Buckeyes barely beat Huskers as Blackshirts struggle, baffling bettors

On another beautiful fall afternoon at the Horseshoe, the No. 4-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes came back in the fourth quarter to beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers 21-17. The Buckeyes were 25 ½-point favorites over the visitors who were defeated in Bloomington a week ago 56-7. But the Huskers played with tremendous heart and effort and had several opportunities to get their first road win against a top-ten ranked opponent since 1997 (Washington).

Unfortunately, with the defeat some sad streaks were prolonged. The Huskers have lost 27 consecutive games against ranked opponents, including 18 on the road. They are also 0-6 in games played to secure bowl eligibility in the Matt Rhule era. Four more chances remain as the Huskers head into November with the same 5-3 record they had last season.

But this game was a stark contrast to last week’s effort, as the team rallied to regain the confidence needed down the stretch, as well as some respect from a highly respected opponent. I’m not sure many experts saw this coming. I was hoping the team could stay at least a few points behind when I predicted a 38-14 OSU win. However, Matt Rhule said in his postgame press conference that it was the first time since he got here that he felt a championship mentality in the locker room. “I thought they had grown up. I challenged them: ‘It better look like this next week.'” As the 19th-century American novelist James Lane Allen is said to have quipped: “Adversity does not build character; reveals it.” The Huskers responded to last week’s embarrassment and revealed what they’re made of.

This was another game where the defense kept Nebraska in the contest. OSU is reloaded annually with a group of future NFL receivers and their rookie WR Jeremiah Smith scored on a 60-yard touchdown reception and Carnell Tate had 4 receptions for 102 yards and a 40-yard touchdown play. His final score was a well-executed 9-yard touchdown throw to running back Quinshon Judkins out of the backfield for the game-winner. Rhule said those three plays were the exception on an afternoon when the Blackshirts were probably the more dominant defense. Of Ohio State’s 11 drives, they scored three touchdowns, but six drives were stopped with a 3-and-out and a turnover, one resulted in a missed field goal, and another was a 1-play drive that ended with an interception. Ohio State was 1 of 10 on third-down conversions. Ohio State managed just 23 yards in the third quarter, and Nebraska’s defense held Ohio State to season lows of 64 rushing yards, 285 total yards and 21 points. The Buckeyes’ previous lows had been 141 rushing yards (at Oregon), 412 total yards (vs. Iowa) and 31 points (at Oregon).

Quinshon Judkins entered the game averaging nearly seven yards per carry and co-starter TreVeyon Henderson was averaging over eight. Judkins averaged 2.9 yards on 10 carries and Henderson averaged 2.5 yards on his ten carries. The Buckeyes averaged just 2.1 rushing yards as a team. The Blackshirts recorded two sacks, tying the most allowed by Ohio State in a game this season, as they had only allowed five sacks in the previous six games. The defense also had seven tackles for loss, the most allowed by Ohio State in a game this season.

DeShon Singleton led the defense with 10 stops and three of Jimari Butler’s five tackles were tackles for loss (a career high), including a sack and four solo stops. Butler ran over the Buckeyes’ backup left tackle. MJ Sherman also had a career-high two tackles for loss, including a sack. Malcolm Hartzog Jr. got burned on one of the Buckeyes’ scores, but redeemed himself with his team-leading fourth interception of the season in the third quarter, where he returned it to the OSU 7-yard line. The offense failed to convert that opportunity into a goal and that may have been the difference in the final score.

Surprisingly, Ohio State’s infraction did not receive a single penalty. Please allow a brief rant about the referee. How difficult is it to spot the ball? Emmett Johnson had a first down of nearly two yards late in the first half and the ball was a yard away, costing the Huskers at least 18 seconds off the clock. Then in the third quarter, after Hartzog’s interception, on third-and-goal, Jaylen Lloyd entered the 1-yard line and the ball was marked at the two-yard line. The sent play was based on the ball at the one and Dante Dowdell came up less than a yard short of fourth down. The offensive interference calls were almost criminal and Buckeye coach Ryan Day slams his headphones on the ground, touches a referee and gets a warning on the sideline. Someone much more objective than me might assume that the Big Ten was trying to ensure the Buckeyes made the playoffs and their officials ruled accordingly. But it’s not just a single game. The referees are bad every week.

On offense, Dylan Raiola was 21 of 32 for 152 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception on a poorly thrown ball on the Huskers’ final possession. He missed some wide receivers, but he plays with grit and continues to function as a surprising 19-year-old team leader. He also discovered that he can take advantage of a defense that plays man-to-man by fighting more than normal. He finished with nine carries for a career-high 31 yards rushing, and his 38-yard second-quarter run to set up a Nebraska field goal was Nebraska’s longest in a Big Ten game this season. With Rahmir Johnson out of the suit, Dante Dowdell led all running backs with 60 yards on 14 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to give Nebraska the lead. Emmett Johnson added 30 yards on 8 carries and the Huskers totaled 121 yards rushing versus 70 last week against Indiana. I tend to believe the Buckeye defense is better than the Hoosiers, so it’s a step in the right direction.

Jacory Barney Jr. had seven receptions for 49 yards to increase his total to 34 receptions this season. He is just the fifth Husker freshman and second true freshman to catch 30 passes in a season. Tight end Thomas Fidone II caught four passes for 55 yards, including a 33-yard reception in the fourth quarter. With his four receptions today, Fidone has 49 career receptions and is one reception away from becoming the 11th tight end in program history with 50 career receptions. Jamal Banks added 2 catches for 31 yards, but continues to struggle mightily with blocking on the perimeter.

The plays remained a mystery, as six of Raiola’s 21 completions were screens or flat passes that lost a total of 9 yards. Inexplicably, two of those calls came in the Huskers’ final stretch, hardly putting the Huskers in position to secure the winning score. When a play doesn’t work the entire game, why does one think it will work with the game on the line?

Special teams were a mixed blessing, but at least they weren’t all bad this week. The highlight was the kick by John Hohl, who connected on field goals of 39 and 54 yards in the second quarter, and a 47-yard field goal in the third quarter. Those are Nebraska’s three longest field goals of the season. Previously, Hohl was just 1 of 5 on kicks with just 21 yards under his belt. It’s amazing what can happen when the center can make it to the starter without all the drama. Punter Brian Buschini was more inconsistent than usual as he averaged 40.8 yards on six kicks with a length of 52 yards. The return game produced a total of 3 yards, not to mention that Kwinten Ives fumbled the opening kickoff and recovered at the 9. Kickoffs could prove important in the remaining games and Hohl’s skill today was encouraging.

After back-to-back losses to ranked opponents, the Huskers return home to face a 2-5 UCLA team that beat Rutgers 35-32 in Piscataway last weekend. The Bruins will be coming off a bye week as will our five opponents from Indiana to Wisconsin. Something seems a little rotten with that kind of Big Ten programming. Beating the Bruins to become bowl eligible seems much more feasible after today than after last week’s humiliation. The defense has the skills to keep us in all the games left on the schedule. If the offense can figure out how to gain some type of consistency and develop an identity, the Huskers can pick up a few more wins and make this season a positive sign of development. Let’s see if the Husker faithful can develop some of the character our guys show on the field. Go big red!!