Ohio State vs. Nebraska Notebook: Jordan Hancock and Jaylen McClain Fill in at Safety, Carnell Tate Has His First 100-Yard Game and Jeremiah Smith Ties Freshman Touchdown Record

By Dan Hope on October 26, 2024 at 9:29 pm
Jordan Hancock celebrates after his game-sealing interception
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Ohio State didn’t rely on just one player to replace Lathan Ransom in the lineup against Nebraska.

With Ransom out for the game because of an injury he suffered in practice during the bye week, Ohio State moved Jordan Hancock from his usual position of slot cornerback to play alongside Caleb Downs at safety in the Buckeyes’ base defense. With Hancock moved back to safety, Lorenzo Styles Jr. and Jermaine Mathews Jr. split playing time at nickel.

When Ohio State put its 4-3 defense in the game, however, Jaylen McClain entered the game alongside third linebacker Arvell Reese to match up with Nebraska’s heavier personnel. Because Ohio State started the game in that package, McClain made his first career start, becoming the second freshman (along with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who’s started every game) to start for the Buckeyes this season.

Hancock thrived in his new role against the Cornhuskers. He made the play of the game with his game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter and also recorded five tackles with a forced fumble.

“I got moved there last week with Lathan out, but me being a veteran knowing the whole defense, knowing every spot, I was kind of happy to show off my versatility,” Hancock said after the game.

McClain did not record any tackles but was credited with a pass breakup. Styles and Mathews each recorded one tackle with Mathews’ going for a 1-yard loss in tandem with Kenyatta Jackson Jr. on a third-down stop in the second quarter.

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Tate’s first 100-yard game

Overshadowed by fellow wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka in the first half of the season, Carnell Tate had his first big breakout game as a Buckeye against Nebraska.

The sophomore was Ohio State’s leading receiver for the first time all season, catching four passes for 102 yards, highlighted by a 40-yard touchdown reception late in the first quarter.

It was the first 100-yard game of Tate’s Ohio State career. His previous career-high was 79 yards on three catches against Purdue in 2023, while his previous season-high was 64 yards on four receptions against Marshall. He now has 19 receptions for 334 total yards and two touchdowns this season.

Smith ties Cris Carter’s record

While Smith tied his season-low with only three catches for 70 yards against Nebraska, he still found the end zone as he has in every game this season as he took a deep ball by Will Howard all the way for a 60-yard touchdown, his second-longest touchdown so far as a Buckeye.

In just his seventh game as a Buckeye, Smith caught his eighth touchdown pass of the season, tying Cris Carter’s school record for the most touchdown catches by an Ohio State freshman. He’s the first player in Ohio State history to catch touchdown passes in each of the first seven games of a season.

According to FOX’s broadcast, Smith became the first freshman since former South Carolina star Sidney Rice in 2005 to catch a touchdown pass in the first seven games of a college football season.

With 35 total catches for 623 yards already, Smith needs just 26 more yards to break Carter’s school record for receiving yards by a freshman and six more catches to match Carter’s record for the most receptions by an Ohio State freshman.

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Caleb Downs gets his shot at punt returner

When Downs transferred to Ohio State this offseason, he expressed a desire to return punts in addition to playing safety for the Buckeyes. He had good reason to push for that opportunity, as he returned a punt for an 85-yard touchdown against Chattanooga in his lone season at Alabama.

Downs didn’t return any punts in Ohio State’s first six games of the year as the Buckeyes leaned on Brandon Inniss in that capacity. As the Buckeyes began their second half of the season after their second bye week, however, it was Downs who handled punt return duties for most of the game against Nebraska.

While Inniss also saw some action at punt returner vs. the Cornhuskers, Downs had the only actual punt return of the game, making a couple of spin moves on his way to an 8-yard gain.

Additional notes

  • Zen Michalski, who made his first career start in place of Josh Simmons at left tackle, was carted back to the locker room after going down with a lower-body injury in the fourth quarter. Ryan Day did not have an immediate update on Michalski’s status after the game.
  • Arvell Reese was ejected from the game after a targeting penalty in the fourth quarter, which will force him to sit out the first half of next week’s game at Penn State. Several Ohio State fans shared their disagreement with the penalty by throwing items on the field, prompting Ohio State to display a message warning fans that anyone caught throwing items onto the field would be ejected from the stadium by law enforcement.
  • Jayden Fielding missed his first field goal of the season as he went wide right on a 42-yard attempt in the second quarter. He was 3-of-3 with a longest kick of 40 yards in the first six games of the season.
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