Another week, another ranked road game in the Big Ten for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
The Huskers travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the #4 Ohio State Buckeyes, fresh off a bye week after a crushing 32-31 loss to Oregon the week prior.
Nebraska on the other hand, was pummeled 56-7 by Indiana, who now ranks as the
13th ranked team in the country.
It needs to be said, that the vibe around this Nebraska team right now feels low from a fan standpoint, but why should it?
We all would’ve loved to have started 5-2 during any of the last eight seasons, so that in itself is a huge opportunity and shows big growth.
How can the Huskers shake off a big blowout loss? Especially when they have to face a more talented team than the week before?
The Ohio State Buckeyes are legit; with size, speed and athleticism at all positions.
You have to attempt to slow down the dynamic running back duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins, and if you manage to do that, you have to somehow cover receivers Emeka Egbuka, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.
They have the second ranked total defense, and rank in the top 15 in passing and rushing yards allowed per game, with the help of star transfer safety from Alabama, Caleb Downs, and senior edge rusher Jack Sawyer.
Open up the Playbook:
Nebraska’s performance on offense last week was ugly to say the least.
They produced seven points, 304 yards of offense and five total turnovers, three of which were interceptions thrown by quarterback Dylan Raiola.
If you watch the tape, it is glaringly clear that not much is happening in terms of the passing game on offense, guys can’t get open, and the line collapses as a result.
Offensive Coordinator Marcus Satterfield will have to make a serious turnaround with the play call sheet before we could see Glenn Thomas take over, which just might be what is needed for this offense.
We have far too many weapons on offense for us to be ranked as the 87th ranked unit in the country, and it starts with the run game.
The Huskers haven’t reached 100 yards rushing since they beat Purdue, and that should not happen with a unit that includes three running backs and a backup quarterback that can all get the job done on the ground.
Success on Early Downs:
Both the Indiana Hoosiers and the Ohio State Buckeyes rank top 15 in the country in third down conversion percentage, and that can really make or break a drive defensively.
A huge point of emphasis should really be put on Terrence Knighton’s defensive line unit this week, at shutting down plays on first and second downs.
That won’t be easy as both Ohio State running backs have potential to take a handoff to the house on any given play.
Judkins leads the room with 491 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while Henderson adds 424 yards and four touchdowns.
The offensive line of the Buckeyes deserves some major props as well, a veteran unit that is 19th in the country in rushing offense and 10th in sacks allowed.
If the blackshirts defensive line can minimize the Buckeyes gains on first and second downs, the secondary will get put in a much better position than they were a week ago, as most of Indiana’s third down conversions were short yard plays.
Ball Security:
Plain and simple, you can’t turn the ball over five times for the second week in a row.
We will never know, but how big of a turnover was the redzone fumble from Donte Dowdell on 4th and 1 on the Huskers second drive, trailing 7-0?
Seven points seemed like what was going to happen as an ending result to a drive that had been moving smooth until that point, and that was when it seemed that Satterfield moved more and more away from the run.
The Hoosiers defense caught on to the pass routes, and jumped in front of numerous passes, three of them being intercepted.
The Buckeyes only rank 62nd in the country in takeaways, and before last weeks disaster, the Huskers were +6 on the turnover margin.
It was uncharacteristic to say the least, but if this trend continues in back to back road weeks, a lot will be known about this offense.
Prediction:
Sitting just one win away from the Huskers first six win season since 2016, I’m not sure this will be the weekend where the streak ends.
Ohio State is a far better team than the Huskers right now, and given that they’re coming off a bye week, certainly doesn’t help the cause.
Nebraska: 17 Ohio State: 42