COLUMBUS, Ohio – – Will Howard threw three touchdown passes, but No. 4 Ohio State needed an interception by cornerback Jordan Hancock with 1:16 left to seal its 21-17 victory over Nebraska on Saturday.

The Buckeyes (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) bounced back from their loss to Oregon two weeks ago, but certainly haven’t looked like the well-oiled machine they should be fighting in with a nearly four-touchdown underdog.

“It wasn’t perfect, but a win is a win,” Howard said. “And we were able to show that we can win in the fourth quarter when the going gets tough and when things might not be going our way. I think our defense did an incredible job of getting some stops, making some really big plays in that fourth quarter and giving us a chance to go out there and put that last one in and give us the lead .

The Cornhuskers (5-3, 2-3) kept it close all day. John Hohl made three field goals before Dante Dowdell’s touchdown early in the fourth quarter gave them a brief lead. Ohio State converted just one of 10 third downs, punted five times, gave up the ball on downs, missed a field goal and survived a Howard interception.

Dowdell’s 1-yard run and 2-point conversion put the Huskers up 17-14. The Buckeyes got the lead back with 6:04 to go when Howard threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Quinshon Judkins.

Nebraska’s had the ball near midfield on its final possession after Arvell Reese was ejected for his hit on receiver Jahmal Banks. The Huskers were called for a false start and lost yards on consecutive plays earlier Dylan Raiola was off target on a pass intended for Isaiah Neyor and Hancock picked it off.

Howard knelt three times to run out the clock.

The Huskers had a chance to take the lead in the third quarter when Malcolm Hartzog Jr.’s interception and 34-yard return put them at the Ohio State 7. On fourth and goal from the 2, Davison Igbinosun and Cody Simon stopped up the middle to stop Dowdell in front of the goal line.

“Yes, that is definitely a ride we would have liked to finish,” Raiola said. “I think we had our best game. We just came up a little bit short and that’s what it is now. And we will make sure that we can make the plays that come in the future.”

The takeaway

Nebraska: The Huskers certainly played better than they did last week when they were defeated 56-7 by Indiana, but they were denied a sixth win that would have made them bowl eligible for the first time since 2016. Nebraska has lost 27 straight to Top 25 opponents and 18 straight to ranked opponents on the road.

“I thought our defense was dominant all day except for three plays,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said, referring to Howard’s three touchdown passes.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes were largely one-dimensional, rushing for just 64 yards without explosive play from stars Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. They avoided their first home loss in 10 years against an unranked opponent (Virginia Tech).

“Give Nebraska credit and the work they did,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “They struggled the week before. We knew they were going to come out and play us really hard.”

Making history

Howard hit a wide-open Jeremiah Smith in stride for a 60-yard touchdown in the first half. That was his eighth receiving touchdown, tying him with Cris Carter for most freshmen in school history.

Howard also threw a 40-yard TD pass to Carnell Tate in the first half. He finished 13 for 16 for 221 yards.

Survey implications

This game was closer than it should have been, and some voters might chastise the Buckeyes for that.

Injuries

Ohio State starting safety Lathan Ransom and tight end Will Kacmarek were sidelined with unspecified injuries. …Nebraska running back Rahmir Johnson was out with a concussion. …LT Zen Michalski left the game with an injury. Michalski was in the game due to an injury to starter Josh Simmons in the Oregon game.

Next

Nebraska: Hosts UCLA next Saturday.

Ohio State: Visits No. 3 Penn State next Saturday.

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