Andy & Ari On3 - Indiana ESCAPES Nebraska: Hoosiers, Curt Cignetti beat Huskers, 20-17

Episode Date: October 10, 2026

Andy and Ari  break down the Indiana-Nebraska game in Lincoln.Our show is presented by Polymarket!New User Offer: Deposit $10, get $50 upon sign uphttps://app.polymarket.us/S8ac/ON3Trade on College Football games every week on Polymarket. Download the Polymarket App with code ON3 for a $20 bonus upon sign up.18+ only. Restrictions and eligibility requirement apply. Not available in all jurisdictions. Trading is risky. 100% loss can occur.Join On3 today! https://www.on3.com/joinSubscribe to On3!  ⬇️ youtube.com/on3sports/?sub_confirmati...Welcome to On3 | The best of college football and recruiting https://www.on3.com/Listen to Andy & Ari On3 on podcast!Spotify 🎧: https://open.spotify.com/show/5AhQ4d2...Apple 🍎: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Follow Andy & Ari On3 on X! https://x.com/AndyAriOn3Follow Andy Staples on Twitter:   / andy_staples  Follow Andy Staples on Instagram:   / andy_staples  Follow Ari Wasserman on Twitter: https://x.com/AriWassermanFollow us on Twitter   / on3sports  Follow us on Instagram   / on3  Like/Follow us on Facebook   / on3sports  Hosts: Andy Staples, Ari WassermanProducer: River BaileyInterested in partnering with the show? Email [e-mail]  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

edition of Andy Iron 3 presented by Polymarket and Ari the corn huskers were oh so close oh so close to the biggest win the program has had in decades that was a really sad story Andy like I mean I don't know the the moment where they go up on that amazing clan Anthony Calandria run they go up by two possessions in the fourth quarter you know you're thinking what's the biggest moment that Nebraska can compare it to even in the last decade. And then nothing really came to mind, right? And then seemingly 10 seconds later, Nick Marsh catches a slant in houses. You know, I estimated the pure bliss in the stadium at about 18 real time seconds,

you know, and then it was it was just like that. So, you know, I think that the funny thing about that is, is that, you know, you and I kind of, you know, bickered a little bit about, you know, is Nebraska going to fold after that because they were still up by four and they were getting the ball back. And, you know, I think that it just, it felt very dire to me. And maybe it's because I've been watching Nebraska play for the past 10 years. And it's just like you think sometimes those, like, thoughts carry over.

But, you know, when Nebraska really lost was when they were down by four and had the ball, you know, two possessions later. And they had a fourth and nine from like their own 35 or something. And they went for it. They punt that ball because your defense has been playing well with the exception of a couple of plays. Five minutes left in the game. Put the ball. Yeah. I mean, I just, it was kind of a bizarre panic.

mode and it's like I don't even know if I blame that rule for that because it's like you are so close to tasting you know one of the biggest victories ever. That's playing like you need a miracle to win that game and they didn't need a miracle to win it. Because they were they honestly did win the game for three quarters. Yes.

Honestly. They played better. Their defense was hitting. You know, Indiana was hitting too and you know it would have been a I think a huge trajectory shift at least for this year. You know, I know year over things are different but Nebraska needed that. And you know the thing of them I find is like so joyous about college football in 2026 and beyond, Andy,

is that everybody has a chance. Yes. And I think the joy of that is seeing everybody have their turn in the sun. Yeah. Indiana had their turn and they'll have something that people who are 20 will remember when they were 80, you know, last year. But it felt like it was Nebraska's turn to feel something there. You and I were at the last game, Indiana lost.

We were. Think about that. We went south bend freezing our butts off December 2024. That is the last time Indiana lost the game. Now, I think what the last few weeks has proven to us, is it is not going to be easy for Indiana to repeat. They are not going to beat the living snot out of every team they play. That's not, those days maybe are done, probably not forever.

But this team isn't last year's team. They're not going to be able to just destroy teams. Now, I think Nebraska is better than it has been. This is not a Indiana's worse, and that's why Nebraska was in the game. Nebraska was in the game because Nebraska is better than they have been. And the thing is, like, they're going to Oregon next week. I would not be shocked if Nebraska is playing a fun game, a tight game against Oregon. I think this means they're capable of playing with teams like this.

So I know nobody in Nebraska wants to hear that right now. They just, they could have won this game. I was just going to ask you this, Andy, and it's a good point you're making is, you know, before this game was played, and we were in our living rooms or our offices talking about this virtually, we said, this is a pretty big moment for Nebraska to pre. that they can play with the best teams in the conference. But after that game happens, because they did prove that they can play with them,

they proved that they could even beat them, I think. They didn't do it, but they were in a position, I think, to win that game. Is this a this will feel okay in 48 hours moment, or is this a moment of devastation that lasts into the week? You can't let it be. You can't let them beat you twice because you're going to play an Oregon team that is very good, but that you can move the ball against. That's the thing.

Nebraska should be capable of playing. with Oregon as well. And I think that's what if you let this beat you twice, that's on you. That is completely your fault. So don't be that program. Don't, don't fall back into, we're not supposed to win. Woe is us. We had it. We blew it. And now we're done. You're not done. You're not done. You have one loss, which does not eliminate you from anything in a big 10 or the playoffs. And if you beat Oregon, you're right in the thick of a big time. Right back in it. So yeah, I understand. It's just I have a hard time and I think maybe this is a failure of mine is just the way my brain works in terms of like tasting the sweet nectar of success and victory and change. It was right there.

And then, you know, I'm not saying they're going to lose next weekend as a result of it. But this is what makes me so mad at home too. This is what makes me so mad about them going on forward on fourth and nine. Yeah. That was a we are so inferior that we must have a miracle. It almost felt. Yeah. And they didn't play that way.

They were not inferior. They belonged on that field. Yeah, that's a good point. punt the ball, play defense, get it back and score and tie the game or win the game. Like, you had a chance to do that. You didn't need to get desperate. Yeah, that's a really good point. I didn't think about it that way.

If you go for it there, you know, it felt like the air of desperation or a chance to try to get the momentum back on your home field. But teams who go for it in that situation admit that they're inferior to their opponent. Right. And like Nebraska. And you're not. What did the first three and a half quarters prove if not you're not inferior to them? Yeah. And their defense could have gotten a stop.

And they did. they did get a stop on the next possession and got the ball back. So, you know, what if they got to stop 40 yards? I mean, they were down by three, too. It wasn't five. I said, did I say five earlier? It was three. Yeah.

So, you know, it's a really tough break. And I'm curious, you know, what this means for both teams. Andy, I know that every single time a team loses or plays a close game, everybody sucks. Right. But there's never any credit given to anybody. Does this mean that Nebraska is much better than we anticipated? Does this mean that Indiana might not be as dominant? Some of both.

You know, I don't know. But no, it's not going to be as easy for Indiana. I think the Northwestern game showed us that. This showed us that. So Indiana's got tough games left to go. Like they've got to play Ohio State. They've got to play. They have Oregon still?

They don't think. I think who. Oh, here we go. It's not Oregon. I'm sorry. They have USC. They have Washington. So they have Ohio State and USC.

Yeah. Michigan, I'm not counting in that in that mix because I don't know what Michigan is right now. But I do. Minnesota. Minnesota's defense is fantastic. I mean, I think Indiana may struggle to score in Minnesota's defense.

Now, we'll say, if you make a mistake, Indiana will make you pay. And that's exactly what they did today. So Josh Hoover 1222, 22, 263 yards, two TDs, zero interceptions again. What do we say? Josh Hoover stays interception free.

They probably win the game. But they caught, they captured, like the, The Nick Marsh touchdown, I think, was Nebraska. That's the, they caught him in a, I, I didn't, I have to look at the play. He was open enough or it could have been a blown coverage. Well, no, he was, it was, he caught a slant against a zero, I think. Okay.

But the other one was a blown coverage, and they made him pay. And in fact, on the second Nick Marsh touchdown, there were two wide open receivers that Josh Hoover could have hit. Yeah. Would have scored. You know, for as, as awful as this is, because Nebraska fans have been loyal and, you know, they turn out, they care. They're passionate online, all those things it was for Nebraska.

That was a pretty important win for Indiana season because if you want to go ahead at River and post that schedule back up there again, losing at Nebraska and Lincoln on Saturday puts you in a must win position potentially at Ohio State or their home, right? They're home against Ohio State. But at a must win position against Ohio State because you could be fearing that, you know, 10 and 2, it isn't enough to get in still. Well, I mean, maybe if you'd scheduled somebody good in the non-conference, it wouldn't matter. Do you know what that was? That was Alley U, but you just stuffed it. But I'm saying like, you don't get to always control how strong your conference opponents are. And if you do not schedule a puff in the non-conference, you might cost yourself any extra lagway leeway.

Sorry. You just have DJ Lagway on the brain. Sorry. Yeah. Any extra leeway in terms of how the committee is going to view your resume. So, you know, I'm very curious that what's going to be happening with Oregon and Dante Moore, he's been back at practice. this, but this is setting up for a huge week for Nebraska to be facing Dylan Raola.

Who knows? That was devastating. And I hope that, you know, our friends in Lincoln are okay. That was tough. But the thing is don't, okay, fans, you feel however you want. Yeah. For the team, they cannot let this be devastating. They have to accept the fact they played a really good game against a very good team.

They made some mistakes. The very good team they were playing capitalizing those mistakes. So when you play the very good team next week, don't make those mistakes. stakes. You can win. You can beat a team like this. And that's the thing. I hope the players at Nebraska understand that. Like, you can beat a team like this. And again, that's why I don't like going forward on fourth and nine there because as a coach, you were telling your team, I don't think you're good enough to do this. You need a miracle. We have to pull one out of our butt. Don't feel that way. You don't, you didn't need a miracle. You played them toe to toe for three and a

half, three and three quarter quarters. Like, you were right there. They had the ball down three multiple times in the fourth quarter. Right there. You know, that's what you want. Yeah, I just, I was actually came away very impressed with Nebraska, specifically Nebraska's defense today. I realize they made a couple of mistakes.

But this is the best they played against a really good opponent in a long time. So I think there's a chance we could see Nebraska pull off one of these wins this year. And if you're a Nebraska fan, think about how you felt about your program in July. Come along with you. way you probably would have taken that in July so you know I know that doesn't really help but in the time that we're here you know moving on to the future you have a big week coming up that's right Nebraska Oregon get over this loss get ready to play because you got a chance to win it meanwhile Indiana it's not going to be as easy but it might be more it might be kind of fun

playing some crazy games because you're still really good you just might not win every game by five touchdowns. And, you know, for those of us in the viewing public, that's going to be fun.