Here are three keys for No. 4 Ohio State against Nebraska on Saturday:
The Buckeyes are managing their earliest setback since 2021. The losses during the regular season in 2023 and 2022 did not occur until the final weekend as they remained unbeaten through September and October, resulting in unusual circumstances for the staff and players. An idle week at least afforded them more time to recover from the gut-wrenching defeat at Oregon, but they can hardly afford to lick their wounds for too long. The Cornhuskers are the first of four teams they'll face with a winning record over their final six games, marking the start of a tougher stretch.
With the loss of Josh Simmons, the much-improved starting left tackle who suffered a season-ending knee injury at Oregon, the Buckeyes could be more vulnerable along the offensive line. Zen Michalski, a redshirt junior who replaced Simmons two weeks ago, is in line to make his first career start against Nebraska, which features a defense that has been able to disrupt quarterbacks. Its 21 sacks are tied with Indiana for the most in the Big Ten, and it has amassed 134 total pressures, the third-most in the conference, per Pro Football Focus. Containing that pass rush is a priority for a line as it incorporates a new starter.
Nebraska's run defense has been more good than bad this year. It ranks 16 in the Football Bowl Subdivision and went six games without allowing an opponent to rush for a touchdown. But it looked more like a weakness than a strength in last week's blowout loss at Indiana. As the Cornhuskers were routed by the Hoosiers, they surrendered 215 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. It could present an opportunity for Ohio State to continue the trend if it can clean things up after its running game took a dip in the second half at Oregon, gaining only 19 yards on 12 carries during the third and fourth quarters.
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Ohio State pass defense vs. Dylan Raiola
Raiola, a talented freshman quarterback and one-time Ohio State commit, was one of the biggest reasons behind Nebraska's hot start. In five games before October in which the Cornhuskers went 4-1, Raiola completed 70.4% of his passes for 1,224 yards and nine touchdowns with only two interceptions. As they've split two games this month, he's looked more like a teenage passer, completing 57.7% for 368 yards and four touchdowns. Over the past three games, he's thrown just one touchdown. If Raiola is unable to snap out of his midseason slump, it's hard to picture Nebraska pushing the Buckeyes in the second half, even if Ohio State's secondary looked vulnerable at Oregon.
7: Consecutive seasons in which Nebraska missed a bowl game, its longest drought since 1955-61. It remains one win shy from snapping the streak.