On paper, it was a game between a pair of top-10 teams.
On the field, it was anything but.
Ohio State rolled Nebraska on Saturday night, 62-3, in front of a crowd of 108,750.
Quarterback J.T. Barrett finished 26-for-38 passing for 290 yards and four touchdowns — three of which went to Curtis Samuel. The two linked up for a 75-yard touchdown strike on the very first play of the second half. Samuel finished with 178 total yards on 13 touches.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEBRASKA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| OHIO STATE | 14 | 17 | 24 | 7 | 62 |
The sixth-ranked Buckeyes racked up 590 yards of offense while limiting No. 10 Nebraska to only 204. Ohio State recorded 34 first downs and was 10-for-13 on third downs in the game. The Buckeyes' defense scored twice as both Damon Webb and Malik Hooker had interception returns go for touchdowns.
Ohio State certainly didn't waste any time jumping on the Huskers.
On Nebraska's first drive and its third play from scrimmage, Raekwon McMillan got his hand on a Tommy Armstrong pass and it was intercepted by Webb and returned 36 yards for a touchdown.
The Buckeyes added three more first-half touchdowns to take a 31-3 advantage into the locker room. Barrett hooked up with Terry McLaurin for a 7-yard score near the end of the first quarter to give Ohio State an early 14-3 edge. Then, just six minutes later, Mike Weber found paydirt on a 23-yard touchdown run.
With only three seconds remaining in the first half, Barrett connected with Curtis Samuel for a 3-yard touchdown jump pass.
Ohio State racked up 237 yards of total offense in the first half compared to just 123 for Nebraska, which lost Armstrong for the game in the second quarter. Barrett was 14-for-24 passing for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the first half while Samuel gained 103 total yards on 12 first-half touches.
Ohio State travels to Maryland next Saturday.
| Ohio State | Stat | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| 590 | NET TOTAL YARDS | 204 |
| 238 | RUSHING YARDS | 78 |
| 42 | RUSHING ATTEMPTS | 24 |
| 5.7 | AVERAGE PER RUSH | 3.2 |
| 2 | RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS | 0 |
| 352 | PASSING YARDS | 126 |
| 32–44 | COMPLETIONS–ATTEMPTS | 9–33 |
| 11.0 | AVERAGE PER COMPLETION | 14.0 |
| 4 | PASSING TOUCHDOWNS | 0 |
| 34 | 1st DOWNS | 9 |
| 15 | RUSHING 1st DOWNS | 2 |
| 17 | PASSING 1st DOWNS | 6 |
| 2 | PENALTY 1st DOWNS | 1 |
| 86 | TOTAL PLAYS | 57 |
| 6.9 | YARDS PER PLAY | 3.6 |
| 6–6 | RED ZONE | 1–3 |
| 11–15 | 3rd DOWNS | 5–16 |
| 1–1 | 4th DOWNS | 0–2 |
| 4–35 | PENALTIES | 4–43 |
| 37:18 | POSSESSION | 22:42 |
Game Notes
- Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer improved to 162-28 in his career, continuing to hold the highest winning percentage among active coaches with at least 10 years of FBS coaching experience at .853.
- The attendance of 108,750 was the second-highest in Ohio Stadium history.
- The game marked the Buckeyes’ first 50-point game against a Top 10 team since the No. 2 Buckeyes topped No. 4 Michigan, 50-14, Nov. 23, 1968. The 62 points are the most Ohio State has scored against a Top 10 team.
- Ohio State has won six of its last seven matchups against Top 10 opponents.
- With four more touchdown passes Saturday, J.T. Barrett has been responsible for 94 career touchdowns, the second-highest mark in the Big Ten dating back to 1996 behind Drew Brees’ 95.
- Barrett tied his career high with 26 completions on a career-high 38 attempts. Both previous highs were recorded against Cincinnati Sept. 27, 2014.
- The Buckeyes’ 32 completions tied for the second-most in school history. Ohio State also completed 32 passes at Penn State in 1997. The school record is 34 completions at Indiana in 1998.
- Damon Webb’s first-quarter interception was the first of his career. Webb returned the interception for a touchdown, marking the first interception return for a touchdown since Jerome Baker took a pick 68 yards for a score at Oklahoma Sept. 17.
- Malik Hooker later returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown, marking the second time Ohio State recorded two interceptions for a touchdown in a game this season. Hooker and Marshon Lattimore each returned an interception for a touchdown against Tulsa Sept. 10.
- The Buckeyes’ six defensive touchdowns this season tie the 2014 Buckeyes for most defensive scores by a Big Ten team in the last 10 seasons. The Buckeyes’ six interceptions for a touchdown set a program record. The previous mark was four, set by the 1987 Buckeyes and later tied by the 1996 team.
- Hooker is the second Buckeye in program history with two interception returns for a touchdown in a season after Neal Colzie accomplished the feat in 1973. Hooker becomes the ninth Buckeye with two career interception returns for a touchdown, a program record.
- Terry McLaurin’s seven-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter was the second touchdown reception of his career.
- Mike Weber’s 23-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was his team-high seventh rushing score of the year.
- Curtis Samuel’s two touchdowns receiving tied a career high set in the 2016 season-opener against Bowling Green Sept. 3.
- Joe Burrow’s 12-yard rushing touchdown was the first rushing touchdown of his career.
- K.J. Hill set career bests with five catches and 66 yards.
- Michael Hill tallied a career-high 1.5 tackles-for-loss.
- Ohio State improved to 16-4 in night games at Ohio Stadium and has won 14 of its past 15 night games overall.
#6 Ohio State 62, #10 Nebraska 3
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