COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 4 Ohio State had an off week to stew on its devastating loss to Oregon.
But despite the 32-31 setback in Eugene on Oct. 12, the Buckeyes didn’t take a nosedive in the AP Top 25, nor do they have to abandon their national championship hopes. It’s just that the margin for error got a little smaller.
One more loss and the Buckeyes (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten), recognized as a top national championship contender since the preseason, may get left outside the 12-team College Football Playoff.
So, everything from here on out just got a little more urgent.
“It was a long (off) week for all of us,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “A lot of hours in here talking about it. You sit on it, you chew on it and eventually you move on and look forward, and that’s kind of where we are.”
Now comes Nebraska (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) to the Horseshoe for a Saturday game with the Cornhuskers still reeling from a 56-7 rout by surprising Indiana.
“I know we want to talk about last week, but we have a heck of a challenge in front of us this week,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. “And if you go out there against Ohio State and you don’t challenge them, and you just want to bail and play off coverage and hope that you don’t get beat, you’re going to get run off the field with these guys.”
When the season started, this matchup with Nebraska looked like one of the tougher games on the Ohio State schedule. But the ‘Huskers come in as four-touchdown underdogs, and Ohio State’s upcoming games at No. 3 Penn State on Nov. 2 and against the No. 13 Hoosiers three weeks later could prove to be greater challenges.
“Everything is still in front of us,” Ohio State quarterback Will Howard said. “I think if nothing else it gives us a little more extra motivation. Now we know what it feels like to lose a game and walk off the field and have that feeling. I can guarantee none of us want to feel that again.”
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 341 yards and two touchdown passes and ran for another late score for the Ducks. Jordan James ran for 115 yards and a score.
Ohio State’s defense gave up nearly 500 yards, and its pass rush barely made a difference. As a result, Day spent more time with the defensive coaches and players during the off week and got more involved than usual in what will happen next.
“This week especially, we wanted to look at everything,” Day said. “Nobody is feeling good about anything right now. Coming off that thing, there’s a lot of guys on edge, and that’s the way it should be after a loss.”
Rhule spent a good chunk of his news conference this week talking about how he expects his players will react and bounce back from the unexpected Indiana rout.
“We were knocked down at that game. You come back. You don’t point fingers,” he said.
Day confirmed that left tackle Josh Simmons, who was hurt during the Oregon game, will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Zen Michalski will slot in to replace him. … RB Quinshon Judkins had a medical procedure on his hand but is expected to play against Nebraska. … ‘Huskers RB Rahmir and S DeShon Singleton left last week’s game with injuries and are questionable for Saturday’s game.
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