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Ohio State Football: 3 keys to beating Nebraska

By Ryan Stano

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) runs past Penn State Nittany Lions safety Ji'Ayir Brown (16) and linebacker Brandon Smith (12) during the third quarter of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021.Penn State At Ohio State FootballSyndication The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) runs past Penn State Nittany Lions safety Ji'Ayir Brown (16) and linebacker Brandon Smith (12) during the third quarter of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021.Penn State At Ohio State FootballSyndication The Columbus Dispatch /
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If the Ohio State Football team can keep Martinez from beating them with his feet, they will be better off.Penn State At Ohio State Football
If the Ohio State Football team can keep Martinez from beating them with his feet, they will be better off.Penn State At Ohio State Football /

The first thing the Buckeyes must do is make Adrian Martinez hurt them with his arm. Martinez is a dual-threat quarterback and has run for over 430 yards this season. Not only that, but he has 11 rushing touchdowns on the season. He’s a real threat to get loose.

Ohio State’s defense has had some struggles with their pass defense. Sean Clifford just lit them up last week. Even so, Martinez is more dangerous as a runner than he is a passer. Martinez has just 12 touchdown passes this season to go along with 7 interceptions.

Martinez has the tendency to turn the ball over. One thing the Buckeyes can do is take the ball away. Making Martinez one-dimensional makes it easier to do that. It also cuts down on the number of yards that Nebraska can put on you, as they have the second-most potent offense in the Big Ten.

Matt Barnes will have to devise a game plan to keep Martinez hemmed in the pocket. He is dangerous in scramble situations, so he may have to have a linebacker spy on him. This will be even tougher to do in the first half without the services of Steele Chambers.

If the Buckeyes can force Martinez to hurt them through the air, they have a good shot at getting some interceptions and stopping drives in their tracks. That’s what Ohio State’s defense needs to do if they want to keep Nebraska at bay.

The second key to winning has to deal with turnovers on offense.

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