Husker Heartache: Babcock On Nebraska Football’s Blowout Loss in Bloomington

How about the title of the Charley Pride song “Heartaches by the Number”?

The numbers that mattered were 56-7, the final score of Nebraska’s loss at Indiana Saturday. If you didn’t watch at least some of it, you might be scratching your head right now.

Seriously, 56-7? Nebraska football hadn’t allowed 56 points since Scott Frost’s first season, 2018. The Huskers lost at No. 19 Michigan 56-10 then. The last time Nebraska lost by 50 or more points was 2020, the COVID-19 season, when the Huskers lost at No. 5 Ohio State 52-17. Saturday was the second-largest loss since Nebraska joined the Big Ten.

Indiana was ranked No. 16 and is now 7-0. Nebraska is 5-2, and still not bowl eligible.

“It sucks, but we’ve just got to learn from it and move on,” said Husker Dylan Raiola, who, like his teammates, had a rough day. The true freshman quarterback went 28-of-44 for 234 yards but threw three interceptions, not all of which were on him, Coach Matt Rhule said.

Nebraska also lost two fumbles, finishing minus-four in turnovers. Indiana scored half its points on turnovers. The Huskers had turned over the ball only four times in the first six games.

Indiana’s starting quarterback, Kurtis Rourke, went 17-of-21 for 189 yards and a touchdown, with one interception, a Hail Mary on the final play of the first half.

Rourke watched the second half because of a bleeding right thumb injury. Tayven Jackson, his replacement, was 7-of-8 for 91 yards and two touchdowns. With 1:33 remaining, Indiana took over at the Nebraska 40-yard line and Jackson knelt down three times, running out the clock.

Would you have envisioned that, three kneel downs by Indiana? Apparently, if not for the kneel downs, the Hoosiers would’ve had over 500 yards of offense.

The official stats say 495. The kneel downs indicate nine yards in losses.

Nebraska ran 75 plays to Indiana’s 63 — again, the last three kneel downs including. The Huskers finished with a 32:08-to-27:52 advantage in time of possession. Even so, the 49-point loss.

Indiana rushed for 215 yards and five touchdowns against a Nebraska defense that ranked seventh nationally against the run and had not allowed a rushing touchdown. The Huskers ranked seventh nationally in scoring defense, allowing 11.3 points per game.

Indiana had 14 points two and a half minutes into the second quarter, and 28 at half.

Nebraska finished with 304 yards of offense, 39 fewer than the Hoosiers had by halftime.

Getting weary of numbers? How about a couple more? Indiana ranked second nationally in scoring, averaging 47.5 points. The only game in which the Hoosiers scored more was 77-3 against Western Illinois.

Rhule apologized for the loss during his post-game media availability. He wasn’t “embarrassed of our guys,” he said. “But I’m embarrassed by what I did.”

The players gave it their all, he said, regardless of the score.

“I just think our guys will bounce back,” Rhule said.

They’ll need to. Ohio State in Columbus is up next. The No. 3 Buckeyes have an off-week to prepare.

“To be honest, I didn’t see this coming,” Rhule said.

It’s safe to say no one in Nebraska saw it coming.

“It is what it is right now,” Raiola said.

No more numbers are needed, right? The final score was enough for heartache.

We could have left it at that.