Despite early offensive struggles from No. 5 Ohio State, the Buckeyes ultimately got the job done in Lincoln, Nebraska — winning their seventh straight game.
The Buckeyes (8-1, 6-0 Big Ten) kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive Saturday, escaping Memorial Stadium with a 26-17 win over Nebraska (3-7, 1-6 Big Ten). A 46-yard field goal by graduate kicker Noah Ruggles with 1:29 remaining in the game pushed Ohio State’s lead to nine and iced the game.
It took some time for the Buckeyes offense to get operating, turning the ball over on their first two drives while failing to score in the first quarter for the first time since Week 2 against Oregon.
Although Ohio State’s offense saw itself in a situation they hadn’t seen since its lone loss of the season, the Buckeyes’ defense held tough in the game’s early goings. Nebraska’s offense was held scoreless in the first quarter, while only amassing 46 total yards in the quarter.
While the first quarter proved to be a defensive slog, the second quarter provided offensive fireworks.
Ohio State scored on its first three drives of the quarter, including touchdown passes by redshirt freshman C.J. Stroud on two consecutive throws — with wideouts Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the receiving end.
Nebraska came right back with 10 points of its own in the quarter, including a 72-yard touchdown pass from redshirt junior quarterback Adrian Martinez to senior wideout Samori Toure. But the Cornhuskers failed to convert on a single third down during the first half.
As the Buckeyes started the second half with a pair of field goals to push their lead to 13, Nebraska found the end zone late in the third quarter to make it a one possession game heading into the fourth quarter.
With junior wide receiver Garrett Wilson out due to an injury, Smith-Njigba rose to the occasion — hauling in career-highs in receptions and yards in the first half alone. Smith-Njigba finished with 15 catches — breaking David Boston’s program record for most receptions in a game — for 240 yards and a touchdown.
Smith-Njigba also made an impact on special teams, racking up 31 punt return yards on two returns.
As Smith-Njigba paced the Ohio State passing game, he also helped calm down Stroud — who struggled in the first quarter. Stroud completed 36-of-54 attempts for 405 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
As the Buckeyes’ passing game proved to be potent against the Cornhuskers, Nebraska made life difficult for freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson.
Henderson — who averages 7.9 yards per carry — was held to 92 yards on 21 carries. The Hopewell, Virginia, native could only rack up 4.4 yards per carry.
Defensively, Ohio State’s pass rush continued its strong stretch — racking up five sacks and eight tackles-for-loss.
Leading the Buckeyes’ relentless pursuit of Martinez was the defensive end duo of senior Tyreke Smith and junior Zach Harrison — with each picking up a sack and tackle for loss. Smith added five tackles, while Harrison finished with four.
The front seven’s strong play against the pass bled into its run defense, holding the Cornhuskers to 113 yards on the ground.
Ohio State’s defense stood tall on third down, in particular. The Cornhuskers failed to convert on a single third-down conversion until midway through the fourth quarter— finishing 2-of-13 on third down.
Ruggles was once again a hero in special teams for the Buckeyes, nailing all four of his field goal attempts.
Martinez, who was hounded by Ohio State’s pass rush all day, threw for 248 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Toure proved to be his favorite target of the day, hauling in four catches for 150 yards — including two catches for more than 50 yards — and a touchdown.
The Buckeyes return to Ohio Stadium Nov. 13, hosting Purdue with the kickoff time still to be determined.
