LINCOLN, NE - All good things must come to an end, right?
Indiana walked into Lincoln on Saturday carrying the nation’s longest winning streak at 21 games. Nebraska hasn’t been so successful; the Cornhuskers had lost to 30 straight top-25 teams and hadn’t beaten a ranked team since 2016.
With under 12 minutes left, one of those streaks looked ready to die. Instead, Indiana pushed its winning streak to 22.
The Hoosiers erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Nebraska 20-17 at Memorial Stadium, scoring 14 points in under five minutes. It's their first Big Ten win since 2002 after trailing by 10 or more in the fourth quarter.
This kind of win was unique for Cignetti's program. Across his first 32 wins at Indiana, the Hoosiers trailed for a combined 99:09 of roughly 1,915 minutes. On Saturday alone, they trailed for 41:23, according to Ian Plaskoff.
Indiana hadn't trailed in a game since the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game, eight games ago. The Hoosiers are no stranger to nail-biters on the road in conference play after close games with Iowa, Oregon, and Penn State last year; experience prevailed in the end.
“Good teams find a way to win a game like this at the end,” Cignetti said postgame. “You got to have an indomitable will. A will that cannot be defeated or subdued. It’s a great team win”
You come at the king, you best not miss.
For three quarters, Nebraska looked like the better football team. The Cornhuskers defense stifled the Indiana offense; the Hoosiers ran just 17 plays in the first half, gained 115 yards and went into the half down 10-3, tied for their fewest points in a half under Cignetti. Nebraska held the ball for more than 22 minutes before halftime but came away with only 10 points after Kyle Cunanan missed a 40-yard field goal. Nico Radicic's two field goals were all Indiana had through three quarters.
The domination continued into the second half when dual-threat quarterback Anthony Colandrea turned a simple read option into a 39-yard rushing touchdown, putting Nebraska up 17-6 early in the fourth quarter.
Memorial Stadium erupted, a fanbase that has seen it all from national championships, Heisman Trophy winners, and now a losing streak that has lasted over 10 years. Cornhusker fans thought they had a statement upset. The pandemonium lasted for about 10 seconds of game clock.
On the first play of Indiana's next drive, Josh Hoover found Nick Marsh behind the defense for a 75-yard touchdown, pushing the game back to one possession.
“It was really loud; we had to go silent. But we responded with the immediate touchdown and then had some big stops on defense and finally broke through on offense.” Cignetti said, “We had to go down to the end and found a way.”
The very next possession, Marsh got free again on the play that decided it. Facing fourth-and-1 from the Nebraska 44, Indiana sold play-action, the Huskers bit, and Marsh was wide open. Hoover found his receiver for a walk-in 44-yard touchdown to take the lead, 20-17.
“I’ve seen the improvement over the last four weeks. He made some big plays today, and I’m happy for him, and I’m happy for us,” Cignetti said when referencing Marsh’s impact postgame.
Marsh finished with six catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Hoover completed 12 of 22 passes for 263 yards and both touchdowns.
“Nick made a great play,” Hoover said. “Nick got wide open on the fourth and short. It’s just a great response by our team. Never panic, just keep playing.”
Indiana’s defense closed the door. Nebraska went for it on fourth-and-9 from its own 44 with under five minutes left and failed. After a three-and-out, Indiana got one more stop, sacking Colandrea on downs. Earlier, Jamari Sharpe's interception at the Indiana 2-yard line had kept the Hoosiers within reach. The Indiana defense has been rock solid for all 22 games of the winning streak, and with this win, the Hoosiers tie 2008-2009 Florida as the only defenses to reach a 22-game winning streak without allowing more than 24 points. It’s a historic feat for the Hoosiers, but even without the glitz and glamour of a blowout win, Indiana had to play a hard-nosed brand of football to walk out of Memorial Stadium victorious.
“No matter how it’s going to get done, whether it’s pretty or not, we were going to walk out of Lincoln, Nebraska with a win.” Isaiah Jones said.
The win was Indiana's 27th straight against unranked opponents and moved Cignetti to 33-2 as head coach. It was far from the blowouts that built the streak, but it may say more about it. A team that couldn't move the ball for three quarters still found a way.
The streak lives, but so does something less visible. Indiana was far from sharp on Saturday, yet it did just enough in the fourth quarter, and now the Hoosiers can say they've been battle-tested.
"You want to be in these games. You want to be down. You want to know what it feels like to touch the stove," Jones said.
Now comes the biggest test of the season. Next Saturday, the past two national champions meet in a rematch of the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game. Indiana enters 6-0 and atop the Big Ten, with its 22-game winning streak on the line. Ohio State and Jeremiah Smith, whom many regard as the nation's top player, come to Bloomington with revenge on their minds.
