Recap: Ohio State 27, Nebraska 34

Carlos Hyde's 67-yard run.

When Ohio State (3-3, 0-2) built a 27-6 lead over the favored, 14th ranked Cornhuskers, Buckeye fans across the nation watching could believe that they had finally turned it around and were ready to start competing. The Cornhuskers were on their heels for the majority of this game, at least, until true freshman Braxton Miller gained 3 yards on a 2nd down play.

That play is significant because Miller hurt his ankle to the point in which he could not return in this game, but even previous before that, the ghost of Maurice Clarrett seemed to come to the Huskers side, as Lavonte David stripped the ball right out of Braxton Miller's hands on a medium gain run. After that, the Cornhuskers rolled on offense.

Perhaps the reason is when Braxton got hurt, that left the game in Joe Bauserman's hands. Bauserman came in when Ohio State was then clinging to a 27-13 lead, and went 1/10 (10% completion percentage) for 13 yards and 1 pick. Every incompletion sailed high over every intended target, even some wide open ones. On the flip side, Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead just dominated in the second half, as the defense for OSU must have been super tired after not getting any long breaks from touchdowns while Bauserman was in. Martinez went 16/22 passing for 191 yards and Burkhead ran for 119 yards on 26 carries. Carlos Hyde led the Buckeyes in rushing with 104 on only 13 carries. Before Braxton Miller was injured, he was doing very well throwing the ball, and of course running. He went 5/8 (62.5% completion percentage), and rushed for 95 yards on 10 carries.

Preview: Ohio State vs. #14 Nebraska

Huskers look to add first B1G statement

The Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-1, 0-1) and the Ohio State Buckeyes (3-2, 0-1) back in the summer of 2011 were hoping that this would be a game to really tell where the programs were, and what the class of the Big Ten will look like in the future. That explains the 8 PM EST start on ABC as OSU heads to Lincoln for the first time ever in it's storied history. The current head-to-head match up leaves Ohio State up 2-0, but the Cornhuskers have one of their best shots, in what will be many more games ahead.

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.

Enemy Blogger Interview: Nebraska

The Enemy Blogger Interview is back this week, after not being able to reach a willing MSU blog. Perhaps, in the end it's better we didn't. This week, as the Buckeyes travel to Lincoln to face off against the Huskers, the guys from Corn Nation were nice enough to answer our questions, and in return we have done so for them. So, on to the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Give us a little bit of background on your website, Corn Nation.

Jon Johnston: Corn Nation appeared on the Internet in 2006 after all of the good names for Nebraska sites were taken. The following Q&A is actually answered by different authors from our site, each of which is a sentient being, this being contrary to the popular opinion that I suffer from a multiple-personality disorder.

1. Both teams are coming off disappointing losses, to Wisconsin and Michigan State. How do the Cornhuskers come into this game at home vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes, who aren't what they were in years past?

Ricky Smith: That’s the million dollar question in Husker Nation. My hunch is they won’t pout and they’ll move on. They have to. Hopefully, coming back home will help them. That is, of course, they play well. If things get rocky and the fans start booing, all bets are off. It could go downhill quickly. I get the impression that this is an emotionally fragile team right now.

Aaron: This feels a lot like the Texas game from last year. Big time opponent coming into Lincoln with their backs against the wall. We wasted that opportunity. I think Nebraska gets back to the basics against Ohio State and plays fairly conservative. The coaches have taken a lot of heat this week for throwing the ball as much as they did against Wisconsin.

Mike: What a lot of Husker fans lost sight of was that Nebraska was actually playing pretty well the first 20 minutes against Wisconsin.  Then the turnovers began and the defense disappeared. I think the Huskers bounce back and try to pound away at Ohio State.

Jon Johnston: The team has taken a lot of crap this week - how the rest of the season plays out depends on how they respond in this game. I would think that we’d come out and see right away what our offensive line can do with a power running game against Ohio State. See how strong we are, see how the Buckeyes respond. Hate to say it, but given the Buckeye’s offensive woes, we shouldn’t have to score a ton of points to win this game.

2. Who are the #1 play makers on offense (not counting Taylor Martinez) and defense for Nebraska?

RS: It starts and ends with Rex Burkhead with offense. The sooner Tim Beck (OC) realizes this, the better off the offense will be. This year is all about time of possession and ball control.  As for defense, Lavonte David’s (LB) play is critical. He seems to be the only one with any type of presence out on the field.

Aaron: Ameer Abdullah leads the nation in yards per kick off (35.13ypk). Nebraska had great field position quite often during the Wisconsin game but couldn’t capitalize on it. The defense seems to really be lacking play makers right now, but the focus is always on Jared Crick, David and Alfonzo Dennard. On offense, true freshman Jamal Turner leads the team in receiving.

Mike: Look for tight end Kyler Reed and freshman receiver Kenny Bell as well in the passing game for the Huskers. On defense, keep an eye out for safety Daimion Stafford, who’s a big hitter.

Jon: The #1 playmaker on the defense will be the cornerback that finally earns a stable starting position alongside Dennard. Seriously - the defensive secondary has been horrid this year, and we’re not sure if it’s because of a change in the secondary coaching or because the players are inexperienced. If that gets fixed, Nebraska’s defense will be on the mend.

Hopes And Fears: Nebraska

Eerily similar to Camp Randall

Tough week and a tough loss!

But it is now time to focus on our next opponent, the Big Ten newcomer, Nebraska. Nebraska didn't have a great showing against Wisconsin in their conference opener, but I chalk that up to a big stage, a big time crowd and 3 INT by their quarterback, Taylor Martinez. The Nebraska defense didn't show up as well as I thought it would either.

The big fear of mine leading into this week is that Ohio State will not take a step forward with the returning members of the team, but allow them and the lack of their presence so far, to slow us down. It so far hasn't been a consistent season and I hate to say it, but we've missed Terrelle Pryor. The rust these players bring to the table will add to a machine already needing oil.

Playing Nebraska at home will be interesting. Not because of the stadium size, but because of a new fan base, a fan base also coming off a loss but one that is just as passionate about their team, as we are about ours. There will be a lot of red in the stands on Saturday in Lincoln!

My hope is, we come out and play a good game. We may not win, but I hope we are not flat footed or distracted. Lacking intensity is something I thought I wouldn't say about a Luke Fickell led football team but that so far has been the case. To beat Nebraska, we will have to break that trend.

Postmortem

Sigh

That's all folks. The curtain has dropped, the seas have un-parted and the fat lady has belted her last note. That last "game" against the Spartans effectively ended the 2011 campaign before it even had a chance to get going. The Miami game a couple weeks back was a tough pill to swallow but many, yours truly included thought that the Big Ten season would offer a new beginning of sorts and allow Ohio St. to play meaningful football this season. That ship sailed in my head after the first 3 offensive series last Saturday. This team is bad. Not average or mediocre... bad. It pains me more than anyone else to type those words but it's time to face reality.

There will still be some good games against inferior opponents in the coming weeks but anyone with a pulse in the Big Ten has to be smacking their chops in anticipation of their game with OSU. I guess "bad" isn't a fair term to bestow on the whole team. I thought that the defense played their collective tails off (per usual) and kept the team in the game all afternoon. They let Cousins get off some decent throws and there were some missed tackles but when the D is on the field that long, the Baltimore Ravens would've given up some yardage. With an offense that pathetic there is no room for error. For OSU to have won that game, the defense would've had to been the unit to put it in the end zone. IS there any other conclusion to be drawn from that contest? Let's take a look at the 3 most glaring problems even though one could write a book on all that is wrong with OSU these days. The quarterback play is just awful right now. Joe Bauserman should never, and I mean never, pick up a football ever again.

MSU Game/Other Thoughts

Vintage, nice

Wow, what an awful game to watch. To start off, I am happy that the game mercifully came to an end. I am happy that the Buckeyes were not shutout for the first time since 1993 and for the first time at home since the early 1980s. I am happy that the Buckeyes bend don’t break defense made some very big plays to keep the team and our anemic offense in the game up until the very end. I am also very happy that the suspended players (those who are still part of the team, and those not named Herron or Posey) will be back this week. I am also happy that Ben Buchanan’s leg did not fall off. He was a very busy young man.

I am also sort of happy that one excuse (if excuses are allowed) of this offense pathetic play is that they are young. A good number of our skill players were either in high school this time last year or were red shirted and haven’t played a big time game like this in a long time. That is really all I am happy for from that game yesterday, because our Buckeyes looked bad. We looked so bad, I am not sure if an NCAA bowl ban will even effect this team, because I am not sure I can figure out 3 more wins for this team.

ITS's BlogPoll Ballot: Week 6

Out of the weekends played so far in College football, I have to say that this is weekend by far, was the one that really showed me who's here to compete for a championship and who's here to "Shock the World". Surprisngly, that quote doesn't just refer to Ohio State. LSU got off with a BYE, but Alabama, Wisconsin, Clemson, and Arkansas are the huge winners of this weekend. Texas A&M, South Carolina, and some others had some tough losses, that will be hard to overlook late this season. Let's get on to the rankings, and be sure to leave your thoughts and comments to keep in mind for next week's rankings!

In Case You Missed It

Pryor will try to avenge the loss in prime time.

Due to my internet betraying me and Blogger going down a day after I got it back, here's a recap of the big story over the end of the week. Normal posting will now continue.

It was announced that Ohio State will have 2 games in prime time. Miami and Wisconsin are the games that are in prime time as of right now. Kickoff in Miami will be at 7:30 or 8 p.m. on Sept. 17. The game will be broadcast on either ABC or ESPN.

The teams played in Columbus last season, with the Buckeyes winning 36-24. The 2011 match-up will be Ohio State's first trip to play the Hurricanes in Miami. 

Meanwhile, the Badger game will be carried by ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 in Columbus. Pryor and co. will be in tow as they try and avenge their loss to Wisconsin way back in October.

This is the third prime time game for the Buckeyes, as it is added to the Ohio State-Nebraska game, which will be a dandy in Lincoln. The Tat Five and Tressel will be returning in that game, so you know the build up to that point will be incredibly large.