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Ohio State Football: 3 takeaways from season-opening victory over Nebraska

By James Costanz

Oct 24, 2020; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields (1) and teammates celebrate the 52-17 win following the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 24, 2020; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields (1) and teammates celebrate the 52-17 win following the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 24, 2020; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker Collin Miller (31) disputes a targeting call with the official during the third quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 24, 2020; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker Collin Miller (31) disputes a targeting call with the official during the third quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Nebraska was just not dynamic enough to pull off the upset

The score may look really bad, but Nebraska did compete for the first 30 minutes of this game. This game simply came down to Ohio State being a more talented team.

There was a question coming into this game on who the quarterback for Nebraska would be. I believe we are still stuck with that question. Both Adrian Martinez and Luke McCaffrey played relatively well with their reps. Martinez was the starter for the majority of the game, but McCaffrey was given reps throughout the contest.

Nebraska relied on these guys to lead the running game and they both did a nice job there. They combined for 163 yards on 22 carries and each had a rush of 30-plus yards.

The wide receivers were also a problem today, as they contributed very little against a new Buckeye secondary. If you take away Wan’Dale Robinson’s performance, Nebraska wide receivers combined for two catches for 24 yards.

On the defensive side, they could not get the Buckeyes off the field on third-down situations. Ohio State went 8-for-13 on third downs and was able to move the ball at will. The good news for Nebraska is that they will not play another offense as good as the Buckeyes. The bad news is that giving up 491 yards and 52 points is a blow to the confidence of any defense.

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