Indiana Football Stock Report: 4 Players Rising and 3 Players Falling After Nebraska Win

Which Hoosiers are trending up and which are trending down? Here's the latest Indiana football stock report after a narrow 20-17 win over Nebraska.

Oct 10, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Nick Marsh (11) runs after a catch for a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Indiana football is 6-0 after becoming the first team in the country to clinch bowl eligibility Saturday with a 20-17 comeback victory over Nebraska.

But the Hoosiers didn't emerge from Lincoln without a few concerns, and several players are beginning to carve out larger roles as Big Ten play intensifies.

Here are four Hoosiers trending up and three trending down entering Indiana's top-five showdown with Ohio State.

Rising: Nick Marsh

Nick Marsh picked quite the time for his best game as a Hoosier.

The Michigan State transfer caught six passes for 187 yards and scored both of Indiana's fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 75-yard catch-and-run and a 44-yard score that completed the comeback.

Marsh also spent 85.2% of his snaps lined up outside, running just three routes from the slot. His continued emergence gives Indiana another dangerous perimeter threat alongside Charlie Becker.

If there was any doubt about Marsh's place among Indiana's top offensive weapons, Saturday erased it.

Falling: Indiana's run game

The ground game that carried Indiana through much of its first five weeks was nowhere to be found in Lincoln.

The Hoosiers managed just 66 rushing yards on 22 attempts, averaging 3.0 yards per carry. Lee Beebe finished with 31 yards on nine carries, while Turbo Richard managed just 10 yards on eight attempts.

Indiana entered Saturday averaging more than 250 rushing yards per game. With Ohio State coming to Bloomington, the Hoosiers can't afford another afternoon where their offense becomes so dependent on the passing game.

Rising: Jacob Savage

Freshman linebacker Jacob Savage is beginning to make a case for a larger role in Indiana's offense.

Savage played a season-high 19 defensive snaps against Nebraska, recording two tackles for loss and a pass breakup.

Indiana frequently used three-linebacker packages during last season's dominant defensive campaign, but depth beyond Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones has been a question this year.

Savage's emergence could give defensive coordinator Bryant Haines another dependable option and allow Indiana to revisit some of those three-linebacker looks.

Falling: Daniel Ndukwe

After missing the Rutgers game with an injury, Ndukwe returned against Nebraska but played just two defensive snaps.

It's unclear how much of that limited workload was injury-related. Still, for a player who ranks third on the team with 4.5 tackles for loss, his absence from the rotation was noticeable.

With Indiana's defensive front getting healthier and other players making their case for more snaps, Ndukwe's role is worth monitoring.

Rising: Preston Zachman

What a difference a week makes.

Preston Zachman appeared on the falling side of last week's Stock Report after a difficult performance against Northwestern and a subsequent dip in playing time against Rutgers.

But the seventh-year senior played all 87 defensive snaps against Nebraska and has now earned a Pro Football Focus tackling grade above 80 in four consecutive games.

Zachman still has limitations in pass coverage, but his tackling ability remains valuable. Halfway through the regular season, he ranks third on Indiana's defense in tackles and appears to have reaffirmed his place in the secondary.

Falling: Chiddi Obiazor

Indiana's improving health along the defensive front has created a numbers game, and Chiddi Obiazor appears to be on the wrong side of it.

With Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt at or nearing full strength, opportunities have become increasingly difficult to find for some of Indiana's rotational defensive linemen.

Obiazor played just four snaps against Nebraska and has recorded just five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss through six games.

Rising: Josh Burnham

Josh Burnham hasn't generated much attention through the first half of the season, but his performance against Nebraska deserves some recognition.

The defensive end recorded two tackles for loss and his first sack as a Hoosier, delivering his most productive performance since transferring to Indiana.

Burnham also played the fourth-most snaps among Indiana's defensive ends, another indication that he's beginning to establish himself in the rotation.