Ohio State Football: Husking Nebraska, in depth analysis
Ohio State’s first real test comes this Saturday against a Nebraska team that hopes to join Iowa and Purdue and beat the Buckeyes in an unanticipated upset.
For Nebraska, this match-up against Ohio State is their marquee game of the year. College GameDay will be there and it’s prime-time on a Saturday night, and hype hasn’t been at this level for 20 years.
On offense, the Cornhuskers (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) are led by second-year starter Adrian Martinez, who has already passed for 1,052 yards and ran for another 234, accounting for 10 total TDs (7 passing, 3 rushing) as well.
On the ground, the Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) won’t be able to focus on one back. In addition to the threat of Martinez, Nebraska has three other backs that have been heavily featured so far this season.
Maurice Washington leads the way with 268 yards but only has one TD. Power back Dedrick Mills has fewer yards (229) but has punched the ball in five times and will be a player to watch in short yardage situations.
Finally, Nebraska also has Wan’Dale Robinson, who plays at wide receiver but is often used in the backfield, totaling 119 rushing yards and a TD in addition to his 195 yards (and 2 TDs) in the air.
Speaking of receivers, Nebraska has four of them with over 100 yards (including Robinson), led by J.D. Spielman, who has 383 receiving yards and will give trouble to Jeffrey Okudah and Jordan Fuller in the secondary.
Chase Young, who could be aided by the potential return of Johnathon Cooper, will face an offensive line that has given up 10 sacks of Martinez, which is middle-of-the-road. Young himself has accounted for seven sacks and will aim to increase that margin against Nebraska’s O-line.
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On defense, the Blackshirts will be led by senior Linebacker Mohamed Barry, who picked up where he left off last year (112 total tackles). Leading an inconsistent defense this year, Barry will have to dominate to stop the explosive Buckeye offense.
In their four games so far this season, Nebraska has given up 21 (South Alabama) and 8 (Northern Illinois) points at home. On the road, they have given up a combined 72 points against Colorado and Illinois, so they could benefit from what should be another sold-out crowd in Lincoln. The raucous atmosphere that will be Memorial Stadium could be a major factor when Barry and others make plays on defense.
CB Cam Taylor-Britt and Eric Lee Sr. (2 INTs each) will look to spoil Justin Fields’ perfect run so far and force his first INT of the season, but the task will be difficult as Binjimen Victor and K.J. Hill will try to exploit a defense that has given up 960 yards, ranking 94th in all of college football.
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Overall, the Cornhuskers have a solid team, but it is difficult to see how they can beat an Ohio State team that has been absolutely on fire to start the 2019 campaign. However, if the Nebraska defense can force a couple of turnovers, Memorial Stadium will be rocking and could be a recipe for an upset.