Topline Takeaways: Huskers Show How Good They Can be in Loss to Ohio State

At some point, Nebraska needs to win one of these. For now, they showed major progress in the loss. Carrying it forward will be the biggest challenge.

Oct 26, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive back Malcolm Hartzog Jr. (7) returns an interception during the third quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

If you had told me Nebraska would have the lead in the 4th quarter against Ohio State on Saturday, I would not have believed you. The Huskers lost in heartbreaking fashion, falling 21-17 to one of the best teams in college football. There was a lot to like in the Huskers’ performance, but they need to figure out how to replicate that level of effort and execution every week. We cover a lot in this week’s edition of the topline takeaways, so let’s get right to it. 

CHEERS TO THAT

Bounce-Back Performance. I’ll be honest - I did not expect Nebraska to beat Ohio State. Coming off the 56-7 loss to Indiana, I was hoping to at least see the Big Red put up a fight and make a game of it. The Huskers did more than that. They went toe to toe with the #4 team in the country for four quarters. They battled their hearts out. They had a 4th quarter lead, and even after relinquishing it, had the ball with a chance to win in the final minutes.

It’s still a gut punch loss, and there are no moral victories. I keep thinking about the ways Nebraska could have won that game. Maybe just one fewer mistake, or one more big play, and they finally get over the hump in a big game against a highly ranked opponent. BUT - I am more energized and less down than I've been after a loss in a long time. If I’m being totally honest, I was really worried they would get blown out for a second week in a row and the season would run the risk of derailing. The Huskers came out and fought, they didn’t quit when things started poorly, and they hung with Ohio State blow-for-blow. That’s a huge credit to Coach Rhule and the staff. Now that they’ve shown how good they can be, they’ve got to bottle it up and do it again. This team is far from perfect, with persistent flaws on both offense and special teams. But if they can get the bowl monkey off their back against UCLA, that can catapult them into the final three games with plenty left to play for. 

Stage Wasn’t Too Big. For a moment, at the beginning of the game, the stage actually did look too big. Nebraska bobbled the opening kickoff, so they were pinned back to the 9 yard line to start the game. On the very next play, Dante Dowdell fumbled the handoff from Dylan Raiola. Thankfully he recovered it, but it was basically a wasted play on the opening drive. The Huskers would go 3-and-out, and then Brian Buschini had what was probably his worst punt of the year, giving Ohio State the ball at Nebraska’s 36 yard line. You could almost hear the collective groan from Husker fans across the nation. “Here we go again.” And then the Blackshirts decided they had something to say about it. They held the Buckeye offense on four plays, stuffing a 4th and 1 play and getting the ball back to the offense. That seemed to flip a switch for the whole team, and they battled the rest of the way. 

Coach Rhule said after the game that the Huskers came in expecting to win the game. Led by the defense, they played that way. 

Run Game. We’ve been plenty critical of offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, and the offense still leaves a lot to be desired. A lot. But it was good to see the Huskers show more of a commitment to the run game after the pass-heavy showcase against Indiana (which, I will admit, was somewhat dictated by necessity after Nebraska got down big). Ohio State came into the game at #2 nationally in total defense and #6 in rushing defense. Officially, Nebraska rushed 33 times for 121 yards, and when you remove lost yardage from sacks, the Huskers generated 145 yards on the ground. Those numbers won’t blow any 1990s era Nebraska teams’ socks off, but that’s a solid effort against an elite defense from a team that has struggled to run the ball consistently. Perhaps equally as impressive is that the Blackshirts held Ohio State to 64 yards rushing. That’ll play. 

Field Goals Everywhere! Nebraska made not one, not two, but three field goals on Saturday! The kicking unit literally kept the team in the game, until the offense finally scored a touchdown to take the lead in the 4th quarter. Huge props to backup kicker John Hohl, who made field goals from 39, 54, and 47 yards on the day. It’s a gigantic bounceback for Hohl, who came into the game 1-for-5 on field goals for the season (in fairness, two of those were blocked and were not his fault, but still, I don’t think anybody saw that coming). It seems like an obvious thing to say, but with Nebraska’s struggles on offense, they will need to be able to get 3 points when 3 points are there for the taking. If Hohl can be a consistent producer at place kicker for the rest of the season, that could literally be the difference in multiple wins and losses. 

DIDN’T LIKE THAT

Special Teams Woes. Why can’t Nebraska catch a kickoff? This feels like something most high school teams would have figured out by now. Other than the improved kicking game, special teams continues to be an adventure for this team. They seem to struggle with the most basic things. Every time the punt return or kickoff return units are on the field, I find myself holding my breath. Forget about any hope of a decent return; I’m just thrilled if we don’t fumble the ball or commit a turnover or penalty. What is perhaps most frustrating is that we continue to see the same issues pop up over and over. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team drop more kickoffs than Nebraska has. The Huskers aren’t nearly good enough to survive poor special teams play, and the special teams play hasn’t been nearly good enough to give Nebraska any sort of advantage. You hope they can find some sort of improvement over the final four games, and Coach Rhule is going to have to take a serious look at the failures of the entire operation during the offseason.  

Offensive Inconsistency. It’s hard to tell what the identity of this offense is. Granted, they just played one of the best defenses in the country. But we see the same issues week in and week out. Inability to run the ball consistently. Poor blocking from the wide receivers. Either an inability by the receivers to get open or an inability to find them when they are open. An inability to score from the red zone. The ineptitude is backed up by the numbers. Nebraska currently ranks #93 in total offense, #95 in scoring offense, #102 in rushing offense, and #63 in passing offense. What’s frustrating is, with this defense, even an average offense would probably suffice. What we’re seeing is still quite a bit below average. There has been slight improvement since last season, but not nearly enough. Similar to special teams, Rhule will have no choice but to take a hard look at every member of the offensive staff in the offseason. 

Officiating. I don’t know what to say at this point. It’s not even worth listing the number of missed calls or blown calls, but the series at the end of the 1st half on Saturday was a special kind of incompetence. It has to be better. If we all have to sit through what feels like two hours worth of commercials every game so that the Big Ten can cash in on its massive media rights deal, then some of that money needs to go toward better officiating. These aren’t even borderline calls; there were some absolutely egregious errors on Saturday (almost all of which were not in Nebraska’s favor). 

QUESTIONS

Can They Carry it Forward? To me, this is the biggest question of the season. If Nebraska can replicate the team-wide effort we saw in Columbus on Saturday, they can win any game left on their schedule. They proved with the performance against Ohio State that they have it in them to play with the best teams in the country. But, it won’t be a turning point, or even a moral victory, if they can’t carry it forward. They absolutely need to beat UCLA this week. Do that, and they’ll be sitting at 6-3 heading into the final three games of the season, with an opportunity for some payback against recent Big Ten boogeymen Wisconsin and Iowa, and newcomer USC. 

One other note on this front: I’ve wondered since the offseason what getting to bowl eligibility might do for the psyche of the team. As all Common Fans know, the Huskers haven’t been bowling since 2016. Perhaps getting over that hurdle will provide the kind of psychological boost that can help them take things to the next level. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a Nebraska team playing its best football in November. This would be a great year to start. 

Is John Hohl THE GUY at Kicker? Starting kicker Tristan Alvano has battled a groin injury for most of this season. Hohl struggled before the Ohio State game, and Nebraska has seemed hesitant to even want to put the field goal unit on the field. Did that all change on Saturday? It’s not clear what the status of Alvano’s injury is, or when he might physically be able to come back. But it might not matter. If Hohl can produce consistently like he did at Ohio State, that would be a game changer for this team. 

FINAL THOUGHT

If social media is to be believed, Nebraska fans are feeling some kind of way after the loss to Ohio State. Some are furious that the Big Red let another golden opportunity slip through their fingers. Others are encouraged by the solid performance against a top 5 team. I find myself bouncing between the two ends of the spectrum. That game was there for the taking, and the moral victories get old. Nebraska fans have seen this movie too many times in the last 10 years. But, what’s most encouraging to me is that the team didn’t fall apart after the terrible loss to Indiana, and they bounced back with arguably their best performance of the year. There’s still time to salvage this season. There’s still plenty left to prove. There’s still time for this season to be considered a success, and a stepping stone back to relevance in the college football universe. Let’s see what the boys can show us in Lincoln on Saturday. 

As always, GBR for LIFE.

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