Ohio State vs. Nebraska Football: Previewing the Cornhuskers' Next Game

Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska: 8:00 PM Eastern

TV Coverage: ABC/ESPN

After the debacle in Wisconsin, the Nebraska Cornhuskers cannot wait to return home and get back on the field. Nebraska had high hopes for its inaugural game in the Big Ten Conference, but the game did not go as planned.

Now Nebraska must get ready for another test in its new conference. The Ohio State Buckeyes make their first-ever visit to Lincoln Saturday night. Ohio State and Nebraska have played twice, with the Buckeyes winning both games—28-20 in 1955 and 34-7 in 1956.

When Nebraska’s inaugural Big Ten Conference schedule was released, Nebraska fans could not believe their team was scheduled to play Wisconsin and Ohio State in back-to-back weeks. The schedule does not look as difficult as it initially did now, though, because the Buckeyes are having a down year.

Ohio State is unranked and having problems putting points on the board. The Buckeyes were looking forward to having three players return from suspension this week. It does not look like that will happen.

According to the Ohio State athletic website, three players will be ineligible for the game Saturday against Nebraska. The three players include offensive tackle Marcus Hall, running back Daniel "Boom" Herron, and wide receiver Devier Posey. Each of these players were key contributors to the Ohio State football team last season, and their return would have been welcomed by a struggling offense.

Nebraska has had their own problems early in the season. Coming into the year Nebraska was considered to have one of the best defenses in the country. So far this year that defense has not shown up. Nebraska has shown flashes of a top team, but the Cornhuskers cannot stop fumbling the ball, create consistency on offense or prevent big plays on defense.

Ohio State and Nebraska both come into this game with 0-1 records in the Big Ten Conference. The loser of this game will likely have its Big Ten Championship dreams destroyed. Look for both teams to do whatever it takes to come out of this game victorious.

Here is how I see the game breaking down…

Nebraska’s Offense vs. Ohio State’s Defense

Is Taylor Martinez the answer at quarterback for Nebraska?

The sophomore quarterback has made some spectacular plays this year both running the ball and completing deep passes. The problem is Martinez puts the ball on the ground too many times, throws too many interceptions and cannot sustain long drives. Since Taylor Martinez is the best quarterback Nebraska has on its team, maybe it is time to focus the offense around running back Rex Burkhead.

Nebraska has a stable of playmaking running backs. Rex Burkhead has taken over games at times this year, and freshman running back Ameer Abdullah has shown electric speed as a change-of-pace back. Nebraska needs both of them to not only take the pressure off of Martinez but to control the ball against a good Buckeye defense.

The offensive line for Nebraska was showing signs of improvement until the game in Wisconsin. I look for the offensive line to get back on track this week and play much better against Ohio State.

The Buckeyes defense, also known as the “Silver Bullets,” is the strength of the Ohio State’s team. They are led by fifth-year senior defensive back Tyler Moeller.

Last week against Michigan State, the Buckeyes defense held the Spartans to 3-14 on third-down conversions, created three turnovers and allowed only 10 points. The Buckeye defense was not the reason Ohio State lost the game last week.

This week Ohio State must figure out a way to stop Martinez and the Nebraska offense. The best way to do that is to load the box against Nebraska and wait for Martinez to make a mistake. If Nebraska would stop beating themselves, their offense could be one of the best in the country.

Edge

This will be the matchup to watch in the game. Nebraska’s offense can put points on the board but the problem is they give the ball to the opposing team, allowing them to have easy scores. Ohio State’s defense has played well this year. Will they be able to stop Nebraska from making big plays and force them to sustain drives in order to score points? Time will tell.

I give a slight edge to Ohio State. While there is no way Ohio State holds Nebraska to 10 points as they did last week against Michigan State, Ohio State is good at creating turnovers. It just so happens that Nebraska is good at turning the ball over. This is not a good combination for the Cornhuskers.

Nebraska’s Defense vs. Ohio State’s Offense

Where have the Blackshirts gone?

So far this year the weak link on the Nebraska team has been their defense. Who would have ever thought that a team coached by Bo Pelini would have a poor defense?

Nebraska’s front four has played well at times. Jared Crick and Cameron Meredith have put pressure on the quarterback. The problem is that even though there is pressure on the quarterback, plays are still allowed to be made because of wide open receivers in Nebraska’s secondary.

Nebraska has tried almost every combination in their secondary and still cannot come up with a unit that can shut down the opposing team. All-American defensive back Alfonso Dennard has played well in his two games back from injury, but the rest of the secondary has been wide open. Nebraska has used Andrew Green, Corey Cooper, Ciante Evans and Lance Thorell opposite Dennard. None of these players have been able to make plays on a consistent basis.

Ohio State’s offense has looked horrible this year. Ohio State rotates their quarterbacks much as Nebraska rotates their cornerbacks. Ohio State has been using Braxton Miller and Joe Bauserman at quarterback this year. The Buckeye offense only created 87 yards passing last week and coach Luke Fickle said at his postgame press conference that he is willing to open up the quarterback competition to Braxton Miller, Joe Bauserman, Kenny Guiton and Taylor Graham. It will be interesting to see how Coach Fickle attacks the Nebraska defense with his quarterbacks Saturday night.

The news of left tackle Marcus Hall, running back Daniel “Boom” Herron and wide receiver DeVier Posey having to sit out one more game is not the news Buckeye fans wanted to hear. Ohio State desperately needs a boost to their struggling offense and the three suspended players could have given the Buckeyes that boost.

Edge

I give a slight edge in this matchup to Nebraska. If Ohio State would have had their star players back for this game I think Ohio State may have the edge, but since the Buckeyes will be shorthanded, Nebraska should be able to stop the Ohio State offense. Nebraska has looked horrible at times on defense but they still have three preseason All-Americans in Jared Crick, LaVante David and Alfonso Dennard leading the Blackshirts.

It will be hard for Ohio State to hide their quarterback on Saturday night.

Special Teams

The strength of the Nebraska’s team this year has been their special teams unit. Last week against Wisconsin, the Nebraska special teams were able to create a turnover that set the offense up in excellent field position and block an extra point that would have tied the game.

Nebraska has one of the best returners in the country in freshman Ameer Abdullah. In every game this year Abdullah has been able to return a kick over 40 yards. Teams have begun to kick away from Abdullah and that might not be a bad idea for the Buckeyes either.

Nebraska’s kicker/punter Brett Maher has been a welcome surprise for the Cornhuskers. While he still has a ways to go before he can be compared to last year’s kicker/punter Alex Henery, he is well on his way.

Ohio State has one of the best punters in the Big Ten Conference in Ben Buchanan. Look for him to try to kick the ball away from Nebraska’s electrifying returner. Their place kicker is Drew Basil. He is 5-for-7 in his field goals this year with his only misses coming from beyond 40 yards.

Edge

Nebraska has a huge advantage in special teams. I think this will be the unit that wins the game for the Cornhuskers.

Prediction

Nebraska has opened up as a 10-point favorite. On paper Nebraska looks to be a much stronger team, but these games are not played on paper. While Nebraska should dominate this game at home, I think their offense will make mistakes, allowing Ohio State to keep it close.

Nebraska wins at the wire 38-35.