Ohio State junior cornerback Sevyn Banks scores a touchdown during the third quarter of the Ohio State-Nebraska game, Saturday, Oct. 24. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
With 8:24 remaining in the second quarter, Nebraska senior running Dedrick Mills found pay dirt on a three-yard run, which tied the game at 14 and put pressure on the No. 5 Buckeyes.
But after that play, the Ohio State defense locked-in, allowing just three points following the touchdown. The awakening in the defense helped the Buckeyes go on a 38-3 run that propelled Ohio State to a 52-17 win over Nebraska Saturday.
“I thought Nebraska had a really good plan early on, I thought that they had us reeling a little bit early on,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said Saturday. “Give credit to our defensive staff and players for being able to adjust.”
The Cornhusker rushing attack came out strong, picking up 84 yards on the ground in the opening quarter. Despite the hot start on the ground, the Nebraska running backs were limited to no yards on the quarter as the Cornhuskers’ two quarterbacks carried the load.
Junior quarterback Adrian Martinez and redshirt freshman quarterback Luke McCaffrey gashed the Buckeye defense early, as a result of their rotation of ball-carrying responsibilities.
“I don’t think early on in the game we were handling it very well, in the manner in which they were doing it,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said. “We came in at halftime and made a couple of adjustments that I thought were very effective in the second half.”
Calling the Nebraska quarterbacks “talented runners”, Coombs said that they read pressure well and received help from their experienced offensive line, which returned all five starters this season.
Martinez and McCaffrey combined for 164 yards on the ground on 21 carries. Martinez found the end zone on the Cornhuskers’ opening drive for the pair’s lone score.
Although the Buckeye defense struggled to contain the quarterback rush attack early in the game, they found success in the second half.
The Ohio State defense forced fumbles on both Martinez and McCaffrey in the final two frames, with Martinez’s being scooped up by junior cornerback Sevyn Banks and taken 47 yards for a touchdown.
Although the Cornhuskers found the end zone twice on the ground — a feat that a team had not accomplished against Ohio State until Week 10 last season — Nebraska head coach Scott Frost said he was upset with their ball security in the later phases of the game.
“Our two quarterbacks are two of our best players on our football team and that certainly played out today,” Frost said. “[We] can’t turn the ball over. If we’re going to run our quarterbacks like we do then they need to take care of the football like anybody else.”
While the Buckeye rush defense struggled, their pass defense held up its end of the bargain.
Although Martinez and McCaffrey combined for an 80 percent completion percentage, they were held to just 160 yards passing.
Coombs said he was excited with the way the young secondary unit held itself in its opening game.
“Overall, I thought for a group of young players, they played pretty well today,” Coombs said.
Ohio State’s pass rush also found success, sacking Martinez and McCaffrey three times.
One of those sacks came from senior defensive tackle Haskell Garrett, despite sustaining a gunshot wound to the cheek Aug. 30.
Day said that Garrett’s presence on the field created a boost on the interior defensive line.
“I think it was good to get him out there,” Day said. “With his experience and his ability, it was really great to have him in there.”
Despite the struggles in containing the run, Day said he was pleased with the Buckeyes performance overall.
“If someone said to me ‘if you hold them to 17 points, will you take that?’ I would’ve signed the dotted line,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “They hit a couple big plays on us, but overall I thought they did a really nice job.”
