In Ohio State's four-point win over Nebraska, the Eleven Warriors staff thinks three Buckeyes stood out: Jordan Hancock, Cody Simon and Carnell Tate. This week, those players earned top honors as the Eleven Warriors Three Stars of the Game, with Hancock as the first star, Simon as the second and Tate as the third.
First Star: Jordan Hancock
Ohio State needed its defense to win the game in the fourth quarter for the second game in a row. This time, the defense delivered. The star of that defense was Jordan Hancock, who sealed the Buckeyes' come-from-behind win with an interception on Nebraska's final drive of the game.
JORDAN HANCOCK pic.twitter.com/fvmJRFzjPa
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 26, 2024
Hancock, who moved from nickelback to safety with Lathan Ransom sidelined, thrived in his new role against the Cornhuskers. In addition to his game-sealing interception, Hancock also recorded five tackles and one forced fumble in the win.
“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.
Second Star: Cody Simon
Before Hancock's interception, there were Simon's two tackles for loss.
The Corhuskers' final drive started at its 24-yard line. Following an offensive pass interference call on Nebraska wide receiver Jahmal Banks, a targeting call on Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese and a false start on Nebraska offensive lineman Justin Evans, Simon recorded back-to-back takedowns behind the line of scrimmage, knocking Nebraska's offense back to the 3rd-and-19 situation in which Hancock picked off Dylan Raiola.
Ohio State's Block O recipient and one of the team's four captains, Simon, was thankful the Buckeyes were able to secure a win over the Cornhuskers on Saturday. Still, he knows Ohio State needs to perform better next week and in the future to accomplish its goals.
“We could always be better. There are still so many areas where we could have made plays, and we could have helped our offense out more,” said Simon, who led the Buckeyes with eight tackles and three tackles for loss. “We need to make more turnovers. We need to create more stops and give up less rushing yards and keep the quarterback in the pocket. There’s a lot of stuff we can work on. So I mean, I'm glad because guys won't get complacent about this, because we know we can do so much better.”
Third Star: Carnell Tate
While Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka often draw more attention and generate more headlines than Tate, the sophomore wide receiver still has lots of star power. He showed that on Saturday, collecting four receptions, 102 yards and one touchdown in Ohio State's win over Nebraska.
Tate's first catch was for a modest 8 yards. His second, however, was a 40-yard touchdown to put Ohio State's first points on the board.
Will Howard Carnell Tate. pic.twitter.com/iuHHJsbjy1
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 26, 2024
Tate would later collect another two receptions for 54 yards in the contest, including a 37-yard catch in the fourth quarter as Ohio State trailed Nebraska 17-14. The Buckeyes capped off that drive with what proved to be their game-winning score, a 9-yard touchdown reception from Will Howard to Quinshon Judkins.
The Nebraska game was the first 100-yard game of Tate's career. His previous personal best 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 catches for 334 yards and two touchdowns this year.
| OPPONENT | FIRST STAR / ★ | SECOND STAR / ★★ | THIRD STAR / ★★★ |
|---|---|---|---|
| AKRON |
JEREMIAH SMITH, WR 6 catches, 92 yards, 2 TD |
LATHAN RANSOM, S 9 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 FR, 1 TD |
JT TUIMOLOAU, DE 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks |
| WESTERN MICHIGAN |
QUINSHON JUDKINS, RB 9 carries, 108 yards, 2 TD |
JEREMIAH SMITH, WR 5 catches, 119 yards, TD |
JACK SAWYER, DE 3 tackles, 1 sack |
| MARSHALL |
QUINSHON JUDKINS, RB 14 carries, 176 yards, 2 TD |
TREVEYON HENDERSON, RB 6 carries, 76 yards, 2 TD |
EMEKA EGBUKA, WR 5 catches, 117 yards, 1 TD |
| @ MICHIGAN STATE |
JEREMIAH SMITH, WR 6 touches, 102 yards, 2 TD |
CALEB DOWNS, S 6 tackles, 3 solo, 1 TFL |
EMEKA EGBUKA, WR 7 catches, 96 yards, 1 TD |
| IOWA |
EMEKA EGBUKA, WR 9 catches, 71 yards, 3 TD |
JACK SAWYER, DE 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF |
WILL HOWARD, QB 21-25, 209 yards, 5 total TD, 1 INT |
| NEBRASKA |
JORDAN HANCOCK, DB 5 tackles, 1 FF, 1 INT |
CODY SIMON, LB 8 tackles, 3 TFL |
CARNELL TATE, WR 4 catches, 102 yards, 1 TD |
As the season continues, we’re tracking the stars (or points) each Ohio State player receives in 2024. Here's how we'll do it: Each time a Buckeye earns the first star of the game, that Buckeye adds three points to their season total. Then, the second star and third star add two points and one point to their totals.
The standings after seven games:
| RANK | PLAYER | FIRST STAR / ★ | SECOND STAR / ★★ | THIRD STAR / ★★★ | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JEREMIAH SMITH | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | QUINSHON JUDKINS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 3 | EMEKA EGBUKA | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| T4 | JORDAN HANCOCK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| T4 | JACK SAWYER | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| T6 | LATHAN RANSOM | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| T6 | TREVEYON HENDERSON | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| T6 | CALEB DOWNS | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| T6 | CODY SIMON | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| T10 | JT TUIMOLOAU | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| T10 | WILL HOWARD | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| T10 | CARNELL TATE | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
