Nebraska Cornhuskers came to Columbus, Ohio and put a little fear in the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes survived a fourth-quarter scare and emerged with a 21-17 victory.
Ohio State improves (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) in the year. The Cornhuskers drop to (5-3, 2-3), adding more misery to their program. Nebraska was coming off a 56-7 blowout loss to Indiana Hoosiers in Week 8.
Under coach Day, it’s the Buckeyes’ 44th consecutive win over unranked opponents.
Buckeyes’ quarterback Will Howard got things going after he connected with Carnell Tate down the middle for a 40-yard touchdown pass to give Ohio State a 7-0 lead.
Buckeyes’ freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith ties Cris Carter for the most receiving touchdowns as a freshman in school history. Smith and Carter have eight touchdowns to share in common.
Also, Smith is the first freshman since Sidney Rice in 2005 to score touchdowns in his team’s first seven games of the season.
While trailing 17-14 in the fourth quarter, Howard threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Quinshon Judkins with six minutes left for the winning score.
There were two big players that the Buckeyes defense made in this game:
1) stopping Nebraska from scoring a touchdown at the red zone on 4th and goal in the third quarter
2) the interception by Ohio State defensive back Jordan Hancock to seal the deal.
Nebraska played tough against the Buckeyes. The result might not make them feel well, but no one expected them to make Ohio State sweat for it. Many would consider this an embarrassing game for the Buckeyes since they are better than this.
Buckeyes’ offensive line didn’t have an outstanding performance.
If you’re Penn State, you must feel good about your chance against Ohio State.
The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions will face off next Saturday, November 2, at 12 p.m. EST.
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