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| Huskers look to add first B1G statement |
Bo Pelini will be coaching the 14th ranked Huskers facing his old school, but it's not the first time he's coached against the Buckeyes. Anyone remember that monstrous defense in the 2007-2008 BCS championship game? It was LSU, and the defensive coordinator was none other than Bo Pelini himself. On the other side, Luke Fickell comes into this game with much scrutiny, even if some of the fault is not his. Ohio State comes off a 10-7 loss that was an offensive embarrassing to everyone in the country. Pelini and his offense could only muster 17 points against the B1G favorites Wisconsin in their blow-out loss at Camp Randall, 48-17.
Taylor Martinez threw 3 interceptions against the Badgers, and the defense allowed 468 total yards and 48 points, the most since a loss in 2008 to Oklahoma where they got smacked 62-28. The Buckeyes, on the other hand, were hoping to bring back some suspended players to try and spark the offensive fire that has been eluding Ohio State and Braxton Miller all season long. Unfortunately, with the recent NCAA rulings again, OSU has to wait another game for them to return, even though they might have to sit out more games following this one. The Buckeyes only managed 178 total yards, the fewest since a loss to Iowa way back in 2004, where they could only get 177. They have also lost a starting receiver, Verlon Reed, at a position that is already thin. Although Reed didn't make much of a impact, the fact that everything is snowballing isn't helping OSU's confidence, and certainly not Braxton Miller's confidence either.
What seems to be the silver lining for this Buckeye squad is the defense, who continues to give the offense a chance to make plays, and save the day. Martinez has completed only 50.5% of his passes, while throwing 5 INT's, and 4 TD's. He continues to back his play up, saying he does a "good job" reading defenses, though his decision making has to be better against the Silver Bullet defense.
He's rushed for 482 yards, and is tied for the second among FBS QB's with 8 rushing touchdowns. While the Cornhuskers know their struggling signal caller will take the field Saturday, they're not sure who will be under center for Ohio State. Fickell has said Braxton will remain the starter until further notice, but who knows anymore?
Braxton went 5/10 with 56 yards and an interception last week before being replaced by Joe Bauserman who also looked downright awful. He did manage to hit Evan Spencer for a 33-yard TD, but it was in the waning seconds, and nothing became of it. How will the Buckeyes manage against this Cornhuskers team? Prediction: Nebraska wins, 24-9
