Carnell Tate caught four passes for one hundred and two yards including a forty-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter to lead the Ohio State offense.
It was the Ohio State defense that stood out in the win as they allowed just one touchdown, stopped Nebraska on a fourth and goal from the one, and Jordan Hancock's interception on the final drive that ended the Cornhusker's chances of an upset.
Ohio State improved to 6-1 overall (3-1 Big Ten) and will meet Penn State on the road next Saturday.
Olentangy Offerings
1) Last week against Oregon, Ohio State lost left tackle Josh Simmons for the rest of the season and the loss of Simmons was immediately felt against Nebraska.
Replacement Zen Michalski didn't play well and then suffered his own injury in the fourth quarter.
2) The offensive line now has to find someone capable of blocking Penn State's All-American Abdul Carter, who will have played very little this season or not at all, and have him ready in a week.
Seems to be a very tall task,
3) The woes on the offensive line have affected the running game with Ohio State running for only sixty-four yards for a tiny 2.1 yards per carry.
If you can't run the ball on Nebraska, how do you expect to do so against more physical teams such as Penn State or Michigan?
4) Will Howard threw three touchdown passes with one interception but Howard threw only sixteen passe, completing thirteen and it made me think about why Ryan Day threw so few passes.
The passing game was working but the running game wasn't yet the commitment was to what wasn't doing well, which is puzzling to me?
5) Jeremiah Smith caught one of Howard's touchdown passes, which gives him one in each of the seven games this season.
Smith is the first true freshman to do this since Sidney Rice of South Carolina did it in 2005 and his eight for the season, tied him for the Buckeye freshman record with Cris Carter, who accomplished his feat in 1984.
6) Carnell Tate's game was the first in his career of over one hundred yards and Tate is also showing signs of a legitimate deep threat.
Now if only Will Howard has the time to get the deep game going, Ohio State will really have something.
7) Ohio State was fortunate to only lose Arvell Reese for the first half against Penn State on a targeting call on the final Nebraska drive.
I've griped about targeting in the past but the fortunate break was Ryan Day on the field, slamming his headset on the field and perhaps brushing the official.
Could have been an extra fifteen yards to Nebraska but Ohio State wasn't penalized as they were warned for sideline issues.
8) The second-quarter miss from forty-two yards by Jayden Fielding was just awful.
Fielding's kick was so wide that it landed closer to the sidelines than the goalpost and was so off-target, that if there wasn't something amiss, I would have major concerns about Fielding.
9) Massive game from Cody Simon, who made the finishing hit on fourth down to stop the Huskers at the goal line and made two more tackles for losses on the final Nebraska drive.
10) Ohio State sacked Dylan Raiola three times and held him to only 152 yards passing.
In fact the biggest play the freshman was with his legs, when he galloped thirty-eight yards on a first-half run.
11) Not an inspiring game off a two-week layoff and they better pick up the pace in State College next week, another setback could mean a season that Ohio State entered as a potential dream season would become an instant nightmare.
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