Huskers come up short in defensive battle against No. 4 Ohio State
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Nebraska football team on Saturday went on the road and lost a tight one to Ohio State 21-17.
Nebraska had a shot to win the game in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, but an interception from Dylan Raiola sealed the deal for the Buckeyes.
The Husker offense had its struggles throughout the day against a stout Buckeye defense, only totaling 273 yards with 121 yards on the ground.
Raiola completed 21 of his 32 passes for 152 yards and an interception. Thomas Fidone led the Huskers in receiving for the second week in a row with 55 yards on four catches.
Nebraska’s ground game came to life in the second half, with Dante Dowdell carrying the ball 14 times for 60 yards and a touchdown.
After an embarrassing showing last week against Indiana, the Blackshirts stepped up to the challenge and corralled Ohio State throughout most of the game.
They held the Buckeyes to only 64 rushing yards and 285 total yards. 100 of those yards came on two deep touchdown passes in the first half.
Will Howard completed 13 of his 16 passes for 221 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Carnell Tate led the Buckeye receivers with 102 yards on four catches and a touchdown.
One of the biggest storylines from the game is Nebraska’s kicking game. So far this season John Hohl was 1-for-5 on field goals. Today, Hohl went 3-for-3 with a 56-yard bomb before the half.
Even though the Huskers took a loss, there was a lot to pull from this game and they were able to put the Indiana game behind them.
The Huskers will be back in action next week against UCLA at Memorial Stadium as they continue their quest to be bowl eligible for the first time in eight years.
—
This is your place for live updates throughout Nebraska’s game against Ohio State.
First Quarter
Nebraska started the game the exact same way they did last week, a mistake on special teams.
The offense was backed up inside their own 5-yard line and went 3-and-out, giving the Buckeyes prime field position.
The Blackshirts stepped up to the challenge. They were able to stop the Buckeyes on fourth and short to give the ball back to the offense.
After a defensive battle to start the game, Ohio State’s offense finally got going. Will Howard was able to find Carnell Tate for a 40-yard touchdown pass, giving the Buckeyes a 7-0 after the first quarter.
Second Quarter
The Nebraska offense was able to answer. Dylan Raiola used his legs to get the Huskers all the way inside Ohio State’s 30-yard line.
The offense stalled out, but John Hohl was able to come in and hit a 39-yard field goal, making the score 7-3.
But Ohio State unleashed the deep ball once again. Howard found freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith for a 60-yard touchdown catch, giving the Buckeyes a 14-3 lead.
The Buckeyes got the ball back and went on a long drive. A missed field goal from Jayden Fielding gave the Huskers the ball back at the two minute warning.
Nebraska was able to drive down the field and get a 56-yard field goal from Hohl to make the score 14-6 at halftime.
Howard finished the first half completing nine of his nine passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith and Carnell each have 65 yards receiving and a touchdown, while the Buckeyes can’t get it going on the ground.
Raiola only had 43 yards passing in the first half, but led all rushers with 42 yards on the ground.
Third Quarter
Nebraska’s defense came out firing in the second half. They stopped the Buckeyes on their opening drive and gave the offense another opportunity.
The Huskers were able to get another field goal from Hohl, making the score 14-9.
On the very next drive, Howard overthrew his receiver and it fell into the hands of Malcolm Hartzog Jr.
Hartzog took it all the way to the 7 yard line, but the Huskers couldn’t convert, getting stopped on fourth down.
Fourth Quarter
Nebraska’s offense finally got hot. A 1-yard rushing touchdown from Dante Dowdell and a two-point conversion catch from Thomas Fidone gave Nebraska a 17-14 lead with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
But Ohio State answered quickly. The Buckeyes drove right down the field and got a 9-yard touchdown pass from Howard to Judkins, making the score 21-17.
—
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The Nebraska football team is on the road once again on Saturday as they look to take on No. 4-ranked Ohio State.
The Huskers sit at 5-2 and come into this one following a disappointing showing against Indiana last week.
There is no team tougher to bounce back against than Ohio State, but the Huskers are looking to show any sort of life after last week’s performance.
This is the first meeting between the two tradition-rich programs since 2021 when the Buckeyes took home a 26-17 victory at Memorial Stadium.
Ohio State need-to-knows
The Buckeyes are ranked No. 4 in the country, but come into this one following a loss as well.
Ohio State took a 1-point loss to now-No. 1-ranked Oregon in Eugene two weeks ago.
The Buckeyes are averaging 45.2 points and 512 total yards per game this season. That includes 311 yards through the air and nearly 210 yards on the ground.
Quarterback Will Howard has completed 100 of his 140 passes for 1,365 and 10 touchdowns.
Howard’s top target on the outside is freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith. Smith leads OSU with 28 receptions for 464 yards and six touchdowns.
The two-headed monster of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson highlight Ohio State’s backfield.
Judkins leads the two with 58 carries for 413 yards and six touchdowns.
The Buckeyes bring a top-10 defense to the table and will make Dylan Raiola work for it.
Ohio State only gives up 11.8 points per game and 256 yards per game.
This week’s numbers
2: Nebraska is facing its second-straight ranked opponent in No. 4 Ohio State. This is the first time Nebraska has played back-to-back ranked opponents since late in the 2021 season.
200: Senior defensive back Isaac Gifford increased his career tackle total to 207 with eight tackles against Indiana. Gifford is one of just 10 defensive backs in Nebraska history with more than 200 tackles.
900: Saturday’s game pits two of college football’s winningest programs, as Ohio State (969) and Nebraska (922) are two of just eight schools with more than 900 wins.
2006: Ryan Day was a 27-year-old wide receivers coach at Temple in 2006 under Al Golden, the same year Matt Rhule was a 31-year-old defensive line coach for the Owls.
Score predictions
Nate Johnson: Ohio State wins, 42-24
Jake Homan: Ohio State wins, 34-21
Mark Fischer: Ohio State wins, 34-14
