RUNNING GAME (C)
An average of 4.4 yards per carry is good, not great. But Wan'Dale Robinson showed no effects of his foot/ankle injury, looking like his usual explosive self in gaining 83 yards on 22 attempts. Dedrick Mills was tackled for no gain on a second-quarter third-and-1. On the other hand, Robinson sped 11 yards on a third-and-5 on the next possession. Luke McCaffrey, in the first meaningful action of his career, showed the sort of speed that fans anticipated, hence the "Luuuuuuuuuuke" chants.
PASSING GAME (A)
Noah Vedral and McCaffrey combined to complete 19 of 22 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. The true freshman McCaffrey showed ample poise in relief of starter Vedral as QB depth paid off in a big way. Vedral's play-action deep ball to JD Spielman on the first drive was a beauty. Vedral also made a nice pass under pressure to Kanawai Noa for a 16-yard gain to get the drive started. However, his second-quarter fumble on a pass play, returned 68 yards, was a momentum-zapper.
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AGAINST THE RUN (B)
Stevie Scott III blasted through the middle for 16 yards on third-and-1, but Scott was held to 68 yards on 16 carries. Peyton Ramsey's 11-yard scramble for a first down in the final minutes was a dagger.
AGAINST THE PASS (F)
Nebraska's poor play in this area was debilitating. Give Ramsey credit for his poise throughout the day, including on the fourth-and-1 completion to Whop Philyor for 23 yards on the Hoosiers' first drive. Philyor finished with 14 catches for 178 yards. Nebraska somehow managed to leave him open for a 24-yard gain in the third quarter. Later in the period, NU gave tight end Peyton Hendershot a free run downfield that resulted in a 40-yard gain. Ramsey finished 27-for-40 passing for 351 yards and two TDs, with an interception.
SPECIAL TEAMS (C)
It was pretty much a mixed bag here, as usual. Barret Pickering made his long-awaited return to action, and missed his first field-goal try (from 32 yards). But he drilled a 30-yarder to pull the Huskers into a 24-24 tie in the third quarter. Isaac Armstrong's third-quarter punt traveled only 19 yards and handed Indiana excellent field position -- which turned into a 35-yard touchdown drive. Will Przystup's 45-yard kickoff went out of bounds and gave Indiana the ball at the 35 in the third quarter.
GAME MANAGEMENT (D)
Nebraska came out of the gate on offense with its foot on the pedal, with players sprinting to the line of scrimmage. It was a good look. A not-so-good look for the Huskers: the flag on the ground as a result of Mohamed Barry's roughing-the-passer call on Indiana's opening possession. An even worse look: Mike Williams lining up in the backfield and getting called for an illegal formation to negate a first down in the red zone. The worst look of all: Carlos Davis' roughing-the-passer call on a fourth-down completion for a first down in the fourth quarter.
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PLAY-CALLING (B)
Scott Frost opened things up right away in the first quarter when receiver Spielman's pass to Vedral went for a 28-yard gain and sparked a touchdown drive. Loved the direct snap to Mills as Vedral looked to the sideline for instructions. Great acting job by the QB. But Frost went really conservative with a pitch to Robinson on third-and-6 from the Husker 12 in the third quarter.
OVERALL (D)
I was inclined to give a "C," but sub-par play by both the defense and special teams -- with too many mental errors -- drops it a notch. Just a rough afternoon for the home team.