Curt Cignetti Understands The 'Tremendous Challenge' Nebraska Poses To Indiana

Nebraska is winning in many of the same ways Curt Cignetti's Indiana teams have. The Hoosiers' coach knows what that could mean Saturday in Lincoln.

Oct 3, 2026; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti looks on during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti has a way of making just about every opponent sound like the Greatest Show on Turf during his weekly Monday press conferences.

But when Cignetti ran through the numbers behind Nebraska's undefeated start to the season on Monday, there was plenty to back up his usual praise.

"We've got a tremendous challenge this week in Nebraska," Cignetti said. "Impressive, impressive football team. We'll have to play really well."

Why Nebraska has Cignettii's attention

Michigan State’s Caleb Wheatland, left, closes in on Nebraska’s Anthony Colandrea on a run during the third quarter on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Indiana and Nebraska will each put an undefeated record on the line Saturday in Lincoln, and the Cornhuskers have rarely been tested through their first five games.

Nebraska's average margin of victory sits at 29.4 points, just shy of Indiana's 33.4-point margin through five weeks. Cignetti also pointed to Nebraska's plus-six turnover margin and a rushing attack averaging 231 yards per game, which ranks 17th nationally.

Dominating opponents, winning the turnover battle and controlling games on the ground probably sounds pretty familiar to Cignetti. Those have been staples of his own Indiana teams over the past three seasons.

But one of the more interesting challenges awaiting Indiana comes at quarterback.

Cignetti has seen Cornhusker quarterback Anthony Colandrea before.

His James Madison team faced Colandrea and Virginia in 2023, when the then-true freshman completed 20 of 26 passes for 377 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Three years later, Cignetti sees a quarterback capable of causing problems in more ways than one.

"He's very talented. He's savvy, first of all," Cignetti said. "He sees the field really well, and he's very mobile and elusive too. So if there's nothing there, he has the ability to create plays with his arms and his legs."

Sound familiar?

Colandrea could test Indiana in a familiar way

Indiana doesn't have to look far into the past to find an example of what a mobile quarterback can do to its defense.

Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles completed 22 of 29 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns against Indiana in Week 4. The Hoosiers sacked him four times and consistently collapsed the pocket, but getting pressure didn't always mean ending the play.

Chiles repeatedly extended plays with his legs, escaped Indiana's rush, and found receivers downfield after the structure of the play had broken down.

Cignetti stopped short of equating the two quarterbacks Monday.

"They're a little different," Cignetti said when asked about the parallels between Colandrea and Chiles. "We'll have to do a great job of caging [Colandrea] and putting pressure on him."

That's easier said than done.

Colandrea has rushed for 249 yards and two touchdowns this season, averaging just under 50 yards per game. He's Nebraska's third-leading rusher, making his legs another element Indiana's defense has to account for Saturday.

Indiana eventually survived the problems Chiles created. Against an undefeated Nebraska team on the road, allowing Colandrea to repeatedly turn pressure into explosive plays could prove more costly.