Carnell Tate

For Buckeye fans, it was a win—but not the prettiest one. Ohio State faced an unexpected challenge against a Nebraska squad fresh off a tough 56-7 loss to Indiana, eventually scraping by with a hard-fought 21-17 victory at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. In doing so, the Buckeyes managed to avoid what would have been a second straight loss, but it was a nail-biter for fans.

The Buckeyes’ offense struggled through much of the game, feeling the absence of left tackle Josh Simmons, who was out for the season with a knee injury. Ohio State’s defense, however, saved the day with two critical fourth-quarter stops, capped off by Jordan Hancock’s clutch interception of Nebraska’s freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola. A shaky start saw Nebraska pinned deep by a wobbly Jayden Fielding kickoff and ultimately forced to punt from its own 9-yard line. Ohio State quickly got possession in Nebraska territory but came up empty after TreVeyon Henderson was stuffed on a 4th-and-1 attempt.

The game remained scoreless until late in the first quarter, when Will Howard found Carnell Tate for a 40-yard touchdown, putting Ohio State on the board. Nebraska responded on the next drive with a 39-yard field goal from John Hohl after Raiola scrambled for a season-long 38-yard run to get the Cornhuskers into scoring position.

Jeremiah Smith’s standout play made it 14-3, as he turned a Howard deep ball into a 60-yard touchdown—his eighth of the season, tying Cris Carter’s freshman record for Ohio State. The Buckeyes nearly extended their lead further, but Fielding missed a 42-yard field goal wide right. Nebraska closed the gap with a 54-yard Hohl field goal just before halftime, cutting Ohio State’s lead to 14-6.

After the half, Nebraska continued its rally with another Hohl field goal, this time from 47 yards, bringing the score to 14-9. Trouble struck when Howard’s pass landed in the hands of Malcolm Hartzog Jr., who returned it to Ohio State’s 7-yard line. However, the Buckeye defense came up big once again, with Davison Igbinosun stopping Dante Dowdell’s 4th-and-goal attempt just inches from the goal line.

Ohio State’s offense remained stagnant in the third quarter, and Nebraska finally capitalized, taking a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter on a Dowdell 1-yard touchdown run and successful two-point conversion. The Buckeyes answered with a crucial eight-play, 75-yard drive, finished by a 9-yard Howard pass to Quinshon Judkins, regaining the lead at 21-17. The defense held firm when needed most, securing the win with Hancock’s late interception as time dwindled.

Looking ahead, Ohio State will need sharper play on both sides of the ball when it travels to face a formidable Penn State team, ranked in the top five, for a noon kickoff next Saturday on FOX.

There were notable lineup changes for Ohio State this week. Freshman Jaylen McClain made his first career start at strong safety, alongside linebacker Arvell Reese in the 4-3 setup. Hancock took on safety responsibilities, with Lorenzo Styles Jr. filling in at nickel while Lathan Ransom missed the game with an injury. Left tackle Zen Michalski, starting in place of Simmons, also left the game late with an injury, prompting Donovan Jackson to shift outside and freshman Luke Montgomery to take over at guard. Freshman defensive end Eddrick Houston saw action at defensive tackle, and Caleb Downs replaced Brandon Inniss as the primary punt returner, though Inniss also saw some returns.

The Buckeyes honored their 2014 national championship team at the end of the first quarter, and the game drew a packed crowd of 104,830. Carnell Tate delivered his first 100-yard receiving game, but Arvell Reese was ejected late for targeting and will miss the first half against Penn State.