Ohio State looked like two different teams tonight. In the first half, they reminded many of past Ohio State teams. They walked into a tough environment and took the crowd out of it early. After establishing a dominant 27-6 lead, the Buckeyes looked more like this year’s edition as Nebraska came roaring back en route to a 34-27 win over the scarlet and gray.
There were both positives and negatives to take away from the game.
On the positive side, Braxton Miller is the future. Tonight, he showed glimpses of his potential and he possesses quite a bit of it. His confidence grew with each play and the offense became energized under him. The Buckeyes were like an unstoppable locomotive running over the Blackshirts. In fact, they built up sizeable 27-6 lead until it all fell apart.
The defense collapsed in the second half. They couldn’t stop Taylor Martinez. After Taylor established success on the ground, the Buckeyes became susceptible in coverage and as a result, Nebraska was able to capitalize on it. The Cornhuskers rallied from 21 down to win by seven.
There were chances for Ohio State to quell the Cornhusker rush. Defensively, a few key stops or a forced turnover could have changed the tide of the game back in their direction. On offense, a few well-executed plays could have made all the difference.
While this is an awful loss for Buckeye Nation, it serves as a reminder this is a young team. One of the symptoms of inexperienced teams is they are going to have trouble when momentum falls out of their reach. The Buckeyes came out hot and they need to learn to play that way for 60 minutes. If they can, they’ll become a dangerous team.
The offense was much better tonight. The line played extremely well. Carlos Hyde continues to remind me of Eddie George with his running style and if Miller can stay healthy, it’s going to be hard to stop him. The pieces are there to be a great team offensively; they just need to work on their consistency.
On the defensive side, it’s getting back to the basics. They need to work on their mental toughness as the game got away from them when the momentum changed. Great teams don’t allow situations to dictate them and that’s the lesson this unit needs to learn.
The Buckeyes showed improvement tonight and they’ll need to build on it, as the slate doesn’t become any easier. A road trip to undefeated Illinois is next.
Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images
Discussion about this post