3 factors that saved Indiana from a stunning upset at Nebraska

Deep breaths, Hoosier fans!

The Hoosiers were pushed to the brink by the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday afternoon, but were able to escape Lincoln with a 20-17 win. With the win, Indiana moves to 6-0 on the season while Nebraska falls to 5-1.

For three quarters, it looked like Indiana was going to have it's winning streak snapped at 21 games. Nebraska dominated time of possession and all facets of the game for the first half, but the Hoosiers came up with the biggest plays when it mattered most down the stretch.

Here are the three factors that made the difference and helped Indiana extend its winning streak to 22.

Timely explosive plays

The Indiana offense was held in check for most of the game. The Hoosiers found themselves trailing 17-6 early in the 4th quarter, and needed a spark to start the comeback. That's exactly what happened when Josh Hoover hit Nick Marsh for a catch-and-run 75-yard touchdown with 11:51 to play. The play came on the first play of Indiana's drive following a Nebraska touchdown. The Memorial stadium crowd was starting to reach a fever pitch, but this monster touchdown took away Nebraska's momentum and left the home crowd silent.

A few minutes later, the Hoosiers got the ball back facing a 17-13 deficit. Facing a 4th-and-1 at Nebraska's 44-yard line, Curt Cignetti opted to go for it. The move paid off, and an excellent play call led to a wide open Marsh scoring a 44-yard touchdown to give the Hoosiers the lead. Indiana wouldn't look back and held on for a head-fought three-point win. The explosive plays came at the perfect time, and played a vital role in the win.

Indiana's bend but don't break defense

The Nebraska offense had a good day. The Cornhuskers wore down the Hoosier defense from the jump, and were able to consistently move the ball down the field. In the first half, Nebraska ran a whopping 44 offensive plays compared to Indiana's 16 as the IU defense couldn't get off the field.

But Indiana came up with stops at the most crucial moments. The Hoosiers' bend but don't break defense held Nebraska to just 10 points in the first half despite being on the field for an overwhelming amount of time. In total, Nebraska won the time of possession battle 39:33-20:27. All things considered, holding the Huskers to just 17 total points was a major win and kept the Hoosiers in it.

Nebraska refusing to seal the deal

Nebraska had this game won. The Huskers were in firm control for the majority of the game, and looked to be on their way to ending a 30-game losing streak to Top-25 teams. Matt Rhule's team had several opportunities to put the game on ice, but they just couldn't come up with the big plays down the stretch.

Anthony Colandrea ran wild through the first three quarters, but he wasn't able to get any momentum going in the final 10 minutes. Indiana made the necessary adjustments to limit his mobility, and it forced the Huskers to throw the ball down the field while trailing late. Nebraska also missed a 40-yard field goal right before halftime that ended up looming large. You can't let a team like Indiana hang around!

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