History of the game
Former Ohio State defensive end Chase Young sacks current Nebraska quarterback in the Buckeyes' 36-31 win against the Cornhuskers in Ohio Stadium on Nov. 3, 2018. Photo by Ric Kruszynski/Columbus Wired.
Come Saturday afternoon, Ohio State and Nebraska will kick off the 10th rendition of their game at high noon, Eastern Daylight Time.
The No. 5 Buckeyes (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) own an 8-1 mark over the Cornhuskers (3-6, 1-5) including 6-1 as conference opponents.
Aside from that first (and only) loss OSU suffered at the hands of the Huskers, it’s been a lopsided “rivalry” ever since. And not because of Nebraska’s inability to beat Ohio State since that game, but also due to the fact that nearly every game has been a blowout in the Scarlet and Gray’s favor.
In 2011, Nebraska welcomed the Buckeyes into Lincoln, Neb. for their first matchup since 1956. The two teams had only played two games before that being a 34-7 win in ’56 as well as another win the year before, 28-0, with both games played in Columbus.
However, the 2011 game was the first time the two schools were playing as Big Ten foes and was an important game for the Huskers to prove they belonged in their new conference.
Nebraska came in pre-ranked No. 10 that year and were off to a solid 4-0 start, making it as high as No. 8, until they ran into 7th-rated Wisconsin’s buzzsaw, 48-17, the weekend before their Big Ten showdown against the Buckeyes.
Still, the Cornhuskers were out to prove that they belonged and what better way than to beat the darling of the conference.
However, it began to look bleak for the Huskers after the unranked 3-2 Buckeyes were flexing all over them and had jumped out to an early third quarter lead after OSU running back Carlos Hyde ran for his 74th yard and second touchdown of the game to give Ohio State a 27-6 lead.
But Nebraska would answer back two drives later after recovering a Braxton Miller fumble and scored their first touchdown of the game to make it 27-13 halfway through the third.
Then bad luck continued to strike the Scarlet and Gray when Miller was knocked out of the game the very next drive. In came backup quarterback Joe Bauserman, who proceeded to complete nearly every single one of the 10 passes he threw.
Unfortunately, nearly every single one of those passes were either completed to players standing on the sidelines, the other team or fans sitting in the stands as Bauserman’s passes were wildly inaccurate for the last 22 minutes of the game. He finished 1-of-10 for 13 yards, no scores, one sack and one interception.
Miller had amassed 186 total yards with one touchdown pass, no sacks and no picks but did have the one turnover on the fumble before exiting the game with a shoulder injury.
Nebraska would ultimately draw first blood against Ohio State in their inaugural Big Ten season with a 34-27 win, would go on to a 9-4, 5-3 season and finish 24th in the country.
And as most everyone remembers, 2011 was the Luke Fickell season where the Buckeyes went 6-7 and had their first losing since John Cooper’s first year in 1988 when OSU went 4-6-1.
Since that fruitful Oct. 8 Saturday night, the Cornhuskers have been shucked six ways to Sunday against the Buckeyes, getting their corn roasted by an average score of 52-18. The closest game between the two in the nine-game history was Ohio State’s 36-31 win in 2018, which was current head coach Scott Frost’s first season at Nebraska. That was also former head coach Urban Meyer’s last season at the helm for OSU, which wasn’t entirely known to be his last but later became so after Meyer claimed he was suffering from a head cyst which caused insufferable, but according to him, manageable, headaches.
Fast forward three years later, and current head coach Ryan Day has continued the Buckeyes’ success against the Huskers with a 48-7 win in Lincoln his first year and a season-opening 52-17 victory last year in Columbus.
But that’s all in the past.
Come this Saturday afternoon, Ohio State will be making it’s fourth trip to Memorial Stadium and will take on a Nebraska team that’s had a tough go of it so far, losing all six of their games by eight points or less in each contest.
On paper, Nebraska isn’t all that terrible. There are some areas where they’re not too bad. But there are some areas where they’re a little more than meh.
The Huskers currently rank second in the Big Ten in total offense at 470 yards per game and quarterback Adrian Martinez is a big reason for those numbers. The junior is second in the conference at 301 yards of total offense a game and leads all quarterbacks in rushing yards by a substantial amount with 451. He also leads all QB’s in the conference with 11 rushing touchdowns and comes in fifth in scoring at 7.6 points a game.
When it comes to putting points on the board, Nebraska is the fourth-best team in the B1G at 29.9 points per game. And they can actually brag about being able to run the ball “better” than the Buckeyes at 203 yards per game while OSU clocks in just below them at 201.
When it comes to third and fourth down defense, Nebraska has bragging rights over Ohio State as well, allowing their opponents to convert on third down only 37 percent of the time and 35 percent on fourth down, which are good for seventh and fourth in the conference, respectively.
The Buckeyes rank next-to-last and sixth in the B1G at 43 and 42 percent, respectively.
However, OSU is the most potent offense in the nation and there are certainly some areas where they should expose the Cornhuskers.
Ohio State pass offense vs. Nebraska pass defense
It was announced less than two hours before kickoff that receiver Garrett Wilson will not be playing in today’s game.
That’s huge.
He’s Ohio State’s leading receiver and can instantly change a game with his ability to split zones and break away from man coverage.
That being said, the Buckeyes lead the nation at 47 points a game and are averaging over 77 yards more per contest than Nebraska at 548 yards per game. And OSU’s quarterback, C.J. Stroud, has been a huge factor for them with a B1G best 326 yards of total offense. The redshirt freshman has thrown for 2,270 yards (six more than Martinez) and his 186.1 passing efficiency ranks third in the country.
The Cornhuskers sit eighth in the conference against the pass, giving up 211 yards a game. They’re fifth in the B1G with eight interceptions and safety Deontai Williams is tied-for first in the conference and second in the nation with four.
Nebraska comes in at No. 9 in the B1G with 15 sacks and No. 8 in yards at 112. Ohio State has only given up nine sacks for 75 yards on the year, which is tied-for second and second alone in the conference in both of those categories, respectively. Only Michigan currently ranks better than Buckeyes in both categories.
EDGE: Ohio State
This could get interesting for the Buckeyes. But as they proved against a better passing D last weekend against Penn State, and didn’t turn over the ball, they should be able to weather the storm against the Cornhuskers.
And with Wilson’s absence, it could get really interesting for Stroud. However, he still has receivers Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba to fall back on as well as tight end Jeremy Ruckert. All three will be moving onto the NFL come next year, with the exception of JSN, who has one more year to go.
That kind of talent should supersede Nebraska’s talent and get them past the Cornhuskers through the air.
Ohio State rush offense vs. Nebraska rush defense
The Buckeyes’ 201 yards a game and the Huskers’ 137 allowed per game could spell doom for Ohio State. As witnessed last weekend, the Buckeyes had a tough time running until they decided to switch up offensive formations by running from under center rather than the shotgun. That opened up the door for TreVeyon Henderson to explode for 146 yards and a score after being held to six yards in the first half.
Nebraska has only forced two fumbles all year long and the Buckeyes have only lost two on the ground.
EDGE: Nebraska
I’m giving this one to the Huskers. If Ohio State continues to run out of the shotgun, it could mean another wall of opposing players waiting to gobble up Henderson at the line as was the case in the first half against Penn State. And as Buckeye Nation has witnessed all season long, Stroud will not be running the ball off of the read-option. He’s rushed 17 times for 18 yards and pretty much all of those runs have come from scrambles on passing plays.
However, if the Buckeyes switch it up and run from under center, they could have some success. But the Huskers have watched the tape and they should be ready for it.
Nebraska pass offense vs. Ohio State pass defense
The Buckeyes have come a long way since the Oregon game and their passing D has been a complete 180 from then. Their 10 interceptions ranked tied-for second in the league and their four pick-sixes lead the nation. They’ve also got two fumbles returned for scores that give them a nation-leading six defensive TD’s.
Martinez has been solid for the Huskers through the air but he’s also prone to making some mistakes with seven picks thrown against 12 TD’s. He’s thrown at least one pick in each of Nebraska’s big games (Oklahoma, Michigan State and Michigan) and threw a whopping four last weekend against Purdue.
Ohio State, however, has looked porous at times protecting the middle of the field as was evidenced last week against Penn State and in the loss to Oregon. Both teams had success converting on third down throwing into the middle of the field where the Buckeyes seemed to easily give up on multiple occasions.
EDGE: Ohio State
Nebraska is currently giving up nearly 2.5 sacks per game and the Buckeyes have sacked the quarterback more times for more yards than any other team in conference play at 28 for 198 total yards. If Nebraska can protect Martinez and he can keep himself clean of turnovers and maintain long possessions, they could keep it close.
But the Buckeyes have too much talent on the defensive line and with freshmen phenoms like Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau starting to come on, OSU should wear down the Huskers up front and create some havoc.
Nebraska rush offense vs. Ohio State rush defense
The Buckeyes really haven’t faced a mobile QB all year long so this will be their first true test to see how well they can contain Martinez and his QB league-leading 451 yards and 11 scores. He’s got speed and a nose for getting to the first down marker.
Ohio State comes in allowing 106 yards a game, which is good for fourth in the conference. The Cornhuskers rank fourth in the B1G at 203 yards per contest.
Something’s gotta give.
EDGE: Even
Even though Ohio State has been fairly good at stopping the run, Martinez’s ability to rush and scramble makes him look like a different QB when asked to tuck it rather than air it out.
The Buckeyes have improved at linebacker with the emergence of Steele Chambers. And USC transfer Palaie Gaoteote is starting to pick up the scheme and had an impressive play last week against Penn State where he was involved in the fumble that resulted in defensive tackle Jerron Cage’s 57-yard scoop-and-score.
Once again, though, this will be the first time the Buckeyes have faced a mobile QB and Martinez should have the home crowd hype behind him and could make OSU’s front seven look vulnerable.
Final score: Ohio State – 42, Nebraska –20
Frost is winless against the Buckeyes all three times he’s played them and right now at 3-6 overall, he’s desperate for a win. His first victory against the Buckeyes would be huge and could mean keeping his job because right now, he’s on somewhat of a hot seat.
However, this feels like a Rutgers-type of game.
Remember when the Scarlet Knights were 3-1 and had come off an “impressive” loss against Michigan in the Big House where the Wolverines dominated the first half but could barely muster a yard let alone a score in the second half?
After that, a lot of folks were giving them some serious cred and when the Buckeyes visited them in Piscataway, there was a feeling that head coach Greg Schiano had them turned around and were going to give the Scarlet and Gray a fight to the end.
Ohio State won 52-13.
The same should happen today but maybe a tad closer.
Nebraska’s six losses by eight points or less in each game feels like a red herring stat and although they’ll come out fired up and will make the first quarter or maybe even the first half look interesting, Ohio State’s horses should pull away in the second half and ultimately make the game a blowout.