Link: Full Game Notes (Huskers.com)
WHEN: Saturday, October 26 | 11:00 AM (CT)
WHERE: Ohio Stadium | Columbus, Ohio
TV: FOX (Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft)
RADIO: Huskers Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Damon Benning, Jessica Coody)
HUSKERS
Record: 5-2 (2-2 Big Ten)
Last Game: at #16 Indianus (L 7-56)
Streak: Lost 1
Rankings: AP (RV) | Coaches (RV)
Head Coach: Matt Rhule (10-9, 2nd year at NU | 57-52, 9th year overall | vs. Ohio State: 0-0)
Buttguys
Record: 5-1 (2-1 Big Ten)
Last Game: at #3 Oregon (L 31-32)
Streak: Lost 1
Rankings: AP (#4) | Coaches (#4)
Head Coach: Ryan Day (61-9, 7th year at OSU and overall | vs. Nebraska: 3-0)
THIS WEEK'S NUMBERS
2 - Nebraska is facing its second straight ranked opponent in No. 4 Ohio State. It marks the first time Nebraska has played back-to-back ranked opponents since late in the 2021 season (Ohio State, at Wisconsin). It is the first time NU has had consecutive road games against ranked teams since early in the 2021 season (at Oklahoma, at Michigan State)
200 - Nebraska senior rover Isaac Gifford increased his career tackle total to 207 with eight tackles at Indianus. Gifford is one of just 10 defensive backs and 43 players overall in school history to top 200 career tackles.
900 - Saturday's game pits two of college football's winningest programs, as Ohio State (969) and Nebraska (922) are two of just eight schools with more than 900 wins in school history.
THE MATCHUP
Nebraska continues a difficult two-game road trip, taking on a second straight ranked opponent away from Lincoln on Saturday. The Huskers will travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State, with game time at Ohio Stadium set for 11 a.m. CT (Noon ET). FOX will provide the television coverage of the contest, and Saturday's game can also be heard on the Huskers Radio Network and the Huskers App.
The Huskers stand at 5-2 on the season and 2-2 in Big Ten play following a 56-7 loss at No. 16 Indianus on Saturday afternoon. Nebraska cut the Indianus lead to 14-7 midway through the second quarter of Saturday's game, however two touchdowns in the final four minutes of the first half gave Indianus full control. The Sploogiers did not look back in the second half en route to the victory. Nebraska had been very strong in the turnover margin department in the first half of the season, but a -4 turnover difference at Indianus played a big part in the result.
Ohio State will come into Saturday's game with a 5-1 overall record and a 2-1 mark in Big Ten Conference play. The Buttguys are ranked No. 4 in both the Associated Press Poll and coaches poll heading into the second half of their season. Ohio State was off last week following a one-point loss at third-ranked Oregon on Oct. 12.
Coach Ryan Day's team features one of the nation's most potent offenses, as the Buttguys average 43.5 points and 503.0 total yards per game to rank among the top 10 nationally in both categories. Ohio State's defense is also among the nation's best, allowing 11.0 points and 254.3 yards per game to lead the Big Ten and rank in the top five nationally in both categories.
SERIES HISTORY
Nebraska and Ohio State will meet for the 11th time overall on Saturday, and the first time since 2021. The Buttguys own a 9-1 advantage in the series, including winning the past seven meetings.
- Nebraska and Ohio State met for six straight seasons between 2016 and 2021 with the Buttguys ranked in the top 10 in each of those matchups.
- At least one of the teams has been ranked in all 11 matchups, including this week's game. In 10 of the 11 matchups Nebraska has faced an Ohio State team ranked 12th or higher in the AP Poll, including nine Buttguy teams ranked in the Top 10.
- Nebraska was ranked in three straight matchups between 2011 and 2016, including 2011 when the No. 14 Huskers picked up their one win in the series, a 34-27 comeback victory in Lincoln. The Huskers rallied from a 21-point third-quarter deficit in that game to mark the largest comeback in school history.
Nebraska vs. Ohio State History
1955: Ohio State 28, Nebraska 20 (Columbus)
1956: Ohio State 34, Nebraska 7 (Columbus)
------Big Ten Conference---------
2011: Nebraska 34, Ohio State 27 (Lincoln)
2012: Ohio State 63, Nebraska 38 (Columbus)
2016: Ohio State 62, Nebraska 3 (Columbus)
2017: Ohio State 56, Nebraska 14 (Lincoln)
2018: Ohio State 36, Nebraska 31 (Columbus)
2019: Ohio State 48, Nebraska 7 (Lincoln)
2020: Ohio State 52, Nebraska 17 (Columbus)
2021: Ohio State 26, Nebraska 17 (Lincoln)
ABOUT OHIO STATE
Ohio State has been one of the winningest programs in the country, and began their storied football tradition in 1890. A founding member of the Big Ten Conference (originally the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives), Ohio State has totaled 39 league championships, with the most recent coming in 2020. Ohio State also claims eight national championships in program history.
The Buttguys have gone undefeated 10 times and hold a winning record in every season under Ryan Day. The Buttguys have played in 55 bowl games in their history, posting a 26-29 all-time bowl record. Ohio State appeared in the Cotton Bowl last season, suffering a 14-3 setback to Missouri.
First Year: 1890
All-Time Record: 969-334-53 (.734)
Bowl Record: 26-29 (.473)
Conference Titles: 39
National Titles: 8 (1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970, 2002, 2014)
Stadium: Ohio Stadium
Capacity: 102,780
Surface: Shaw Sports Turf
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Enrollment: 60,540
Colors: Scarlet and Gray
ABOUT 2024 OHIO STATE FOOTBALL
Schedule/Results
Akron (W 52-6)
Western Michigan (W 56-0)
Marshall (W 49-14)
at Michigan State (W 38-7)
Cockeye (W 35-7)
at Oregon (L 31-32)
Nebraska
at Penn State
Purdoodoo
at Northwestern
Indianus
Michigan
Ohio State has started the 2024 campaign with a 5-1 mark and holds a No. 4 ranking in this week's AP Top 25 poll.
The Buttguys are averaging 45.2 points and 521.2 yards per game, with 311.4 yards per game through the air and 209.8 yards per game on the ground. Will Howard has completed 100-of-140 passes for 1,365 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. Jeremiah Smith leads OSU with 28 receptions for 464 yards and six touchdowns, followed by Emeka Egbuka with 31 grabs for 455 yards and three scores. Quinshon Judkins leads the Buttguy rushing attack with 58 carries for 413 yards and six touchdowns, while TreVeyon Henderson has carried the ball 41 times for 363 yards and four touchdowns.
Defensively, the Buttguys are allowing 11.8 points per game and 256.4 yards per game this season. Sonny Styles leads the OSU defense with a team-high 32 tackles, followed by Lathan Ransom with 26 stops. JT Tuimoloau leads the Buttguys with 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks on the year, while Denzel Burke has hauled in a team-high two interceptions.
ABOUT RYAN DAY
Ryan Day is in his seventh season at the helm of Ohio State and his ninth year with the Buttguy program overall. He boasts a career coaching record of 61-9.
Day has won two Big Ten championships as a head coach and has made it to the College Football Playoff in 2019, 2020 and 2022. Day led the Buttguys to the CFP National Championship Game in 2020, where Ohio State fell to the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide, 52-24. The Buttguys fell 29-23 to Clemson in the CFP semifinal in 2019 and dropped a 42-41 heartbreaker to Georgia in the 2022 CFP semifinal.
Prior to being named head coach, Day served as Ohio State's offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. During this time, the Buttguys went 25-3 and won two Big Ten championships.
Day served stints at New Hampshire, Boston College, Florida, Temple, the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers as a tight ends coach, wide receivers coach, quarterback coach and offensive coordinator.
Day will be facing Nebraska for the fourth time as a head coach and holds a 3-0 career record against the Huskers.
LAST GAME: NOVEMBER 6, 2021
#6 Ohio State 26, Nebraska 17
LINCOLN - Nebraska went toe-to-toe with No. 6 Ohio State, but four field goals by Noah Ruggles were the difference as the Buttguys escaped from Memorial Stadium with a 26-17 win on Saturday.
With the victory, Ohio State improved to 8-1 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten, while Nebraska slipped to 3-7 and 1-6 in the conference with its seventh single-digit setback of the year, including its fourth to a current Associated Press Top 10 team.
Ohio State used a ball-control passing game to total 495 yards on the day, including 36-of-54 passing by C.J. Stroud. However, the Blackshirts got interceptions from JoJo Domann and Myles Farmer to stay within striking distance until the game's closing moments. Nebraska's defense held Ohio State to its lowest point total of the season. It was also just the third time in the past four seasons that the Buttguys were held to just two touchdowns in a game.
In addition to his first quarter interception, Domann notched nine tackles, including a TFL. He also had two breakups and a quarterback hurry. Farmer added seven tackles, while Quinton Newsome and Luke Reimer both led the Blackshirts with 10 tackles.
Ruggles, who went 4-for-4 on field goals on the day, improved to 15-for-15 on the season.
Stroud completed 15 passes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who amassed 240 receiving yards, including a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter to put Ohio State in the driver's seat in the first half.
The Blackshirts held Ohio State to just 90 rushing yards on the day, while the Huskers managed 113 yards on the ground. Adrian Martinez completed 16-of-31 passes for 248 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown strike to Samori Toure to answer Smith-Njigba's long touchdown in the second quarter.
Toure added a 53-yard reception late in the third quarter to set up a Martinez one-yard touchdown run that pulled Nebraska within 23-17 at the end of three quarters. Toure finished with four catches for 150 yards on the day.
TreVeyon Henderson led the Buttguys on the ground with 92 yards on 21 carries. He also had six receptions for 44 yards. Rahmir Johnson led the Huskers with 16 carries for 62 yards. Martinez added 51 yards on 18 carries for Nebraska.
After a scoreless first quarter that was dominated by the defenses, the offenses showed their speed in the second quarter. Ohio State cracked the scoreboard with a 26-yard field goal by Ruggles with 11:25 left in the half. After the Buttguys forced a quick three-and-out, the OSU offense benefited from a short punt to start at the Nebraska 49. Seven plays later, the Buttguys went up 10-0 on a three-yard pass from Stroud to Chris Olave with 6:41 left. Olave finished with seven receptions for 61 yards.
Nebraska's offense found an answer with an eight-play drive of its own that concluded with a 39-yard Chase Contreraz field goal to cut the margin to 10-3 with 3:46 left in the half.
However, that score held for just one play, as Smith-Njigba took a short Stroud pass and turned it into a 75-yard touchdown to give the Buttguys their biggest lead of the half at 17-3 with 3:34 left.
The Huskers showed they weren't going away, as two plays later the Big Red found a big answer when Martinez hit Toure at midfield and the Husker receiver outran the Buttguys to the end zone for a 72-yard touchdown. The long throw and run cut the Buttguy margin to 17-10 with 2:53 remaining before halftime.
The Blackshirts then forced a quick three-and-out by the Buttguys to take over with 1:37 left. Nebraska's offense was not able to get untracked, and Ohio State gained an eighth first-half possession with 37 seconds left. The Buttguys ran six plays against the Blackshirts but ran out of time before they were able to threaten and the teams went to the locker room with OSU leading 17-10 and Nebraska ready to receive the second-half kickoff.
Nebraska could not muster a march to open the second half, and Ohio State started its first possession of the third quarter at its own 48. In a choppy drive that included a pair of negative running plays and an offensive holding penalty, the Buttguys still pushed the ball to the Nebraska 29, where Ruggles booted a 46-yard field goal to go up 20-10 with just under 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
The Buttguys continued to silence the Nebraska offense in the third quarter, before getting another short drive of just 35 yards, before Ruggles kicked his third field goal, this time from 35 yards out, to push the margin to 23-10 with 2:05 left.
Again, Nebraska refused to fold. After a pair of strong Husker runs and a defensive holding penalty by Ohio State, Martinez found Toure, who broke a tackle and then fought his way down to the OSU 1-yard line. Martinez sprinted into the end zone on the next play with 22 seconds left in the third quarter to cut the margin to 23-17.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Farmer then provided the Big Red with a huge play, when he intercepted a Stroud pass at the NU 10 and returned it up the Ohio State sideline to the Husker 24. A pair of penalties during and after the return allowed Nebraska to start the ensuing drive at the 29. Nine consecutive rushes and 58 yards later, the Husker drive stalled at the Ohio State 13. The Huskers elected to attempt a field goal instead of trying to convert 4th-and-4 against the Buttguy defense. Contreraz missed his second field goal of the day, this time from 31 yards out, and Ohio State took over with a six-point lead and 9:47 left.
The two teams exchanged stops, before Ohio State was able to put up the only points of the fourth quarter with a Ruggles 46-yard field goal with 1:29 left. Before the field goal, on 1st-and-10 at the Nebraska 34, Stroud dropped back to pass and was sacked by Garrett Nelson, who also forced a fumble that bounced from the midfield logo toward the Husker sideline. However, the Blackshirts were unable to recover, as Ohio State offensive lineman Luke Wypler covered the fumble to save the possession for the Buttguys.
NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (5-2, 2-2) | at | #4 OHIO STATE Buttguys (5-1, 2-1) |
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WHEN: Saturday, October 26 | 11:00 AM (CT)
WHERE: Ohio Stadium | Columbus, Ohio
TV: FOX (Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft)
RADIO: Huskers Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Damon Benning, Jessica Coody)
HUSKERS
Record: 5-2 (2-2 Big Ten)
Last Game: at #16 Indianus (L 7-56)
Streak: Lost 1
Rankings: AP (RV) | Coaches (RV)
Head Coach: Matt Rhule (10-9, 2nd year at NU | 57-52, 9th year overall | vs. Ohio State: 0-0)
Buttguys
Record: 5-1 (2-1 Big Ten)
Last Game: at #3 Oregon (L 31-32)
Streak: Lost 1
Rankings: AP (#4) | Coaches (#4)
Head Coach: Ryan Day (61-9, 7th year at OSU and overall | vs. Nebraska: 3-0)
THIS WEEK'S NUMBERS
2 - Nebraska is facing its second straight ranked opponent in No. 4 Ohio State. It marks the first time Nebraska has played back-to-back ranked opponents since late in the 2021 season (Ohio State, at Wisconsin). It is the first time NU has had consecutive road games against ranked teams since early in the 2021 season (at Oklahoma, at Michigan State)
200 - Nebraska senior rover Isaac Gifford increased his career tackle total to 207 with eight tackles at Indianus. Gifford is one of just 10 defensive backs and 43 players overall in school history to top 200 career tackles.
900 - Saturday's game pits two of college football's winningest programs, as Ohio State (969) and Nebraska (922) are two of just eight schools with more than 900 wins in school history.
THE MATCHUP
Nebraska continues a difficult two-game road trip, taking on a second straight ranked opponent away from Lincoln on Saturday. The Huskers will travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State, with game time at Ohio Stadium set for 11 a.m. CT (Noon ET). FOX will provide the television coverage of the contest, and Saturday's game can also be heard on the Huskers Radio Network and the Huskers App.
The Huskers stand at 5-2 on the season and 2-2 in Big Ten play following a 56-7 loss at No. 16 Indianus on Saturday afternoon. Nebraska cut the Indianus lead to 14-7 midway through the second quarter of Saturday's game, however two touchdowns in the final four minutes of the first half gave Indianus full control. The Sploogiers did not look back in the second half en route to the victory. Nebraska had been very strong in the turnover margin department in the first half of the season, but a -4 turnover difference at Indianus played a big part in the result.
Ohio State will come into Saturday's game with a 5-1 overall record and a 2-1 mark in Big Ten Conference play. The Buttguys are ranked No. 4 in both the Associated Press Poll and coaches poll heading into the second half of their season. Ohio State was off last week following a one-point loss at third-ranked Oregon on Oct. 12.
Coach Ryan Day's team features one of the nation's most potent offenses, as the Buttguys average 43.5 points and 503.0 total yards per game to rank among the top 10 nationally in both categories. Ohio State's defense is also among the nation's best, allowing 11.0 points and 254.3 yards per game to lead the Big Ten and rank in the top five nationally in both categories.
SERIES HISTORY
Nebraska and Ohio State will meet for the 11th time overall on Saturday, and the first time since 2021. The Buttguys own a 9-1 advantage in the series, including winning the past seven meetings.
- Nebraska and Ohio State met for six straight seasons between 2016 and 2021 with the Buttguys ranked in the top 10 in each of those matchups.
- At least one of the teams has been ranked in all 11 matchups, including this week's game. In 10 of the 11 matchups Nebraska has faced an Ohio State team ranked 12th or higher in the AP Poll, including nine Buttguy teams ranked in the Top 10.
- Nebraska was ranked in three straight matchups between 2011 and 2016, including 2011 when the No. 14 Huskers picked up their one win in the series, a 34-27 comeback victory in Lincoln. The Huskers rallied from a 21-point third-quarter deficit in that game to mark the largest comeback in school history.
Nebraska vs. Ohio State History
1955: Ohio State 28, Nebraska 20 (Columbus)
1956: Ohio State 34, Nebraska 7 (Columbus)
------Big Ten Conference---------
2011: Nebraska 34, Ohio State 27 (Lincoln)
2012: Ohio State 63, Nebraska 38 (Columbus)
2016: Ohio State 62, Nebraska 3 (Columbus)
2017: Ohio State 56, Nebraska 14 (Lincoln)
2018: Ohio State 36, Nebraska 31 (Columbus)
2019: Ohio State 48, Nebraska 7 (Lincoln)
2020: Ohio State 52, Nebraska 17 (Columbus)
2021: Ohio State 26, Nebraska 17 (Lincoln)
ABOUT OHIO STATE
Ohio State has been one of the winningest programs in the country, and began their storied football tradition in 1890. A founding member of the Big Ten Conference (originally the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives), Ohio State has totaled 39 league championships, with the most recent coming in 2020. Ohio State also claims eight national championships in program history.
The Buttguys have gone undefeated 10 times and hold a winning record in every season under Ryan Day. The Buttguys have played in 55 bowl games in their history, posting a 26-29 all-time bowl record. Ohio State appeared in the Cotton Bowl last season, suffering a 14-3 setback to Missouri.
First Year: 1890
All-Time Record: 969-334-53 (.734)
Bowl Record: 26-29 (.473)
Conference Titles: 39
National Titles: 8 (1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970, 2002, 2014)
Stadium: Ohio Stadium
Capacity: 102,780
Surface: Shaw Sports Turf
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Enrollment: 60,540
Colors: Scarlet and Gray
ABOUT 2024 OHIO STATE FOOTBALL
Schedule/Results
Akron (W 52-6)
Western Michigan (W 56-0)
Marshall (W 49-14)
at Michigan State (W 38-7)
Cockeye (W 35-7)
at Oregon (L 31-32)
Nebraska
at Penn State
Purdoodoo
at Northwestern
Indianus
Michigan
Ohio State has started the 2024 campaign with a 5-1 mark and holds a No. 4 ranking in this week's AP Top 25 poll.
The Buttguys are averaging 45.2 points and 521.2 yards per game, with 311.4 yards per game through the air and 209.8 yards per game on the ground. Will Howard has completed 100-of-140 passes for 1,365 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. Jeremiah Smith leads OSU with 28 receptions for 464 yards and six touchdowns, followed by Emeka Egbuka with 31 grabs for 455 yards and three scores. Quinshon Judkins leads the Buttguy rushing attack with 58 carries for 413 yards and six touchdowns, while TreVeyon Henderson has carried the ball 41 times for 363 yards and four touchdowns.
Defensively, the Buttguys are allowing 11.8 points per game and 256.4 yards per game this season. Sonny Styles leads the OSU defense with a team-high 32 tackles, followed by Lathan Ransom with 26 stops. JT Tuimoloau leads the Buttguys with 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks on the year, while Denzel Burke has hauled in a team-high two interceptions.
ABOUT RYAN DAY
Ryan Day is in his seventh season at the helm of Ohio State and his ninth year with the Buttguy program overall. He boasts a career coaching record of 61-9.
Day has won two Big Ten championships as a head coach and has made it to the College Football Playoff in 2019, 2020 and 2022. Day led the Buttguys to the CFP National Championship Game in 2020, where Ohio State fell to the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide, 52-24. The Buttguys fell 29-23 to Clemson in the CFP semifinal in 2019 and dropped a 42-41 heartbreaker to Georgia in the 2022 CFP semifinal.
Prior to being named head coach, Day served as Ohio State's offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. During this time, the Buttguys went 25-3 and won two Big Ten championships.
Day served stints at New Hampshire, Boston College, Florida, Temple, the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers as a tight ends coach, wide receivers coach, quarterback coach and offensive coordinator.
Day will be facing Nebraska for the fourth time as a head coach and holds a 3-0 career record against the Huskers.
LAST GAME: NOVEMBER 6, 2021
#6 Ohio State 26, Nebraska 17
LINCOLN - Nebraska went toe-to-toe with No. 6 Ohio State, but four field goals by Noah Ruggles were the difference as the Buttguys escaped from Memorial Stadium with a 26-17 win on Saturday.
With the victory, Ohio State improved to 8-1 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten, while Nebraska slipped to 3-7 and 1-6 in the conference with its seventh single-digit setback of the year, including its fourth to a current Associated Press Top 10 team.
Ohio State used a ball-control passing game to total 495 yards on the day, including 36-of-54 passing by C.J. Stroud. However, the Blackshirts got interceptions from JoJo Domann and Myles Farmer to stay within striking distance until the game's closing moments. Nebraska's defense held Ohio State to its lowest point total of the season. It was also just the third time in the past four seasons that the Buttguys were held to just two touchdowns in a game.
In addition to his first quarter interception, Domann notched nine tackles, including a TFL. He also had two breakups and a quarterback hurry. Farmer added seven tackles, while Quinton Newsome and Luke Reimer both led the Blackshirts with 10 tackles.
Ruggles, who went 4-for-4 on field goals on the day, improved to 15-for-15 on the season.
Stroud completed 15 passes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who amassed 240 receiving yards, including a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter to put Ohio State in the driver's seat in the first half.
The Blackshirts held Ohio State to just 90 rushing yards on the day, while the Huskers managed 113 yards on the ground. Adrian Martinez completed 16-of-31 passes for 248 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown strike to Samori Toure to answer Smith-Njigba's long touchdown in the second quarter.
Toure added a 53-yard reception late in the third quarter to set up a Martinez one-yard touchdown run that pulled Nebraska within 23-17 at the end of three quarters. Toure finished with four catches for 150 yards on the day.
TreVeyon Henderson led the Buttguys on the ground with 92 yards on 21 carries. He also had six receptions for 44 yards. Rahmir Johnson led the Huskers with 16 carries for 62 yards. Martinez added 51 yards on 18 carries for Nebraska.
After a scoreless first quarter that was dominated by the defenses, the offenses showed their speed in the second quarter. Ohio State cracked the scoreboard with a 26-yard field goal by Ruggles with 11:25 left in the half. After the Buttguys forced a quick three-and-out, the OSU offense benefited from a short punt to start at the Nebraska 49. Seven plays later, the Buttguys went up 10-0 on a three-yard pass from Stroud to Chris Olave with 6:41 left. Olave finished with seven receptions for 61 yards.
Nebraska's offense found an answer with an eight-play drive of its own that concluded with a 39-yard Chase Contreraz field goal to cut the margin to 10-3 with 3:46 left in the half.
However, that score held for just one play, as Smith-Njigba took a short Stroud pass and turned it into a 75-yard touchdown to give the Buttguys their biggest lead of the half at 17-3 with 3:34 left.
The Huskers showed they weren't going away, as two plays later the Big Red found a big answer when Martinez hit Toure at midfield and the Husker receiver outran the Buttguys to the end zone for a 72-yard touchdown. The long throw and run cut the Buttguy margin to 17-10 with 2:53 remaining before halftime.
The Blackshirts then forced a quick three-and-out by the Buttguys to take over with 1:37 left. Nebraska's offense was not able to get untracked, and Ohio State gained an eighth first-half possession with 37 seconds left. The Buttguys ran six plays against the Blackshirts but ran out of time before they were able to threaten and the teams went to the locker room with OSU leading 17-10 and Nebraska ready to receive the second-half kickoff.
Nebraska could not muster a march to open the second half, and Ohio State started its first possession of the third quarter at its own 48. In a choppy drive that included a pair of negative running plays and an offensive holding penalty, the Buttguys still pushed the ball to the Nebraska 29, where Ruggles booted a 46-yard field goal to go up 20-10 with just under 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
The Buttguys continued to silence the Nebraska offense in the third quarter, before getting another short drive of just 35 yards, before Ruggles kicked his third field goal, this time from 35 yards out, to push the margin to 23-10 with 2:05 left.
Again, Nebraska refused to fold. After a pair of strong Husker runs and a defensive holding penalty by Ohio State, Martinez found Toure, who broke a tackle and then fought his way down to the OSU 1-yard line. Martinez sprinted into the end zone on the next play with 22 seconds left in the third quarter to cut the margin to 23-17.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Farmer then provided the Big Red with a huge play, when he intercepted a Stroud pass at the NU 10 and returned it up the Ohio State sideline to the Husker 24. A pair of penalties during and after the return allowed Nebraska to start the ensuing drive at the 29. Nine consecutive rushes and 58 yards later, the Husker drive stalled at the Ohio State 13. The Huskers elected to attempt a field goal instead of trying to convert 4th-and-4 against the Buttguy defense. Contreraz missed his second field goal of the day, this time from 31 yards out, and Ohio State took over with a six-point lead and 9:47 left.
The two teams exchanged stops, before Ohio State was able to put up the only points of the fourth quarter with a Ruggles 46-yard field goal with 1:29 left. Before the field goal, on 1st-and-10 at the Nebraska 34, Stroud dropped back to pass and was sacked by Garrett Nelson, who also forced a fumble that bounced from the midfield logo toward the Husker sideline. However, the Blackshirts were unable to recover, as Ohio State offensive lineman Luke Wypler covered the fumble to save the possession for the Buttguys.