This week, Nebraska will have arguably the toughest test of the season when they travel to Columbus to take on fourth ranked Ohio State. Nebraska is coming off a blowout loss to Indiana and Ohio State is coming out of a bye week. Before their bye, Ohio State lost a close game to now first ranked Oregon. It’s no question that Ohio State is loaded on both sides of the ball so this will be an important game for Nebraska. Let’s look at Ohio State’s line up.
Ohio State Defense
The Ohio State defense is a great unit that is full of talent. They have playmakers all over this side of the ball, which has contributed to one of the most successful defenses in the country this season. Statistically, they rank second in total defense, third in scoring defense, and sixth in run defense in the country. They also rank third in the nation when it comes to points allowed. The Buckeyes, on average, only give up 11 points a game. Only two of their opponents have scored more than 11 points. This is a stout defense that knows how to make it difficult for their opponents to score.
Ohio State is bolstered with talent on this side of the ball. They are led by their defensive ends, Jack Sawyer and Jt Tuimoloau, totaling 5.5 sacks combined. These two edge players do a great job getting into the backfield and rushing the quarterback. They definitely make their presence known and present a great challenge to the offensive line. Another crucial piece to Buckeyes defense is defensive tackle Tyleik Williams. He is a very disruptive player with a ton of speed and agility. Williams has totaled 16 tackles, including two tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks through only four games. The Buckeyes secondary is another strength of their defense. This includes their starting safeties, Lathan Ransom and Caleb Downs. Ransom is a fifth-year senior that has done well so far this season. on the season, he has 29 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery for a touchdown. Although he has struggled with missing tackles at times, overall, he has had a very successful season thus far. Alabama transfer Caleb Downs has also had a pretty good season for the Buckeyes. Downs has contributed with 26 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and three pass break ups. He is a key member of their defense and has helped them have a fantastic year. Overall, Ohio State has a tough defense that will challenge Nebraska’s offense.
Ohio State Offense
Offensively, the Buckeyes run a high-power, high-flying offensive scheme. Their “run first, pass second” type of offense has been very successful thus far. They are a top 10 offense in many different categories. This includes, ranking sixth in the country in both total and scoring offense. Another impressive stat is their success rate in the red zone. They have scored every time they’ve been in the red zone. This makes them a perfect 26 for 26 with 24 of those scores being touchdowns. Ohio State is second in the Big Ten in rushing offense. On average, they rush for more than 200 yards per game. The Buckeyes are very skilled and powerful on this side of the ball.
Ohio State has an endless amount of talent on their offense. It starts with Kansas State transfer quarterback Will Howard. Howard has had a tremendous season thus far. He has 14 touchdowns to only three interceptions.
Howard is a dual threat quarterback with his ability to both run and pass effectively. He has completed 73.3 percent of his passes for 1574 yards. The Buckeyes also have fantastic wide receivers in Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith. Egbuka has been a great weapon for Howard so far. He has 40 receptions for 626 yards and six touchdowns; short passes is where he is most effective. He is also a great blocker which has been very beneficial. Jeremiah Smith is another elite wide receiver. As a freshman, he has had a breakout season breaking many records. Smith is the only player in Buckeye history to have touchdown catches in all six games. Another outstanding statistic is that he has had at least 70 total yards receiving in each game. Smith has size, speed, and agility, which has made him a very effective receiver. Ohio State’s run game has also been fantastic this year. Running backs Treveyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are the two main running backs that share the carries. Henderson is an explosive player that is great at breaking away and getting big runs. On average, he carries for about 8.15 yards per carry. He is a very fast back that is hard to get down. Henderson also has the ability to block which is helpful in both the run and passing game. Judkins has also had a great season so far. He has totaled 71 carries for 491 yards and six touchdowns. Judkins transferred from Ole Miss where he excelled. He may be considered one of the most physical runners and is very hard to tackle. All in all, Ohio State’s offense is one of the most talented units in all of college football and will definitely test Nebraska this week.
Fundamentals for Nebraska to win.
If Nebraska is going to win this game, they are going to have to play a great game. They will need to be nearly perfect and not make any mistakes. The Buckeyes are going to be coming into this game angry and will give us all they have. On the offensive side of the ball, we will need to protect Raiola and make smart decisions. We will also need to try to get our run game going as much as possible and use it effectively. As for the defense, we will need to try to limit big plays, tackle well, and try to force turnovers. Ohio State is great in the red zone. Therefore, we will need to prevent them from getting there. The black shirts will need to dominate on the defensive line and prevent Ohio State from gaining big yards on the ground. If we can do all of these things, I think we have a slight chance of winning.
Score Prediction
I have to be honest, after last week’s performance I’m not sure what to expect this week. Ohio State is a great team that plays tough, and I believe will do so against Nebraska. I think their offense and defense are just too powerful and that we will not be able to keep up. I predict Ohio State will win 42 to 7.
