Final grade out: Nebraska vs. Ohio State
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Here are the final takes and grades following Nebraska’s 21-17 loss at Ohio State on Saturday. The Huskers dropped to 5-3 on the season.
NU held a 17-14 lead late in the fourth quarter before the Buckeyes pulled ahead 21-17.
The final grade out
Rushing offense: B
Nebraska had 142 sack-adjusted rushing yards, averaging 4.7 yards per carry on true running plays. QB Dylan Raiola also gave the Huskers a spark in the ground game with a career-long 38-yard run. The Huskers outgained Ohio State on the ground in every quarter.
We also saw a spark from Dante Dowdell, who had three of Nebraska’s five runs of 10+ yards. Dowdell had 14 carries for 60 yards.
Passing offense: C-
Once again, we saw NU struggle with perimeter blocking the screen game. Raiola was 21-of-32 for 152 yards and an interception. However, the big misses were two wide-open touchdown passes ahead of the receiver.
The Huskers also had a 30-yard catch overturned on replay. Tight end Thomas Fidone had four catches for 55 yards to lead the Huskers, including two big catches in the fourth quarter. He had NU’s long reception of 33 yards.
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Rushing defense: A
Ohio State had just 64 yards rushing in the game. They were 1-of-4 on runs of 3 yards or less on third down and stuffed on a key early fourth down. The most surprising element of the game was that the Huskers were able to shut down one of the top rushing offenses in college football. OSU’s top two running backs had just 54 yards rushing on 20 carries.
Passing defense: C
We saw three big breakdowns on passing defense that led to 37, 40 and 60-yard plays. Two of Ohio State’s three touchdowns came on these plays. Will Howard was 13-of-16 for 221 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Malcolm Hartzog came up with a huge interception and nearly ran it back for a touchdown.
Special teams: B+
It was a rough start for Nebraska, bobbling the opening kickoff and starting on the 9-yard line, followed by a 31-yard punt. Luckily, the Blackshirts held up, and no points came from these mistakes. NU responded in a big way, as John Hohl was perfect on three field goals, including tying a NU road record by making a 54-yarder into the wind. Hohl was outstanding, as were the snaps and holds.
The kickoff coverage was also top-notch, including two drives on which NU pinned OSU at the 21 and 19-yard lines when they attempted to run out kickoffs. Ohio State started in Nebraska territory just once, and that was on the shanked punt in the first quarter.
Sean Callahan can be reached at [email protected] and is heard daily at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall, and each week, he appears on Nebraska Public Media’s Big Red Wrap-Up Tuesdays at 7 pm.
