LINCOLN, Neb. – Ohio State did what it was supposed to do in its last five games, but the fashion in which the Buckeyes did that was impressive.
Even after the Buckeyes’ 31-16 home loss to Oklahoma on Sept. 9, Ohio State was still fully expected to win its next five games against Army, UNLV, Rutgers, Maryland and Nebraska.
At that time, however, the Buckeyes probably weren't expected to win all of those games by at least 31 points.
The Buckeyes have been nothing short of dominant on both sides of the ball in their last five games, including Saturday night’s game at Nebraska, which the Buckeyes won 56-14.
That has Ohio State, which is now 6-1 on the season and 4-0 in Big Ten play, feeling quite good about itself going into its bye week.
"You can definitely feel that mojo, you can feel that momentum and that confidence," said Ohio State center Billy Price. "It’s pretty magical what’s going on right now."
Ohio State also knows, though, that a tougher test – an Oct. 28 game against Penn State that could very well decide the Big Ten East – lies directly ahead.
"We know what’s coming next," said Ohio State coach Urban Meyer. "We’re going to enjoy the win, then get a day off tomorrow and then we come back to work on Monday and get ready for the big one."
The Buckeyes deserve to take a day off to celebrate what might have been their most impressive win of the year to date, Ohio State’s first ever win in Lincoln and the Buckeyes’ second straight win against the Cornhuskers – Ohio State defeated Nebraska, 62-3, in Columbus last year – by at least 42 points.
“It’s pretty magical what’s going on right now.”– Ohio State Center Billy Price
Ohio State’s first-team offense was essentially perfect on Saturday night, scoring on each of its first eight possessions. Ohio State’s only non-scoring possession was its final possession, for which backup quarterbacks Dwayne Haskins and Joe Burrow came into the game.
Starting quarterback J.T. Barrett completed 27-of-33 passes for 325 yards and five touchdowns and added 10 rushing attempts for 48 yards and two touchdowns. The Buckeyes finished the night with 633 total yards, marking the sixth time in seven games and the fifth straight game that the Buckeyes offense has had at least 580 yards.
Ohio State’s offensive starters almost literally couldn’t have done more than they did in Saturday night’s game, yet Barrett, Price and running back J.K. Dobbins – who ran for 106 yards and a touchdown against the Cornhuskers – said they still believe the best for their offense is yet to come.
"We can get better," Dobbins said. "We can get a lot better. And once we do, people will see it."
J.K. Dobbins ran for a 52-yard touchdown on Ohio State's first drive.
Defensively, the Buckeyes gave up 393 yards, including 349 passing yards, both the most they have allowed in a game since the loss to Oklahoma. Most of those yards, however, came in the second half of the game after the outcome was already well in hand, as Ohio State held Nebraska scoreless on its first six possessions to take a 35-0 lead into halftime.
Nebraska’s offense was so bad in the first half, in fact, that many Cornhuskers fans chose to sarcastically release their balloons – a tradition usually reserved for the home team’s first touchdown of the game at Memorial Stadium – after a two-yard run for a first down in the second quarter of the game, which was just Nebraska’s second first down of the entire game at the time.
All of that gives Ohio State some serious momentum heading into its bye week and preparation for the Penn State game, and the Buckeyes believe that momentum will only help them.
"You’re going into a bye week on a high, and that’s something that’s a very, very good feeling going into it," Price said.
Meyer isn’t usually one to speak in superlatives about his team’s performance, but although he said he was "cautiously optimistic" after Saturday’s game – knowing there are tougher games to come – he also didn’t hesitate to say he was feeling good about what his Buckeyes have been doing.
"I feel like we’re a good team because I like our practice habits. I like the clean living that we have. I like the fact that it’s just good guys. This is a good football team," Meyer said. "How good? We’re going to find out down the stretch run right here, but you can tell the way guys practice, we’ve had three or four weeks of incredible practices here, and I’m sure our players will tell you the same thing. I don’t hear the bitching or moaning. Guys are just going, and that’s the sign of a good team."
