Junior running back Quinshon Judkins (1) celebrates with freshman wideout Jeremiah Smith (4) after his touchdown to finalize a 21-17 score against Nebraska Saturday at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Liam Ahern | Lantern Photographer
Fans who tuned in Saturday to see how the Ohio State Buckeyes improved after a crushing one-point loss to Oregon Oct. 12 were left with far more questions than answers.
It took a clutch interception by Buckeyes cornerback Jordan Hancock on the final Cornhuskers drive to secure a victory.
No. 4 Ohio State (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) narrowly defeated Nebraska (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten) 21-17 in a matchup where the Buckeyes struggled to move the ball, recording a season-low 64 rushing yards.
Day said he was proud of the Buckeyes for their fourth-quarter response, but noted his team shouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place.
“We’re going to look back and find that we should not be in games like this,” Day said.
Nebraska’s offense earned the contest’s initial first down 10 minutes into the first quarter, though Ohio State’s defense held strong and forced a punt.
On Ohio State’s next drive, its attack kicked into gear.
The Buckeyes capped off the possession with a 40-yard deep ball from Howard to wide receiver Carnell Tate, giving Ohio State a 7-0 lead with just under a minute to play in the opening frame.
Still, the Cornhuskers didn’t falter, taking advantage of major holes in the middle of the Buckeyes’ defense.
On third down, Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola took off up the middle for a 38-yard rush into the red zone. Ohio State’s defense then recorded three straight tackles for loss, forcing a 39-yard field goal for Nebraska and making the score 7-3.
The Buckeyes didn’t take long to respond.
Howard uncorked a bomb to wide receiver Jeremiah Smith for a 60-yard touchdown. With the score, Smith tied Cris Carter’s program record for most touchdowns (8) in a single season by a freshman.
On Ohio State’s next possession, kicker Jayden Fielding pushed a 42-yard field goal wide right.
As time expired in the half, Nebraska kicker Jacob Hohl drilled a 54-yard field goal to put the Cornhuskers within one possession heading into the break.
Following a three-and-out on the Buckeyes’ first drive of the half, the Cornhuskers marched down the field thanks to four straight plays of 12 yards or more.
Nebraska, however, couldn’t get in the endzone, settling for a 47-yard field goal from Hohl to cut Ohio State’s lead to 14-9.
On the first play of the Buckeyes’ next drive, Howard overthrew wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and was picked off by Cornhuskers defensive back Malcolm Hartzog Jr., who returned the interception to Ohio State’s 7-yard line.
The Buckeyes stuffed four straight Cornhusker rushes, including stopping a fourth-down run from the 2-yard line by running back Dante Dowdell, to complete the goal-line stand.
Ohio State’s next two offensive possessions received boos from fans, as the Buckeyes went three-and-out on all three of its third-quarter drives.
Nebraska opened the fourth quarter with a 19-yard Dowdell rush and a 33-yard pass from Raiola to tight end Thomas Fisdone II.
The Cornhuskers grabbed their first advantage on a 1-yard Dowdell touchdown rush, and Raiola extended the lead with a shovel pass to tight end Nate Boerkircher for a two-point conversion that put Nebraska up 17-14.
Ohio State and Howard responded with a 37-yard pass to wideout Carnell Tate down the sideline.
Running back Quinshon Judkins finished off the Buckeyes’ drive with a 9-yard touchdown reception from Howard, who returned the lead to Ohio State at 21-17.
Judkins said despite the Buckeyes’ injuries and struggles on the offensive line, he feels they can bounce back from an off day.
“I would say for our offense, it definitely wasn’t our best day up front,” Judkins said. “But I think those guys are getting corrected. Coach [Justin] Frye does great at what he does as far as coaching, and I think he’ll definitely fix it for next week.
The Buckeyes continued to build momentum on the defensive end, forcing a Nebraska punt with just under five minutes to play in the contest.
Even so, following a three-and-out, the Buckeyes gave the Cornhuskers one final chance to respond.
On the second play of the Cornhuskers’ drive, Raiola threw a pass to wide receiver Jahmal Banks over the middle of the field for a 19-yard gain. Banks was met with a hard hit from Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese, who was given a 15-yard penalty and subsequently ejected after review deemed the collision was targeting.
This penalty moved Nebraska near midfield, though to no avail.
Ohio State stuffed the Cornhuskers for tackles for loss on two straight plays, before Hancock finished the job with a game-sealing interception to finalize the score at 21-17.
Day expressed the importance of building momentum and “leaving no doubt” so his Buckeyes avoid putting themselves in a dangerous position.
“I do like that way we kept playing even after a couple of unfortunate things went on, without leaving no doubt,” Day said. “We can’t leave it up to a call, and that mentality is what we talk about.”
Howard agreed and said he believes the nail-biter against the Cornhuskers can be a wake-up call for the Buckeyes.
“We can’t afford to put in a performance out there that we’re not proud of, like today,” Howard said. “I think today will wake us up and remind us that we got to just continue to grind every single day, every single week.”
Next week, the Buckeyes will travel to Happy Valley to face the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions noon Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
