Huskers Show How Good They Can be in Loss to Ohio State

Author

TJ Birkel
October 29, 2024

T.J. Birkel

If you had told me Nebraska would have the lead in the 4th quarter against Ohio State on Saturday, I would not have believed you. The Huskers lost in heartbreaking fashion, falling 21-17 to one of the best teams in college football. There was a lot to like in the Huskers’ performance, but they need to figure out how to replicate that level of effort and execution every week. We cover a lot in this week’s edition of the topline takeaways, so let’s get right to it. 

CHEERS TO THAT

Bounce Back Performance. I’ll be honest - I did not expect Nebraska to beat Ohio State. Coming off the 56-7 loss to Indiana, I was hoping to at least see the Big Red put up a fight and make a game of it. The Huskers did more than that. They went toe to toe with the #4 team in the country for four quarters. They battled their hearts out. They had a 4th quarter lead, and even after relinquishing it, had the ball with a chance to win in the final minutes.

It’s still a gut punch loss, and there are no moral victories. I keep thinking about the ways Nebraska could have won that game. Maybe just one fewer mistake, or one more big play, and they finally get over the hump in a big game against a highly ranked opponent. BUT - I am more energized and less down than I've been after a loss in a long time. If I’m being totally honest, I was really worried they would get blown out for a second week in a row and the season would run the risk of derailing. The Huskers came out and fought, they didn’t quit when things started poorly, and they hung with Ohio State blow-for-blow. That’s a huge credit to Coach Rhule and the staff. Now that they’ve shown how good they can be, they’ve got to bottle it up and do it again. This team is far from perfect, with persistent flaws on both offense and special teams. But if they can get the bowl monkey off their back against UCLA, that can catapult them into the final three games with plenty left to play for. 

Stage Wasn’t Too Big. For a moment, at the beginning of the game, the stage actually did look too big. Nebraska bobbled the opening kickoff, so they were pinned back to the 9 yard line to start the game. On the very next play, Dante Dowdell fumbled the handoff from Dylan Raiola. Thankfully he recovered it, but it was basically a wasted play on the opening drive. The Huskers would go 3-and-out, and then Brian Buschini had what was probably his worst punt of the year, giving Ohio State the ball at Nebraska’s 36 yard line. You could almost hear the collective groan from Husker fans across the nation. “Here we go again.” And then the Blackshirts decided they had something to say about it. They held…

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