Nebraska Football: 3 takeaways from home loss to No.5 Ohio State

2. Nebraska’s offense is troubling.

Nebraska’s offensive design is to have Adrian Martinez assume the lion’s share of the responsibility at the line of scrimmage. As a result, Martinez leads the Cornhuskers in both passing and rushing.

This game exposed Nebraska’s lack of playmaking talent. Leading receiver Samori Toure had nearly half of his receiving yards on one 72-yard touchdown pass. That was the narrative of Nebraska’s offensive day. One hundred twenty-two of the ‘Husker’s 248 pass yards came on four throws.

The Cornhuskers struggled offensively on a down by down basis. Nebraska punted seven times, going three-and-out three times and five drives of fewer than seven plays. The Cornhuskers had the opportunity to take the lead in the fourth quarter of the game but could not score a touchdown, missing a 31-yard field goal.

On two other drives, the Cornhuskers had -11 yards because the offensive line could not protect Martinez. The Cornhuskers picked C.J. Stroud twice; the result of Nebraska’s ensuing drives was a punt and missed field goal.

When Nebraska football needed the offense to make a play and score touchdowns, the Huskers could not come through. It was an execution problem and a roster problem. Nebraska did not play well when it counted most, possibly because it doesn’t have players.