'We should not be in games like this': OSU win reveals more questions than answers

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Try as they might, the horns and the percussionists from Ohio State's famous marching band couldn't drown out the boos as the third quarter drew to a close on Saturday afternoon. Clinging to an increasingly fraught five-point lead, the Buckeyes' offense had just gone three-and-out for the third time in a span of four possessions, with the only reprieve coming in the form of a gobsmacking interception by quarterback Will Howard. The latest irritant to the crowd of 104,830 at Ohio Stadium was a failed third-down carry from running back TreVeyon Henderson, who was enveloped for negative yardage while the offensive line capitulated. Smatterings of fans let their exasperation be heard as the punt team readied for duty and the band played on like nothing was wrong.

But there were plenty of problems with Ohio State's harrowing 21-17 survival against Nebraska, a middling Big Ten foe that, seven days prior, was garroted by 49 points in a nationally televised implosion against then-No. 16 Indiana. The Cornhuskers arrived here as underdogs of more than 25 points and losers of their last 26 games against ranked opponents, a streak that predates head coach Matt Rhule. And yet there stood the Buckeyes, dumbfounded and dazed and disbelieving what they were seeing, trailing by three with 10:47 remaining once Nebraska tailback Dante Dowdell soared across the goal line for a 1-yard score. In that moment, and with all the warts that had been exposed, the idea that Ohio State should be viewed as one of the best teams in college football — a bonafide contender to win its first national championship since 2014 — felt rather farcical. 

"It wasn't perfect," Howard said. "But a win is a win."

And the fans could feel it. Sure, there were some micro frustrations amid the collective disdain on a beautiful fall day in Columbus. They were irritated by an ineffective rushing attack that only gained 2.1 yards per carry on 31 attempts. They were annoyed by the porous pass blocking that seemed to accelerate the clock in Howard's head. They were galled by the shanked field goal from kicker Jayden Fielding. They were incensed at the trio of penalties called against cornerback Davison Igbinosun, even if one of them was declined. They were livid over the ejection of linebacker Arvell Reese for targeting and threw bottles onto the field, briefly halting the game as stadium staff cleared debris. And they were mystified that head coach Ryan Day and his staff hadn't done a better job of energizing and enlivening this bunch with two full weeks of practice since their soul-crushing loss to Oregon.

But it was the macro overtones that were far more concerning for a fan base desperate to cleanse itself after watching archrival Michigan win the Big Ten Championship and reach the College Football Playoff in three consecutive seasons, the last of which was punctuated with the conference's first national title in a decade. Indeed, what the Buckeyes displayed against Nebraska was far from the kind of gritty, fourth-quarter win that Day described it to be in his postgame news conference, an equivocation that raised more than a few eyebrows among reporters. No amount of coach speak or cliché spewing could obfuscate the harsh reality facing Ohio State: that it is an immensely talented football team falling short of expectations.

"We've gotta go back and look at the film and get it corrected because [it's like] we're in the playoffs now," Howard said. "Every game is the most important game. We can't afford to put a performance out there that we're not proud of like today. And I think today will wake us up and remind us that we've got to just continue to grind every single day, every single week and not ever get complacent, because you never know."

That Ohio State's offensive malaise against Nebraska could be easily juxtaposed with the 56-7 beating Indiana applied to the Cornhuskers last week only deepened the concern. How could the Buckeyes, whose running back tandem of Henderson and Quinshon Judkins is arguably the best in the country, be tackled behind the line of scrimmage seven times by a defense that surrendered 215 rushing yards and 6.5 yards per carry to the significantly less-talented Hoosiers? How could Ohio State, whose receiving trio of Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate is the envy of college football, only convert once in 10 tries on third down after Indiana moved the chains against Nebraska at a 55.6% clip? How could an offense overseen by Day and first-year offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who is considered one of the brightest minds in the sport, produce 35 fewer points than IU did when facing the same unit in successive weeks?

To varying degrees, all of those questions point back to Ohio State's injury problems along the offensive line, where starting left tackle Josh Simmons is out for the season with an undisclosed left knee injury suffered in the loss to Oregon. Without Simmons, who had blossomed into the team's best lineman in his second season since arriving from San Diego State, offensive line coach Justin Frye entrusted senior Zen Michalski to fill that role against Nebraska despite logging just 105 snaps across the first six games.

A former four-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle, Michalski struggled in his first career start before exiting in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a hip injury. He allowed a sack on Ohio State's opening possession when defensive lineman Jimari Butler beat him at the line of scrimmage and seemed to miss an assignment on each of the Buckeyes' next two drives, including one that directly contributed to a three-and-out. Were it not for the lengthy touchdown throws from Howard, who connected with Tate for a 40-yard score and Smith for a 60-yard score, the revolving door of mistakes off the left side would have proven even more detrimental considering Judkins and Henderson only combined for 54 rushing yards and failed to reach the end zone on the ground. 

"For our offensive line," Judkins said, "definitely wasn't our best day up front. But I think those guys will get it corrected. Coach Frye, you know, he is great at what he does as far as coaching, and I think he'll definitely fix it for next week. But I think everyone could improve."

It's a message that applied to nearly every member of Ohio State's team on an afternoon when the Buckeyes needed to mount an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with 6:04 remaining in the fourth quarter to finally reclaim the lead, when the victory wasn't assured until defensive back Jordan Hancock intercepted a poorly thrown ball from five-star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola — a one-time OSU commit — in the final 90 seconds, when the toughness and desire and will of a roster that reportedly cost more than $20 million to assemble were all called into question as the path toward an expanded College Football Playoff temporarily faded.

That's why there were boos echoing around the stadium on Saturday. And even the Ohio State band couldn't overpower them. 

"We're going to look back," Day said, "and find that we should not be in games like this, quite honestly. I mean, that's just the way we look at it.

"But we were [today]. Give Nebraska credit."

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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