On another beautiful fall afternoon at the Horseshoe, the No. 4-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes came from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 21-17. The Buckeyes were 25 1/2-point favorites over the visiting team, who lost 56-7 in Bloomington a week ago. But the Huskers played with tremendous heart and effort and had multiple opportunities to pick up their first road win against a top-10 opponent since 1997 (Washington).

Unfortunately, with the loss, several upset streaks were extended even further. The Huskers have lost 27 consecutive games against ranked opponents, including 18 on the road. They are also 0-6 in games played to ensure bowl eligibility under Matt Rhule. The Huskers have four more chances left as they head into November with a 5-3 record from last season.

This match, however, was a stark contrast to last week’s effort; The team rallied to regain the confidence and respect of respected competition needed for the grueling run. I’m not sure many experts saw this coming. When I predicted OSU would win 38-14, I was hoping the team could at least stay within a few points of the spread. But Matt Rhule said in his post-match press conference that he felt the championship mentality in the locker room for the first time since he got here. “I thought they were growing up. I challenged them, ‘Next week better look like this.'” As 19th-century American novelist James Lane Allen quipped, “Adversity does not build character; It reveals this.” 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 reloads each year with a group of future NFL receivers, and freshman WR Jeremiah Smith scored on a 60-yard touchdown pass and Carnell Tate had 4 catches for 102 yards and a 40-yard TD game. Their final score was a well-executed 9-yard TD throw to running back Quinshon Judkins out of the backfield for the game winner. Rhule noted that those three games were an exception in the afternoon where the Blackshirts were arguably the more dominant defense. They had three scores off Ohio State’s 11 drives, but six of their drives were stopped by turnovers on 3-and-out and downs, one resulted in a missed field goal, and one was a 1-play drive that resulted in an interception. Ohio State was 1 of 10 on third down conversions. Ohio State managed just 23 yards in the third quarter, and the Nebraska defense held Ohio State to a season-low 64 yards, 285 total yards, and 21 points. The Buckeyes’ previous lows were 141 yards (at Oregon), 412 total yards (vs. Iowa) and 31 points (at Oregon).

Quinshon Judkins entered the game averaging nearly seven yards a carry, and Co-Starter TreVeyon Henderson averaged more than eight. Judkins averaged 2.9 yards on 10 carries, while Henderson averaged 2.5 yards on ten carries. The Buckeyes rushed for just 2.1 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 struggled with seven tackles for loss, the most Ohio State has allowed 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 (career high), including a sack and four solo stops. Butler ran all 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 by returning it to the OSU 7-yard line with his team-leading fourth interception of the season in the third quarter. The offense couldn’t convert this opportunity into a score and that could be the difference in the final score.

Surprisingly, not a single penalty was called for by the Ohio State offense. Please allow a brief rant about refereeing. How difficult is it to spot the ball? Emmett Johnson was trailed by almost two yards at the end of the first half and the ball was flagged a yard incomplete, costing the Huskers at least 18 seconds off the clock. Later in the third quarter, on third-and-goal after Hartzog’s pick, Jaylen Lloyd moved inside the 1-yard line and the ball was flagged for two. The sent play hinged on the ball on first down and Dante Dowdell was less than a yard away from fourth down. The offensive interference calls were almost criminal, and Buckeye coach Ryan Day touched a referee by slamming his headset on the ground and received a sideline warning. Someone much more objective than me might assume that the Big Ten was trying to make sure the Buckeyes made the playoffs and the referees made the call accordingly. But this is not a one-game thing. The referees are bad every week.

Offensively, Dylan Raiola finished the game 21-of-32 for 152 yards with no interceptions and no touchdowns on the Huskers’ final possession. He missed some open receivers, but he plays with grit and continues to serve as a surprising team leader at 19 years old. He also discovered that he could take advantage of a man-to-man defensive advantage by trying harder than usual. He finished with nine carries for a career-best 31-yard run, and his 38-yard run in the second quarter to set up a Nebraska field goal was Nebraska’s longest run in Big Ten play this season. With Rahmir Johnson ineligible, Dante Dowdell led all rushers 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, while the Huskers recorded 121 total yards versus 70 yards against Indiana last week. I believe the Buckeye defense is better than the Hoosiers, so this is a step in the right direction.

Jacory Barney Jr. made seven catches for 49 yards, bringing his total to 34 receptions this season. He is 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 catch in the fourth quarter. With his four receptions today, Fidone has 49 career receptions and is a significant step toward becoming the 11th tight end in program history with 50 career receptions. Jamal Banks added 2 catches for 31 yards but continues to have great difficulty blocking on the perimeter.

Play calling remained a bit of a mystery, as six of the 21 passes completed by Raiola were screens or straight passes for a total loss of 9 yards. Inexplicably, two of those calls came on the Huskers’ final drive, barely putting the Huskers in position to secure the winning score. If a trick doesn’t work throughout the entire game, why would it work as the game continues?

Special teams have been a mixed blessing, but at least it wasn’t that bad this week. The highlight was John Hohl’s place kick, which connected on field goals of 39 and 54 yards in the second quarter and a 47-yard field goal in the third quarter. These are Nebraska’s three longest touchdown passes of the season. Hohl was previously 1 of 5 with just 21 yards receiving. It’s amazing what can happen if the snap reaches the catcher without all the drama. Punter Brian Buschini was more inconsistent than usual, averaging 40.8 yards on six carries with a length of 52 yards. The return play produced 3 total yards, not to mention Kwinten Ives muffed the first kickoff and recovered it at the 9-yard line. Groundstrokes could be important in the remaining matches and Hohl’s skill today was encouraging.

After back-to-back road 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 have a bye week, as will five of our opponents from Indiana to Wisconsin. Something about this kind of Big Ten scheduling seems a little rotten. After today, beating the Bruins to qualify for the bowl looks a lot easier than it did after last week’s humiliation. The defense has the strength to keep us in every remaining game of the schedule. If the offense can figure out how to gain consistency and develop an identity, the Huskers can pick up a few more wins and make this season a positive sign of improvement. Let’s see if the Husker faithful can build on some of the character our guys display on the field. Go Big Red!!

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