Ohio State junior defensive end Chase Young (2) grabs Nebraska sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez (2) during the first half of the game against Nebraska at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 28. Ohio State won 48-7. Credit: Amal Saeed | Photo Editor
Entering Saturday’s game, Adrian Martinez’s 321.8 total yards per game were the most in the Big Ten.
After a half of play against the Ohio State defense, you would have been forgiven for thinking he was dead last.
The Buckeyes picked Martinez off three times in 20 minutes of play, and forced the Nebraska quarterback to fumble in a half where he had more interceptions than completions en route to a -39.5 passer rating.
“Our team is totally into everything now,” Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said. Really proud of these guys, they came here to kind of send a message.”
The Cornhuskers’ 11 turnovers ahead of the matchup were two more than the next most in the Big Ten.
It didn’t take long for Martinez to add to that lead.
On his second throw of the game, Martinez rolled out to his right and completed a pass right into the hands of No. 1 in white and red. Problem is, he was targeting No. 1 in red and white.
Ohio State junior cornerback Jeff Okudah picked it off at the 50-yard-line, setting up a 15-yard touchdown run from sophomore quarterback Justin Fields six plays later.
Okudah’s first career interception came just this past week in the second quarter against Miami (Ohio) –– a play that he said “got the monkey off his back.”
With that pick against Martinez, Okudah threw the monkey out of his car, and later in the quarter, he’d speed off without it.
Down two scores, Martinez and the Nebraska offense showed signs of life toward the end of the first, marching the ball downfield with an option attack out of the power-I formation to the Ohio State 10, forcing head coach Ryan Day to burn a timeout.
Rather than cutting the Buckeye lead in half, though, Martinez misfired to Robinson once again, this time overthrowing his top target for a tipped ball landing right into the hands of Okudah, who was flat on his back.
“I saw it, I tipped it. Sometimes you gotta thank the football gods,” Okudah said.
He may have tripled his career interception total in one quarter, but Okudah wasn’t the only member of the Buckeye secondary to get in on the act.
On the very next Nebraska possession, Ohio State senior safety Jordan intercepted another Martinez pass at midfield. The pick was the fourth of Fuller’s career, and set up a touchdown from Ohio State redshirt freshman Master Teague on the ensuing drive.
“We always say ‘Saturday is pay day,’ and we definitely collected a check,” Fuller said.
The pick marked Martinez’s career high –– he had only thrown more than one interception on one other occasion. Of his 16 career games for Nebraska, the Cornhuskers have gone 3-8 when Martinez throws a pick.
After a strip sack from junior defensive end Chase Young (recovered by Martinez), the Nebraska quarterback finished the half 2-of-8 for 10 yards, with three picks, three sacks and a fumble. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes took a 38-0 lead over a team that many thought would be their stiffest test thus far.
Against Miami a week ago, three Ohio State turnovers led to 21 points during a stretch that essentially ended the game before the half. The Buckeyes seemed to like that recipe, as they ran it back against Nebraska to the tune of 17 points Saturday.
Ohio State held the conference’s leading passer to 47 yards –– 216 fewer than his season average –– and a 33.3 percent completion rate. If the performance surprised anyone, it wasn’t Okudah and the Buckeyes.
“I would say the country saw, what we were echoing in the locker room before the game is, we are who we think we are,” Okudah said.
