The last time Ohio State and Nebraska played one another in Lincoln, Neb., the two programs looked very different.
The Buckeyes' head coach at the time, Luke Fickell, is now coaching at Cincinnati, while Nebraska's coach at the time, Bo Pelini, is now heading up Youngstown State.
Six years later, the personnel of the two teams also looks very different.
The Cornhuskers are just 3-3 and 2-1 on the season with losses to Northern Illinois, Oregon and Wisconsin already. Nebraska is in the middle of the conference in most statistical categories, and now we give you a look at the Cornhuskers' personnel, starting with the offense.
Offense (Multiple)
Quarterback: Tanner Lee (No. 13) 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, junior
Strengths:
- Strong arm. Can push the ball downfield with accuracy when given time to throw.
- Anticipates throws well. Does a good job of throwing on time as a receiver makes his break.
Weaknesses:
- Has a tendency to force throws. Leads the conference in interceptions with 10.
- Not mobile. Struggles to extend plays with his feet.
Running backs: Devine Ozigbo (No. 22) 6-foot, 230 pounds, junior / Mikale Wilbon (No. 21) 5-foot-9, 200 pounds, junior / Fullback Luke McNitt (No. 41) 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, senior
Strengths:
- Ozigbo runs with power and is hard to bring down on first contact.
- Wilbon has been injured, but when healthy, provides Nebraska with a change of pace at running back. He excels when he gets to the edge.
Weaknesses:
- Injury-prone group. Wilbon has missed time along with Tre Bryant, who started the season for Nebraska and hasn't played since Week 2.
- Ozigbo doesn't have the quick first step that Bryant has. Usually takes Ozigbo an extra step or two to cut through the hole.
Wide receivers: Stanley Morgan Jr. (No. 8) 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, junior / De'Mornay Pierson-El (No. 15) 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, senior / Tight end Tyler Hoppes (No. 88) 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, senior
Strengths:
- Morgan has good size and speed and is Lee's top target this season with 30 receptions for 510 yards and five scores. Also is Nebraska's greatest deep ball threat.
- Pierson-El has tremendous footwork and is dangerous on double-moves. His acceleration in the open field makes him a big play threat at all times.
Weaknesses:
- Not a physically intimidating group. Unlike Indiana or Oklahoma, the Cornhuskers don't have the height at receiver to win many 50/50 balls.
Offensive line: LT Nick Gates (No. 68) 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, junior / LG Jerald Foster (No. 67) 6-foot-3, 310 pounds, junior / C Michael Decker (No. 79) 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, sophomore / RG Tanner Farmer (No. 63) 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, junior / RT Brenden Jaimes (No. 76) 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, freshman
Strengths:
- Good size across the board outside of Jaimes, who is slightly undersized at 280 pounds.
- Has improved its pass protection. Allowed just one sack against Wisconsin's defense.
Weaknesses:
- Has struggled to find consistency in the running game. Cornhuskers rank 10th in the Big Ten in rush yardage per game (148.50 ypg).
- Relatively young. No seniors up front for Nebraska. Only Gates and Farmer are returning starters from 2016.
Overall analysis: Nebraska's offense has shown some moments of brilliance this season, but has also had some moments that have had Cornhusker fans covering their eyes in dismay. Lee leads the conference in interceptions with 10, which ranks second-worst in the country.
Nebraska has also struggled to find consistency at the running back position, mostly due to injuries. Bryant rushed for 299 yards in his first two games, but has not played since Week 2 with an injury. Ozigbo has earned most of the playing time since his absence.
This offense has some playmakers at wide receiver and running back, but has been turnover-prone for most of the season. For the Cornhuskers to be successful, Lee has to protect the football and distribute the ball to Morgan, Pierson-El and others. Former Ohio State commit Tyjon Lindsey also figures to factor into the Nebraska offense as a slot wide receiver when the Cornhuskers go into their spread package.
Defense (3-4)
Defensive line: DE Freedom Akinmoladun (No. 91) 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, junior / NT Mick Stoltenberg (No. 44) 6-foot-5, 305 pounds, junior / DE Carlos Davis (No. 96) 6-foot-2, 295 pounds, sophomore
Strengths:
- Good size across the board. With each player at or above 280, they can all take up multiple blocks on certain plays when in position.
Weaknesses:
- Struggle to get penetration into the backfield. Nebraska has just nine sacks this season defensively and ranks tied for 11th in the conference in tackles for loss.
Linebackers: OLB Luke Gifford (No. 12) 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, junior / ILB Chris Weber (No. 49) 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, senior / ILB Dedrick Young II (No. 5) 6-foot-1, 235 pounds, junior / OLB Sedrick King (No. 17) 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, junior
Strengths:
- Good size across the board. Weber is the leading tackler among this group with 39 stops this season.
Weaknesses:
- Outside of Young, this is a completely new group from last season. Marcus Newby (6-1, 235) has missed most of the season to date due to injury.
- Struggles in run defense. Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor rushed for 249 yards last week against Nebraska. Oregon also rushed for 200 yards as a team against the Cornhuskers earlier in the season.
Defensive backs: CB Eric Lee Jr. (No. 6) 6-foot, 195 pounds, sophomore / FS Aaron Williams (No. 24) 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, junior / SS Joshua Kalu (No. 46) 6-foot, 195 pounds, senior / CB Lamar Jackson (No. 21) 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, sophomore
Strengths:
- Secondary is the strength of the Nebraska defense, collecting seven interceptions already this season, good for fourth in the conference.
- Jackson has great size at corner for Nebraska, making him a candidate to play press-man at times for the Cornhuskers.
- Kalu is the leader of the group, and has plenty of experience. He has six career interceptions dating back to 2014.
Weaknesses:
- Allowing a completion percentage of nearly 65 percent this season.
- Inexperienced at corner after losing Chris Jones for the season during fall camp.
Overall analysis: The Nebraska defense is coming off a game in which it was torched on the ground to the tune of 353 yards and three scores in a 38-17 loss to Wisconsin. With a thick defensive line, the Cornhusker linebackers are asked to make a lot of plays at the second level, something they have struggled to do at times this season.
The secondary is much improved, but has also not really been tested since losing to Oregon in Week 2. Since the loss to the Ducks, in which Nebraska surrendered 365 yards and three touchdowns through the air, the Cornhuskers have buckled down. In their last four games, Nebraska has collected four interceptions and allowed just one score through the air.
Overall, this is a defense that has played well against inferior competition, but has struggled in games against more traditional powers in Oregon and Wisconsin. The secondary is its strength, but also has its question mark halfway through the season.
Special Teams
Punter: Caleb Lightbourn (No. 35) 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, sophomore
Kicker: Drew Brown (No. 34) 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, senior
Analysis: The Cornhuskers have had success at times this season on special teams, as Nebraska returned a kick for a score in its season-opening win against Arkansas State. Kicker Drew Brown is 6-for-8 this season on field goal attempts and is perfect on extra points through six games. His long field goal make this season came from 41 yards.
Lightbourn is averaging 42.53 yards per boot this season and has attempted 30 punts, ranking fourth-most in the conference. The Nebraska punt return team averages just 7.0 yards per return on 12 attempts this season.
