Indiana’s football team faces a big challenge Saturday when the undefeated Hoosiers travel to Lincoln, Neb., to face unbeaten Nebraska.
The environment in Lincoln will provide a much different kind of test for Indiana. Nebraska routinely draws more than 90,000 fans to Memorial Stadium, creating one of the loudest atmospheres in college football.
Indiana offensive lineman Joe Brunner played at Nebraska twice with his former team, Wisconsin.
“It's an awesome atmosphere,” Brunner said.
Brunner said playing in environments like Nebraska’s is part of what makes Big Ten football special. Indiana has been preparing by playing audio of crowd noise at practice.
That preparation is especially important for the offensive line.
Brunner said the crowd noise allows Indiana to practice communicating and using a silent count, something the Hoosiers expect to need Saturday.
Read more: Undefeated IU faces stiff test at Nebraska
Indiana did not need to use a silent count during last week's 47-15 win at Rutgers, but Brunner said the team has practiced it since spring ball.
While the crowd presents one challenge, Nebraska's defense is another.
Brunner praised the Cornhuskers’ defensive line, pointing to its combination of size, strength and athleticism. Nebraska has also been effective pressuring opposing quarterbacks.
“They're a very talented front,” Brunner said. “They got a lot of athletes on that defensive line and they do a lot of different things.”
Indiana's offensive line has helped the Hoosiers establish one of the team's biggest strengths: its rushing attack. Indiana has rushed for 600 yards through its first two Big Ten games, including nearly 330 yards in the win at Rutgers.
Nebraska defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri knows stopping that rushing attack will be a priority for the Cornhuskers. Nwaneri wants to show the Hoosiers the physical style Nebraska plays.
“We're just going to come in, focus on really just playing our brand of football,” Nwaneri said. “That’s really the main point. You know, try to kill their engine, kill those two running backs and that's really it.”
For Indiana linebacker Rolijah Hardy, the biggest defensive challenge will be dealing with Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea.
Colandrea is a dual-threat quarterback who can create plays with his arm and legs.
“Being able to contain him in the pocket is going to be a big thing for us this week,” Hardy said.
Colandrea has thrown for over 1,100 yards and rushed for more than 250.
The UNLV transfer is a big reason as to why Nebraska's offense has been so productive this season, averaging more than 44 points per game.
The Hoosiers will also look to build on a strong defensive performance at Rutgers. Indiana held Rutgers to under 60 rushing yards and stopped the Scarlet Knights twice on fourth down.
For Brunner though, the environment and challenge are exactly what makes games like Saturday's special.
“They got 90,000 over there, it’s an awesome atmosphere…” Brunner said. “If that doesn't fire you up to go play a Big Ten football game, I don't know what does.”
Kickoff is at noon Saturday.
