Ohio State is eager to return to the gridiron after losing to Oregon as it takes on Nebraska in The Shoe on FOX’s Big Noon Saturday.

The 5-1 and No. 4-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will host the 5-2 Nebraska Cornhuskers Saturday at noon in what was supposed to be a game with huge stakes. Both teams had the chance to come into the game undefeated, but the Buckeyes dropped their last game and Nebraska has lost two of their last four.

The new-look Big Ten has been tough this year for all but a few teams. Ohio State does not typically lose games early in the season but suffered a heart-breaking loss two weeks ago and had a bye week to ponder it last week. Nebraska was 3-0 before they lost a heart-breaker in overtime at home against Illinois. This past weekend they took on a red-hot Indiana team and got blown out 56-7.

Ohio State opened as and is currently a 25.5-point favorite for this bounce-back opportunity. The over/under is set at 48.5, insinuating a big outing for the Buckeyes defense that gave up too many big plays against Oregon in their last game. Here are some updates and things to watch for as the Buckeyes host the Cornhuskers.

 The Buckeyes Need to Come Out Firing

Quarterback Will Howard slid a second to late in the Buckeyes’ only loss of the season at Oregon two weeks ago. The former Kansas State veteran took much of the blame for not giving the Buckeyes a chance at a game-winning field goal. However, Howard played a complete game and threw for 326 yards with two passing touchdowns and no picks. He also had a rushing touchdown for the sixth straight game. Howard is up to 1,574 passing yards and completing 73.3 percent of his passes, with 19 total touchdowns and three interceptions.

Quinshon Judkins had a big turnover last game and averaged just 2.1 yards per carry for 23 yards. He did find the endzone, but it wasn’t the usual Judkins we know and love. Henderson had a great game and had 8.7 yards per carry en route to 87 rushing yards. The duo has great numbers on the year as Judkins has 491 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, with 6.9 yards per carry. Henderson is up to 424 yards and four touchdowns, with 8.2 yards per carry.

Freshman Jeremiah Smith wasn’t intimidated by his first tough atmosphere but had a tough pass interference call go against him in the Oregon game that would’ve potentially set up a game-winning kick. He still finished with nine catches, 100 yards, and a touchdown, bringing him to 32 catches, 553 yards, and eight total touchdowns on the year.

Emeka Egbuka had another great game next to Smith, posting 10 receptions for 93 yards and a score. Egbuka is up to 40 receptions on the year, with 526 yards and six scores all in the past four games. Other contributors through the air have been called upon in different moments, as Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, and Gee Scott Jr. will need to continue to stay ready.

There is no hiding it, the defense did not have a great showing in their first big test. Oregon outgained Ohio State and had 496 total yards. The defense did not force a turnover and let quarterback Dillon Gabriel dice them up for 341 passing yards. Oregon also outgained the Buckeyes on the ground and averaged five yards a carry.

Yes, Oregon has a very streaky offense with big playmaking ability, but the defensive line constantly gave Gabriel too much time to throw. The result? Players like Denzel Burke getting burnt as Gabriel found his playmakers all game.

The defense needs to play better against a struggling Nebraska offense. Allowing the offense to build a lead will only benefit the defense as they can play more freely and aggressively. The stars on the defense simply need to do more than they did last game if the Scarlet and Gray want to achieve all their goals.

Nebraska Limps Into the Horseshoe

Nebraska’s last outing against one of the hottest teams in the country was one to forget. Coming off a scrappy 14-7 win against Rutgers followed by a bye week, Nebraska just never got anything going at the Indiana Hoosiers. They got obliterated 56-7 and were already down 28-7 by halftime. They were outgained by nearly 200 yards, had five turnovers, and could not get any aspect of their game going. Quarterback Dylan Raiola threw three interceptions, and the ground game had just 70 rushing yards on 29 carries.

The hyped-up freshman Raiola is a name Buckeye fans know well as he decommitted from the Buckeyes in December of 2022. Likely a blessing in disguise thus far, Raiola has completed 66.2 percent of his passes with nine passing touchdowns and six interceptions. He has thrown for 1,592 yards and has utilized a variety of weapons so far this season.

Just like the passing game, the ground game has utilized a bunch of players. Sophomore running back Dante Dowdell leads the team with 350 yards on 81 carries and has found the endzone five times. Sophomore back Emmett Johnson and Senior back Rahmir Johnson have both rushed for over 150 yards and averaged 5.4 and 4.0 yards per carry respectively.

Through the air, senior wideout Jahmal Banks leads the team with 316 receiving yards. Freshman wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. leads the team with 27 receptions, while Senior wideout Isaiah Neyor leads the team with four receiving touchdowns. Seven Cornhuskers have at least 100 yards receiving with four guys having over 200 yards receiving.

Junior defensive back Malcolm Hartzog Jr. leads the team with three interceptions of the eight total and has 25 tackles. Senior defensive back Isaac Gifford has made plays for the defense and leads the team with 40 tackles. Defensive linemen Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher are two guys to look out for and have combined for six sacks and 46 sack yards. Linebackers John Bullock and Mikai Gbayor anchor the middle of the field and have 70 combined tackles.

The Huskers’ defense as a whole held a high-powered Colorado offense to 10 points in their second game, and a few weeks ago held Rutgers to just seven points. However, teams like Illinois (31 points) and Indiana (56 points) have found plenty of success against this defense. Illinois found success through the air with all four touchdowns coming through the air, while Indiana rushed for 215 yards with five rushing scores.

The Buckeyes Will Bounce Back

To nobody’s surprise, the Buckeyes should bounce back as they host Nebraska even after a bye week and a big game against Penn State looming next weekend.

The Ohio State offense had a season-low in points with 31 against Oregon, but that is a good problem to have and I expect both phases of the offense to move the ball at times in this affair. Will Howard continues his solid play, spreading the wealth to all the playmakers out wide. I expect Carnell Tate to have a bigger game and maybe Brandon Inniss as well. Egbuka, Smith, and the usual suspects will continue their great seasons with highlight-reel catches.

On the ground, Judkins will have a rebounding effort after his worst game of the season. He and Henderson will receive a big workload especially if the game starts to get out of hand, with both finding the endzone for a score.

For the silver bullets defense, I think they will force two turnovers in a bounce-back spot against a struggling and turnover-prone offense. I expect Denzel Burke to have a better game, Caleb Downs to be a bigger factor, and the defensive line to get some pressure forcing Raiola into some bad decisions.

The Ohio State Buckeyes rebound and set up another game of the year against Penn State. After the top-three matchup recently, the game at the Nittany Lions will likely be top-four. However, the Buckeyes won’t be looking ahead and will clean up some of the issues that plagued them against Oregon.

Prediction: Ohio State 38 Nebraska 13