Ohio State Survives Near-Upset with 21-17 Win over Nebraska

By Dan Hope on October 26, 2024 at 3:36 pm
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A win is a win, but this one wasn’t pretty.

The Buckeyes trailed in the fourth quarter against a Nebraska team that was coming off a 56-7 loss to Indiana, but Ohio State eked out a 21-17 win at Ohio Stadium on Saturday to avoid what would have been its second straight defeat.

Ohio State’s offense struggled for most of the day as it played its first game of the year without Josh Simmons at left tackle, but the Buckeyes’ defense came up with back-to-back fourth-quarter stops with the game on the line, completed by Jordan Hancock intercepting Dylan Raiola, for Ohio State to survive Nebraska’s upset bid.

  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4  
#4 Ohio State 7 7 0 7 21
NEBRASKA 0 6 3 8 17
OCT. 26, 2024 • Ohio STADIUM • Columbus, Ohio

A wobbly opening kickoff into the wind by Jayden Fielding was mishandled by Nebraska kickoff returner Kwinten Ives, putting the Cornhuskers’ offense at the 9-yard line to start its opening possession. The Buckeyes would get the ball back at Nebraska’s 36-yard line after a Nebraska 3-and-out that included a third-down sack by Tyleik Williams was followed by a 31-yard punt by Nebraska’s Brian Buschini. Ohio State gave the ball back to Nebraska at the 28-yard line after going four-and-out with Cornhusker linebacker MJ Sherman stuffing TreVeyon Henderson for a 1-yard loss on a 4th-and-1 rushing attempt.

Neither team would score until Ohio State’s third possession when Will Howard connected with Carnell Tate for a 40-yard touchdown with 29 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The Cornhuskers scored their first points of the game on their next drive on a 39-yard John Hohl field goal. Nebraska got into field goal territory on a 38-yard scramble by Dylan Raiola, the freshman quarterback’s longest run of the season.

Jeremiah Smith made it a two-score game on Ohio State’s ensuing possession as he turned a Howard deep ball into a 60-yard touchdown – his eighth touchdown catch of the season, tying Cris Carter’s record for the most touchdown catches for an Ohio State freshman in only seven games.

Ohio State got back into scoring position on its next drive but left the field without points when Jayden Fielding missed a 42-yard field goal attempt well right of the goalposts.

Nebraska finished the first half with a 54-yard field goal by Hohl to cut the Buckeyes’ lead to eight at halftime.

After Ohio State went 3-and-out on the opening possession of the second half, Hohl cut the Buckeyes’ lead to five points with another made field goal from 47 yards out on Nebraska’s first drive of the third quarter.

Howard gave the ball right back to Nebraska as he threw a ball into a pack of defenders that was intercepted by Malcolm Hartzog Jr., who returned the ball to the 7-yard line. The Buckeye defense preserved the lead as Davison Igbinosun stuffed Dante Dowdell on his attempt to extend the ball over the goal line on 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line.

Ohio State punted the ball again on each of its next two possessions, however, as it failed to gain a single first down in the third quarter. Nebraska took the lead with 10:47 to play as Dowdell capped off a nine-play, 74-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, after which a successful two-point conversion made it a 17-14 game.

The Buckeyes responded with the touchdown drive they needed on their next possession, going 75 yards in eight plays and moving back in front by four on a 9-yard pass from Howard to Quinshon Judkins.

The defense came up with a stop on Nebraska’s next possession, but the Buckeyes gave the ball right back to the Cornhuskers with a 3-and-out. Ohio State finally ended the Cornhuskers’ upset bid when Hancock intercepted Raiola with 1:16 left to play.

Ohio State will need better play to remain a one-loss team next week as the Buckeyes travel to Penn State for a showdown of teams who were ranked in the top five this week. Next Saturday’s game in State College is scheduled for a noon kickoff on FOX.

Team Stats

OHIO STATE     NEBRASKA
285 TOTAL YARDS 273
64 RUSHING YARDS 121
31 RUSHING ATTEMPTS 33
2.1 AVERAGE PER RUSH 3.7
0 RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS 1
221 PASSING YARDS 152
13-16 COMPLETIONS–ATTEMPTS 21-32
17.0 YARDS PER COMPLETION 7.2
3 PASSING TOUCHDOWNS 0
11 1st DOWNS 18
47 TOTAL PLAYS 66
6.1 YARDS PER PLAY 4.1
1-10 3RD DOWNS 5-16
3-36 PENALTIES 7-62
24:53 POSSESSION 35:07
1 TURNOVERS 1

Game Notes

  • Jaylen McClain made his first career start at strong safety as Ohio State opened the game in its 4-3 defense with Arvell Reese also in the game as a third starting linebacker. Jordan Hancock played safety in the base defense, with Lorenzo Styles Jr. taking his usual place at nickel, as Lathan Ransom was one of six players out for the game due to injury. Jermaine Mathews Jr. also saw playing time at nickel.
  • Zen Michalski made his first career start at left tackle in place of Josh Simmons, who is out for the season with a knee injury he suffered in Ohio State’s loss to Oregon. Michalski left the game with an injury of his own in the fourth quarter; Donovan Jackson slid out to left tackle after Michalski left the game with Luke Montgomery coming in at left guard.
  • Caleb Downs handled punt returns for the first time as a Buckeye. He replaced Brandon Inniss, Ohio State’s punt returner from the first six games of the season, as the Buckeyes’ starting punt returner, though Inniss also saw some action at punt returner in the game.
  • Ohio State’s 2014 national championship team was honored on the field at the end of the first quarter.
  • Freshman defensive end Eddrick Houston saw playing time at defensive tackle for the first time in his Ohio State career.
  • 104,830 people attended the game.
  • Carnell Tate had the first 100-yard receiving game of his career.
  • Arvell Reese was ejected for targeting late in the fourth quarter. He will be forced to sit out the first half of next week’s game against Penn State.

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