After one of the most deflating losses Nebraska football has seen in quite some time, the Huskers will head to Columbus to take on the #4th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.
The overall consensus amongst Nebraska fans and the college football world alike is that Ohio State will roll, and Nebraska will take a second blowout defeat in as many weeks. Trying to flip the script against a top 5 team on the road is a rather tall task for a team that seems to be struggling in nearly every aspect of the game. Both Tony White and Marcus Satterfield took blame this week during pressers for the way the Huskers showed up against Indiana, and rightfully so.
In a press conference earlier this week, Satterfield took some national heat for his response to a question about yards per play and what he’s looking for out of his offense. “Between 4 and 6,” Satterfield replied. “I honestly don’t even know what leads the country in yards per play.” It was a bad look for the coordinator of a struggling offense going into a game against one of the most powerful programs in college football.
Head Coach Matt Rhule commented on Satterfield’s remarks, saying “I don’t want Satt worrying about the yards per play. I want him worrying about blocking #91 on Ohio State.” Rhule knows that the whole yards per play situation has gotten blown out of proportion, even if there is some merit behind the criticisms. He also knows that conversation right now will not suddenly materialize into more points scored against the Buckeyes. It would be ignorant to think that Nebraska isn’t trying to maximize the amount of yards on every given play. It’s just not happening, and the sole focus should be on execution.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Huskers look discombobulated. When Tony White was asked what he saw on the tape against Indiana, he said “schematically there were some things I did not like that were completely stupid.” The Huskers cannot afford to be lacking schematically come Saturday afternoon, and there should be an improved sense of togetherness from the Blackshirts. It will take stout play from the entire defensive group to slow down the high flying Buckeyes offense.
To completely rule out any possibility of an upset win for the Huskers would be to not look at what has already happened this season. Vanderbilt took down Alabama earlier this year after only being projected to win 2-3 games for the entire season. It’s not to say that the chances are high, but crazier things have happened and will continue to happen this season and for seasons to come. Why not Nebraska? That’s the message Coach Rhule and his staff should be sending this team, especially after suffering the kind of loss they did the week prior.
To quote C.S. Lewis, “There is no other day. All days are present now. This moment contains all moments.”
Score Prediction: 45-21, Ohio State.
