Justice Ellison rushed for 105 yards and scored two touchdowns in the first half as No. 16 Indiana celebrated its best start in 57 years with a 56-7 victory over Nebraska on Saturday. This win matched the Hoosiers’ largest Big Ten victory ever.
Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke injured his right (throwing) hand and watched from the sidelines in street clothes during the second half. Tayven Jackson took over for him for the rest of the game.
“A little thumb thing, I feel good about it, I really do,” said Indiana coach Curt Cignetti about Rourke. “It was precautionary (to take him out).”
The Hoosiers (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) have not trailed in any game this season, and every win has been by a margin of ten points or more. The 49-point victory was the largest in conference play since they won 49-0 at Minnesota in 1945.
The last time Indiana won seven straight games was in 1967 when they started 8-0. Cignetti is the first coach in the program’s history to win his first seven games and has never had a losing season in his 14 years as a head coach.
“I’m not going to let them get complacent, and not the coaches, either,” Cignetti said. “I was a maniac in the fourth quarter.”
The Cornhuskers (5-2, 3-2) were expected to be the toughest competition for Indiana so far. However, the only defense in the country that had not allowed a rushing touchdown gave up five, including Ellison’s 5-yard touchdown on the opening drive.
“We’ve got some real blue-collar guys up front,” Cignetti said. “They put a good day’s work in.” Ellison, a senior transfer from Wake Forest, also scored a 31-yard touchdown run to give Indiana a 28-7 lead just before halftime. He achieved his 105 yards on just nine carries.
“This happened on my watch,” said Nebraska’s second-year coach Matt Rhule. “And I’ll be honest, I didn’t see this coming. I’m not embarrassed of our players, but I’m embarrassed about the job I did.”
Rourke completed 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Myles Price, giving Indiana a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
“You keep winning, people are going to come,” Cignetti said after Indiana had its first sellout since 2021. Jackson threw two touchdown passes to Miles Cross and Elijah Sarratt.
Ty Son Lawton rushed for 64 yards on eight carries and had a 1-yard touchdown. The Hoosiers averaged 9.3 yards per offensive play in the first half.
Nebraska’s defense, which had held five of six opponents to 10 points or less, allowed a season-high in points to the nation’s No. 2 scoring offense, which came in averaging 47.5 points per game.
Freshman Dylan Raiola for Nebraska completed 28 of 44 passes for 234 yards, with three interceptions and a lost fumble.
