IU football vs. Nebraska preview: Hoosiers, Huskers meet in Lincoln

Indiana lost at Cincinnati on Saturday. The Hoosiers are 1-0 since Nebraska joined the Big Ten. They need to win in Lincoln to have any chance of returning to the bowl field in 2022.

IU's offensive-line play was disappointing at Cincinnati. Head coach Tom Allen and offensive line coach Walt Bell are looking for a solution. Right tackle Matthew Bedford tore his ACL against Illinois. Zach Carpenter has missed the last two games with a hand injury. Caleb Murphy has deputized for him at center.

Josh Sales played briefly at right tackle on Saturday. Kahlil Benson is already claiming to play right guard. Allen admits there are some movement options for switching players. Indiana is arriving at the must-win portion of its schedule.

Trey Palmer has been the Cornhuskers' best wide receiver this season. Noah Pierre has played well for Indiana this year. He's logged the fourth-most snaps among defensive backs. Tiawan Mullen played a sort of nickel/husky hybrid last season but he's probably not the best cover option in the slot.

IU football faces Nebraska in Lincoln. Allen will play his defense with a static formation. Will he move Mullen into the slot for 1-on-1 matchups with Palmer? Will the defense play dynamic blitz packages like Kane Wommack designed for him two years ago?

Indiana's offense is moving fast and distributing the ball well, but the team's passing game is not so efficient. Nebraska's defense is even worse, with the worst pass defense in the Big Ten. Bill Busch will take over the defense until the end of the season. IU needs to exploit the Huskers' weaknesses to win on Saturday. The team has allowed more sacks than any other Big 10 team. IU's last win came at Cincinnati. It's coach, Tom Allen, lamented after the game that his team can't make opponents respect the run game. He also said that the pass game isn't effective.

The Cornhuskers are struggling on the defensive side of the ball this season. They are ranked 115 or worse in several categories, including 3-and-out percentage, yards allowed per drive, points allowed, defensive snaps per game and defensive efficiency. Nebraska is also bad against the pass. If they do not win on Saturday, they could be on their way to their first-ever 10-loss season, which is a real possibility.

Indiana is halfway to bowl eligibility. The Hoosiers are an underdog in each of their next four games. They play Nebraska, Michigan, Rutgers and Maryland. Indiana needs to win against Nebraska to be considered bowl eligible. The team needs a win to put a period on last season's disappointment. It needs the start of a push toward the postseason.