Ohio State football: Don’t sleep on Nebraska

Nebraska is 3-6. At first, when I looked at their record, I expected to see the usual Scott Frost-coached Cornhuskers team we’ve gotten used to. Not overly athletic, somewhat inept, completely overmatched by the Ohio State football team. What I’ve found is this version looks dangerous despite their record. The Buckeyes simply can’t sleep on Nebraska.

Senior quarterback Adrian Martinez looks better than he has since his freshman season. He’s shown he is capable of making a myriad of throws and is dangerous with his feet. The Buckeyes can’t let him stand in the pocket all day and look for a receiver, but they also have to be careful when blitzing, because Martinez will take off and hurt you.

Don’t be surprised if you see Steele Chambers, Ronnie Hickman, or Craig Young hovering around the line of scrimmage as a spy. Although he had not turned the ball over much this season, he threw three bad interceptions against Purdue and can be forced into mistakes. The Nebraska offense averages almost 30 points and 470 yards per game. Martinez finally has the weapons to work with he has been lacking the past two seasons.

Their defense gives up just over 300 yards per game and they will get after you. They look much faster and aggressive than in recent seasons. The linebacker trio of Luke Reimer, Nick Henrich, and JoJo Domann are everywhere.

Safety Deontai Williams leads the team with four interceptions and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt has broken up eight passes. However, opponents have completed 65% of their passes. I think they’ll really struggle to slow down the Buckeyes in this area.

A couple of other things to keep in mind are the Huskers’ offensive line has given up 22 sacks so far. Despite the mobility of Martinez, you can still get to him. They have also fumbled thirteen times in nine games and their kicking game is nothing to get excited about (just 7-13 FG’s).

All of Nebraska’s losses are by seven points or less. Their schedule has been as difficult as any in the country with games against Oklahoma, Michigan State, Michigan, and Purdue. Do I think they will beat Ohio State? No. I think the Buckeyes are better equipped to take advantage of things other teams have not.

But, I think the Huskers will make life much more difficult for OSU than they have in a few years. Ryan Day needs to make sure his team does not sleep on Nebraska.