Coming off the dreadful loss to Indiana, the Huskers face another daunting task as they travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State. The Buckeyes are currently #4 in both major polls, and they are coming off a one-point loss to Oregon (currently #1 in both polls). This will be a stiff test for Nebraska, as Ohio State has had a bye week to ruminate on what went wrong against the Ducks, and will be looking for a strong bounce-back performance.
I talked to Eric Boggs, host of The OHIO Podcast, to get the Ohio State perspective on the upcoming game.
Interview with Eric Boggs, Host of The OHIO Podcast
Ohio State is coming off an instant classic, one-point loss to the now #1 ranked Oregon Ducks. What’s the mood in Buckeye Nation after that game?
Buckeye Nation is currently going through the stages of grief. After the initial shock wore off, a large and vocal portion of the fanbase turned to anger, calling for Ryan Day to be fired. The expectations for this team, whether fair or not, were to go undefeated during the regular season, avenging the last three losses to TTUN (That Team Up North), win the Big Ten, and get to a National Championship. The loss in Eugene, Oregon solidified for some what they had already thought about Ryan Day, calling him John Cooper 2.0. Cooper famously went 2-10-1 against our rival and had a Bowl record of 3-8. Safe to say, Day is on the hot seat in the minds of at least half of the fanbase.
Ryan Day is 61-9 since taking over as head coach at Ohio State in 2019. He’s won two conference titles and made the college football playoffs three times. He’s also lost to Michigan three years in a row, and so far, a national championship has eluded him. We know something about outsized expectations at Nebraska, and we know they are notoriously high at OSU. How is Coach Day viewed by Buckeye fans right now?
There is a saying that you never want to be the man who replaces a legend, but you would rather be the man who replaces the man who replaced the legend. Ryan Day seems to be the former in this scenario. There is a lot to like about Day. How he carries himself as a man, a father, what he does in the community, and for the most part, how he runs a very clean and respectable program are all things to be admired. However, in Columbus, Ohio, the expectations are clearly laid out for the head football coach. As Day famously said during his inaugural press conference when he was announced as the new head football coach, “The expectations at Ohio State are to beat that Team Up North, and then win every game after that.” Day credits former quarterback and current NFL star C.J. Stroud for coining the phrase, “pressure is a privilege.” Well, that privilege can also be a curse. In almost any other college town in America, Day would be considered a shining star. However, currently in Columbus, he is struggling to keep the support from the fanbase. Right now, it feels like 50% of the fanbase is ready to move on, and if Day drops another game during the regular season, you can expect that percentage to get even higher.
Ohio State has been outstanding so far this season. They are #6 nationally in scoring offense, #6 in total offense, #3 in scoring defense, and #2 in total defense. This is Day’s best team since ______?
2019. We had better offenses in 2021 and 2022, but the defenses were underachieving those seasons. Going into the season, it felt like both the offense and defense would be good enough to get Day to the promised land. However, after the way the defense performed in Eugene, Oregon a couple weeks ago, many are doubting that we are good enough on both sides of the ball to go all the way. Day will need to make sure the defense makes the proper adjustments, especially in the pass rush, if they hope to compete in the postseason.
Starting quarterback Will Howard transferred from Kansas State in the offseason. So far he’s thrown for more than 1,500 yards and is completing over 73% of his passes. It helps to be surrounded by playmakers like Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka, but just how good has Howard been?
Will Howard has exceeded all expectations. We were looking for him to be similar to Kyle McCord minus the mental errors. He has done that and then some. What is most impressive about Howard is how he manages the pocket. His footwork is next level, and his upper body strength is J.T. Barret-like. He is hard to get down for defenders. As for passing the football, he is adequate. Just get it to the playmakers and let them cook. He isn’t good at the deep ball however, and consistently underthrows his receivers on routes over 20-yards or more.
The Buckeyes have the #6 rushing defense in the country. Nebraska, on the other hand, has struggled to run the ball consistently, and has not even reached 100 yards rushing in their last two games. This is definitely a matchup of concern for Nebraska fans. Is there anything this defense hasn’t done well this season?
When the safeties are in the box, the Buckeyes run defense is stout. Caleb Downs, the transfer from Alabama who led the Crimson Tide in tackles as a freshman, has been the most consistent defender on the team. He along with strong side safety Lathan Ransom are tackling machines. However, Ransom is reportedly hurt and won’t be available for this game. Our tackles have been a bright spot this season as well. Both Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton are run stuffers and are also getting great pressure on the quarterback up the middle. The linebacker play so far this season has been a disappointment. Sonny Styles might be leading the team in tackles, but he is also leading the team in missed tackles and Cody Simon seems to be a second late and dollar short way too often.
Who are some other key contributors Husker fans should be aware of?
On offense, Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka are without a shadow of a doubt our best two weapons. It’s almost a pick your poison with them, and if you are just going to sit back in zone and dare us to run, Treveyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are going to gash you in the running game. However, Judkins had minor surgery on his hand last week and will more than likely be out for this game as well. Defensively, Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau haven’t had that dominant game that we have seen from them in the past. At any moment, either one of those two defensive ends can take a game over.
Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011. There have been a few good battles between the two, but the series has been pretty lopsided in OSU’s favor. How do Ohio State fans view the Huskers? Is this considered a big game in the Buckeye Common Fans’ eyes?
For the older fans, those of us who remember the 1990’s, Nebraska is a big game. I think for the most part, we look at the Huskers as a sleeping giant, a program that can rise from the ashes with the right man leading the way. I personally thought Scott Frost was going to be that guy, but obviously we were all wrong. Matt Rhule has a track record of getting programs to where they want to be within three seasons. It appeared Nebraska was ahead of schedule until last week, but that game was an anomaly. This is a huge game for both teams. For Ohio State, they need to wash their minds of the bad mojo from Oregon. For Nebraska, a close game or even an upset, will get everyone believing Rhule has this team ahead of schedule once again. There is a lot to play for this Saturday for both programs and in the eyes of both fanbases.
What have you seen from Nebraska and does it make you feel better or worse about Ohio State’s chances against them?
I was and still am high on Nebraska despite last week’s loss in Bloomington. I believe Dylan Raiola, along with Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State, are hands down the two best freshmen in the conference. Raiola is a superstar in the making, and despite looking human the past couple of games, he has the potential to be a giant killer at any moment. If Ohio State cannot create a pass rush, Raiola can make this a football game. So that being said, I still like Ohio State’s chances to win, but given how bad the Buckeye defense looked last time out, I am not as confident about this game as I was a couple weeks ago.
Ohio State wins if ______.
They take care of the football and get pressure on Dylan Raiola.
Nebraska wins if ______.
The Ohio State defense lays another egg and Nebraska can create some turnovers.
Final score prediction?
Ohio State 35, Nebraska 21
Author’s note: Thanks to Eric Boggs, host of The OHIO Podcast, for sharing his expertise with the Common Fans. Both the Common Fan Podcast (Nebraska) and The OHIO Podcast (Ohio State) are members of The College Huddle, the largest fan-led online college sports podcast community, made up of one podcast from each fan base represented.