No. 16 Indiana defeats Nebraska 56-7 to remain undefeated; Rourke injured his hand and missed the second half

Justice 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 win over Nebraska on Saturday, marking the Hoosiers' most lopsided Big Ten victory in the program history.

Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke injured his right (throwing) hand and was on the sideline in street clothes during the second half. Tayven Jackson replaced him for the rest of the game.

“A little thumb thing, I feel really good about it,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said of Rourke. “It was a precautionary measure (taking him out).”

The Hoosiers (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) have never trailed this season and every win has been by double digits. The 49-point winning margin 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. In his 14 years as a head coach, he has never had a losing season.

“I won’t let them get complacent, and neither will the coaches,” Cignetti said. “I was a maniac in the fourth quarter.”

The Cornhuskers (5-2, 3-2) should be Indiana's toughest opponent yet. But the only defense in the country that didn't allow a rushing touchdown gave up five, including Ellison's 5-yard TD on the first possession.

“We have some real workers at the helm,” Cignetti said. “You did a good day.”

Ellison, a senior transfer from Wake Forest, added a 31-yard TD rush for a 28-7 lead just before halftime. He managed his 105 yards on just nine carries.

“This happened on my watch,” second-year Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. “And I’ll be honest, I didn’t see that coming. I’m not ashamed of our players, but I’m ashamed of the work I did.”

Rourke completed 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Early in the second quarter, he threw a 7-yard TD pass to Myles Price for a 14-0 lead.

“You keep winning, people will come,” Cignetti said after Indiana’s first sellout since 2021.

Jackson added two scoring passes to Miles Cross and Elijah Sarratt.

Ty Son Lawton ran for 64 yards on eight carries and scored a 1-yard TD. The Hoosiers averaged 9.3 yards per offensive play in the first half.

A Nebraska defense that limited five of six opponents to 10 points or fewer allowed the second-best offense in the country, which averaged 47.5 points, to set a season-high point total.

Nebraska freshman Dylan Raiola completed 28 of 44 passes for 234 yards with three interceptions and a lost fumble.

The takeaway food

Nebraska: The slow start to an open date grew worse as the Cornhuskers suffered their most lopsided loss since Ohio State's 62-3 win in 2016.

Indiana: The schedule appears to be getting more challenging with home games against Washington and Michigan and a road trip to Ohio State, but the Hoosiers' confidence continues to rise. Projected to finish 17th in the 18-team league, the surging Hoosiers have established themselves as legitimate title contenders.

Impact on the survey

Depending on how the teams ahead of them perform on Saturday, the Hoosiers could secure a big move into the Top 25.

Next

Nebraska: Visits Ohio State next Saturday.

Indiana: hosts Washington next Saturday.