Senior running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) waits to take the field against Nebraska. Henderson attempted 10 rushes for 25 yards as Ohio State beat Nebraska 21-17. Credit: Liam Ahern | Lantern Photographer
Ohio State entered its Saturday game against Nebraska desperate for answers and a statement win.
The Buckeyes left Ohio Stadium with a win, but no statement and more concerns.
In Ohio State’s Oct. 12 loss to then-No. 3 Oregon, its defense raised big questions after allowing nearly 500 yards of offense and failing to record a sack.
But the defense wasn’t the main problem in Saturday’s 21-17 victory.
The Buckeyes’ offense severely struggled in front of 104,832 fans against a middle-of-the-pack Cornhuskers defense.
And it all started up front.
It was no secret that left tackle Josh Simmons’ season-ending injury was significant.
Simmons’ replacement, Zen Michalski, struggled all afternoon. Head coach Ryan Day could’ve benched him; instead, he remained committed to letting the senior stick it out.
“We didn’t wanna just pull him out because it’s your first start, there’s some things you’re going through,” Day said. “Whether it’s first-time jitters or whatever it might be, you’re pressing, you’re trying to get your feet underneath you. So, we wanted him to play through that to see how that went.”
The left tackle situation got even cloudier with just under four minutes to play.
Michalski limped off the field — an arm around each trainer — grimacing in pain before being given crutches and carted away from the medical tent into the locker room.
When discussing who will fill in at left tackle moving forward, Day said the team will “have to talk about it and figure it out.”
All game long, Nebraska’s defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage.
Across 31 attempts, Buckeye rushers amassed a mere 64 yards, resulting in an abysmal 2.1 yards per carry.
When the Buckeyes were facing third down, the offense couldn’t move the chains, as Ohio State converted only one of its 10 chances.
Getting the ball to open the second half brought some promise. In their previous six games, the Buckeyes tallied 91 points solely in the third quarter.
However, in the third frame, on four drives, Ohio State went three-and-out three times and threw an interception, equating to 10 plays and just 23 total yards in the quarter.
“We’re way too explosive of an offense to stall out like we did in the third quarter,” quarterback Will Howard said.
In the second half, Howard only completed four passes, and the Buckeyes only mustered 88 yards.
But Howard has faith his offense can right these wrongs.
“We can’t afford to put 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 just gotta continue to grind every single day, every single week and not ever get complacent.”
The Buckeyes better wake up quickly because next weekend, they’ll head to Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania, to take on the undefeated No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions.
