnline) September 30, 2022

EXPERT TAKE: Indiana at Nebraska

Sean Callahan – HuskerOnline Pubisher

Nebraska is coming off a bye week and should come out of the gates fresh with another good opening play script. However, I still have my questions about the Husker defense and if they can get enough stops to close this game out. The Hoosiers will win it late in the fourth quarter.

Indiana 41, Nebraska 34

---

Steven Sipple – HuskerOnline columnist

Both defenses are vulnerable, obviously. But it’s just too easy to imagine Connor Bazelak zipping passes to open receivers against the Big Ten’s worst pass defense. The bye week will help Nebraska. Casey Thompson will come out firing. But you wonder if the Husker staff is on the same page as far as tempo goes. This much is certain: Indiana will run an extremely quick tempo. The Hoosiers know exactly who they are, and that in itself can be a sizable advantage.

Indiana 38, Nebraska 35

---

Robin Washut – HuskerOnline senior writer

I’m still surprised this point spread is leaning so heavily toward Nebraska. I am firmly in the camp that I need to see tangible evidence of progress before I buy into the idea that all of the recent staff shakeups and a bye week will suddenly fix all of NU’s problems. Indiana comes in with its own issues, but I just don’t trust the Huskers enough right now. Hopefully they prove me wrong.

Indiana 42, Nebraska 35

---

Andy Kendeigh – KETV ABC-Omaha

Hunt or be hunted.  Interim Head Coach Mickey Joseph is using that phrase imploring his team to be the hunters.   Nebraska will have plenty of opportunities to score but can the Huskers stop, or at least slow down Indiana?   These are the two worst defenses in the Big Ten — it may take 40 to win this one.

Nebraska 42, Indiana 38

---

Jim Rose – 1110 KFAB Radio-Omaha

The bye week was a god-send to this program which needed the time to process the coach change, get a little healthier and zero in on some fundamentals. 

Nebraska 42, Indiana 31

---

Mike’l Severe – Big Red Wrap-Up

Nebraska should be rested and fairly healthy coming off the bye week. I like the match-up of the Huskers’ skill players vs the Hoosiers secondary. If Nebraska can get set vs Indiana’s pace on offense and force some three and outs I think NU holds on for the win.

Nebraska 31, Indiana 27

---

HuskerOnline Week 5 Score Predictions

Week 5	Sean Callahan	Steven Sipple	Robin Washut	Andy Kendeigh	Jim Rose	Mike’l Severe
Indiana at Nebraska	41-34 Indiana	38-35 Indiana	42-35 Indiana	42-38 Nebraska	42-31 Nebraska	31-27 Nebraska
Michigan at Iowa	23-14 Michigan	21-17 Michigan	12-10 Iowa	15-11 Michigan	28-14 Michigan	27-14 Michigan
Purdue at Minnesota	38-17 Minnesota	37-21 Minnesota	31-17 Minnesota	34-31 Minnesota	35-17 Minnesota	34-20 Minnesota
Illinois at Wisconsin	27-23 Wisconsin	24-21 Wisconsin	23-10 Wisconsin	24-14 Wisconsin	17-14 Wisconsin	24-17 Wisconsin
Kentucky at Ole Miss	37-31 Ole Miss	31-27 Kentucky	28-27 Kentucky	37-27 Ole Miss	35-31 Kentucky	31-24 Ole Miss
Okla. State at Baylor	34-30 Baylor	27-24 Baylor	34-31 Baylor	27-24 Baylor	31-28 Baylor	30-28 Okla. State

HuskerOnline Score Prediction Standings

Expert Picker	Straight Up	vs. the Spread	Cumulative Total
Mike’l Severe Big Red Wrap-Up	14-5	10-9	24
Robin Washut HuskerOnline	12-7	10-9	22
Steven Sipple HuskerOnline	11-8	10-9	21
Jim Rose KFAB Radio	11-8	10-9	21
Sean Callahan HuskerOnline	11-8	7-12	18
Andy Kendeigh KETV ABC-Omaha	10-9	8-11	18