Indiana fans were not happy with the officiating in their Week 6 matchup at Lincoln, and they made sure everyone knew it. Curt Cignetti’s team eventually survived an upset due to a fourth-quarter rally, defeating Nebraska 20-17. However, the fans were still upset with how the game was officiated.
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Indiana came into the game on a 21-game winning streak under Curt Cignetti, so a tight game against an unranked Nebraska team was not what Hoosier fans had in mind. However, the weather conditions didn’t help the passing offenses of the two teams.
Due to strong winds, the first half didn’t feature much in terms of air yardage. Nebraska took the lead with a 28-yard field goal. Indiana responded with a field goal of its own. But the Huskers came for a fight against the defending champions and had a touchdown drive at the end of the first quarter.
The Hoosiers went into halftime trailing 6-10, and then the offense stalled further. Neither team could manage a point in the third quarter. The Huskers broke the deadlock with a 39-yard touchdown run by QB Anthony Colandrea. That woke up Cignetti’s team.
A play into its drive after the Nebraska touchdown, Josh Hoover completed a pass to Nick Marsh, who caught and ran with it for a 75-yard touchdown reception. The Hoover-Marsh duo connected again minutes later, this time for a 44-yard touchdown reception. Indiana held on to the 20-17 score and walked out of Lincoln with a win.
And while the comeback will dominate the discourse in the aftermath, the officials became the main topic during the game.
It started with a few posts about holding calls and grew from there. Fans picked up on the complaint fast, and some brought statistics to back it up.
“I’ll just leave this here.” Here, the fan added a screenshot from Pick Six Preview saying Nebraska’s opponents had not been called for holding once in 377 snaps.
“It’s a complaint for me,” a fan wrote, while another said, “Only when Nebraska has the ball.”
Nebraska was flagged for holding once in the first quarter, according to Matt Malloy of the Daily Nebraskan.
“Nebraska getting away with holds as per usual,” a comment read.
Nebraska’s offense put up 216 yards in the first half, though yardage alone doesn’t prove any missed calls.
“Refs are absolutely killing us. Destroying our drives with non-calls,” a fan wrote.
Indiana had just one offensive drive in the first half, and it lasted 7 minutes and 41 seconds.
Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports pointed out the same issue.
“Not a complaint, simply an observation: Refs in Lincoln today seem to have a loose interpretation of the holding rule,” Fornelli wrote on X.
In his next post, he added, “Again, this is not a complaint. The officials in Lincoln are here to watch the game like everyone else.”
A loose interpretation of holding just means the refs let small jersey tugs and quick hand grabs go instead of flagging every bit of contact. That can make a game more physical, with fewer stoppages. But one call or non-call can’t prove a crew is doing that, and it takes more plays and more film to see a real pattern.
There was a real holding flag in this game. In the first quarter, when the score tied 3-3, Nebraska was called for holding, its first of the day, according to Malloy. That pushed the Cornhuskers back to third-and-12.
In the second half, even announcer Gus Johnson appeared frustrated after Indiana was called for a roughing the passer penalty after the Hoosiers’ defense had intercepted Colandrea.
Fortunately, the calls didn’t end up hurting the Hoosier. In his interview from the field after the final whistle, Cignetti didn’t focus on the missed calls or decisions that went against his team. Instead, he praised his offense that woke up when it needed to in the second half. Next up, the Hoosiers are hosting Ohio State in Week 7.