10 Things We Learned From Ohio State’s Close Call Over Nebraska

10. Offensive Play-Calling Is a Major Issue

Nebraska’s offensive coordinator is a problem. Marcus Satterfield was a questionable hire, and the offense looked awful in 2023. Now, a lot of that can be excused by a lack of any viable quarterback, but the lack of imagination in Ohio State territory crippled Nebraska’s chances. Satterfield loves wide receiver screens, and it is fair to say Ohio State knew what was coming. It is not an exaggeration to say that an upgrade at offensive coordinator wins this game for the Huskers.

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2. Buckeyes Survive With Late INT

Nebraska trailed by four and was driving late after a targeting call on the Ohio State defense gave them the ball near midfield. With the game on the line, Nebraska had a false start, a pair of unproductive screen passes, and Dylan Raiola threw an awful interception right to Ohio State defender Jordan Hancock. That was the only turnover forced by the Ohio State defense, and it came just in time to preserve the victory.

3. Explosive Plays Save Offense

The Ohio State offense was expected to have a strong day coming off of a bye week, but the Nebraska defense largely kept them in check. On a per-play basis, it was ugly, but explosive plays in the passing game saved the Buckeyes. Will Howard was 13 for 16 for 221 yards with three touchdowns. That included a 60-yard touchdown reception for Jeremiah Smith and a 40-yard touchdown catch for Carnell Tate. Tate had an outstanding day, catching four passes for 102 yards. He also had a catch and run that helped set up the game-winning score for Quinshon Judkins.

4. Running Game Disappoints... Again

Ryan Day talked a lot this offseason about the Ohio State Buckeyes becoming more physical and dominating games on the ground. Chip Kelly was brought in as the offensive coordinator, Quinshon Judkins was added in the transfer portal, and Will Howard is a physical force at quarterback. Through more than half of this season, the Buckeyes have not been able to dominate games or even excel in the running game. They ran the ball 31 times for 64 yards, an average of just 2.1 yards per carry. Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson were under three yards per carry, and the longest rush of the day was only 15 yards. A second loss is coming if they cannot get this fixed right away.

5. Offensive Line Injuries Mounting

Ohio State’s offensive line is in shambles. Left tackle Josh Simmons was lost for the season during the Oregon game, and the Buckeyes looked utterly incapable of replacing him. Backup Zen Michalski stepped in and was mostly subpar before leaving with an injury that appears to be long-term, as he was carted off. A shocking 32 percent of Ohio State’s running plays went for zero or negative yardage, and they were again woeful in short-yardage situations. Credit is deserved for Nebraska’s defensive front, but Indiana ran for more than six yards per carry on that group the week prior.

2024 National Championship Odds: Ohio State +400

6. Nebraska Blows a Golden Opportunity

Nebraska was a 25.5-point underdog, so this was not a game they were at all expected to win, but it was yet another one-possession loss and a game that was there for the taking. The Cornhuskers have made a habit of losing very winnable games and have had all kinds of opportunities to steal a massive upset in Columbus. Dylan Raiola had two poor throws that would have resulted in touchdowns, and the Huskers were stonewalled on the goal line in the second half. Nebraska was close, but it feels like that gets said an awful lot.

7. Winning in the Trenches

Nebraska got pushed around and embarrassed by the Indiana Hoosiers and had to respond on Saturday in Columbus. They did that, winning upfront on defense and holding Ohio State to just 2.1 yards per carry. Quinshon Judkins only averaged 2.9 yards per rush, and TreVeyon Henderson only had 2.5 yards per rush. Ohio State had six short-yardage situations that they tried to run the ball on, but they did not pick up a first down on any of those rushes. It was an excellent bounce-back performance by the Huskers.

8. Defense Regains Pride

The Cornhuskers gave up a few explosive plays, but that is nearly a given when you face the Ohio State receiver corps featuring Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Smith, and Emeka Egbuka. Nebraska’s secondary should feel good about themselves, as the defense did enough to win this game. Egbuka was held to just three catches for 20 yards, and if you remove the 40 and 60-yard touchdowns, Ohio State would have been below 200 yards of total offense. The performance included seven tackles for loss and two sacks.

9. Work in Progress

Dylan Raiola has a lot of talent but may have hit a freshman wall. Raiola was extremely shaky against Indiana, and he struggled, unsurprisingly, against Ohio State. The freshman was only 21-for-32 for just 152 yards with one interception. Raiola showed some mobility as he escaped for a 38-yard scamper, but he was sacked three times and only had three completions of more than ten yards. The most significant issues were the two open touchdowns he completely missed, which proved fatal. Raiola has a ton of talent, but he’s not a good quarterback right now.

10. Offensive Play-Calling Is a Major Issue

Nebraska’s offensive coordinator is a problem. Marcus Satterfield was a questionable hire, and the offense looked awful in 2023. Now, a lot of that can be excused by a lack of any viable quarterback, but the lack of imagination in Ohio State territory crippled Nebraska’s chances. Satterfield loves wide receiver screens, and it is fair to say Ohio State knew what was coming. It is not an exaggeration to say that an upgrade at offensive coordinator wins this game for the Huskers.

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