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    • Buckeyes survive scare in 21-17 win
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    Buckeyes survive scare in 21-17 win

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    The road loss to Oregon two weeks ago was one thing.

    An upset at home against Nebraska would have been very different. That would have seriously jeopardized the Buckeyes College Football Playoff hopes.

    That’s exactly what stared down No. 4 Ohio State in the fourth quarter in front of 104,832 increasingly anxious spectators at Ohio Stadium on Saturday.

    But when the moment of truth arrived, the Buckeyes answered the challenge and escaped with a 21-17 victory.

    Will Howard threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Quinshon Judkins with 6 minutes remaining for the winning score after Nebraska had taken its first lead on the previous drive.

    Ohio State (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) then forced a three-and-out. But the Buckeyes’ offense, which did little for most of the game, failed to get another first down, giving Nebraska another chance.

    The Cornhuskers got a first down at their 46 on a targeting call against linebacker Arvell Reese, which drew a heated response from OSU coach Ryan Day and a few bottles were thrown from the stands.

    But Ohio State wouldn’t allow Nebraska to get any closer. On third-and-9, Jordan Hancock intercepted a pass from Dylan Raiola to secure the win.

    It was the Buckeyes’ 44e consecutive win over unranked opponents under coach Ryan Day and one of the most concerning. Nebraska (5-3, 2-3) was coming off a 56-7 loss to Indiana. Ohio State was eager to make a statement after its 32-31 loss to now No. 1 Oregon two weeks ago.

    The Buckeyes didn’t, at least not the way they intended. But at least they survived, although next week’s showdown at No. 3 Penn State seems like an even taller task.

    Second half a mess for Ohio State until…

    Ohio State hoped to extend its 14-6 halftime lead, but was unable to do so. It opened the third quarter with a three-and-out and allowed Nebraska to drive 58 yards for a field goal.

    On Ohio State’s next play, Howard overthrew Emeka Egbuka and Malcolm Hartzog Jr. from Nebraska intercepted the pass and returned it 34 yards to the Ohio State 7.

    Nebraska gave up fourth-and-goal from the 2. Dante Dowdell tried to jump over the OSU pile, but cornerback Davison Igbinosun met him in the air to keep him out of the end zone.

    But the struggle of the offense continued to put pressure on the defense. Nebraska had the ball at the OSU 32 on its next possession when Ty Hamilton had a third-down sack to force a punt.

    But the Buckeyes couldn’t stop the Huskers forever. Raiola, a one-time OSU commitment, led Nebraska 74 yards in nine plays and took the lead on a 1-yard run from Dowdell, followed by a shovel pass for the 2-point conversion with 10:52 left.

    Ohio State’s offense finally wakes up

    Howard completed all nine of his passes in the first half before faltering in the second half and the running game failing to pick up the slack. But it answered the challenge when it needed to.

    Howard connected with Carnell Tate for a 37-yard completion down the sideline to start the drive. Emeka Egbuka caught a three-yard pass on fourth-and-1 to keep the drive alive. Howard scrambled 10 yards and then threw to Judkins for the go-ahead goal.

    Howard finished 13 of 16 for 221 yards.

    Slow Ohio State offense in the first half, except for two big plays

    Ohio State’s offense accomplished almost nothing in the first three quarters, aside from two big plays. The Buckeyes went three-and-out on their first two possessions.

    But they drove to the Nebraska 40 on their next drive before Howard threw deep to Carnell Tate. The ball was thrown slightly under, but Tate was open enough to catch it for a touchdown.

    Howard was on target on Ohio State’s other first-half touchdown. Freshman Jeremiah Smith ran free down the middle of the field, and Howard’s pass hit him ahead for a 60-yard score.

    Other than that, Ohio State’s offense sputtered. With Zen, Michalski took over and struggled. Ohio State’s running game did little in the first half. In addition to the 15-yard run by TreVeyon Henderson, he and Quinshon Judkins ran eight times for 17 yards.

    Ohio State’s only other chance to score ended when Jayden Fielding missed a 42-yard field goal late in the half.

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