Buckeyes overcome scare with 21-17 win

The loss on the road to Oregon two weeks ago was one thing.

An upset at home against Nebraska would have turned out very differently. That would have seriously jeopardized the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff hopes.

That's exactly what awaited No. 4 Ohio State in the fourth quarter on Saturday in front of 104,832 increasingly anxious spectators at Ohio Stadium.

But when the moment of truth came, the Buckeyes answered the challenge and escaped with a 21-17 victory.

Will Howard threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Quinshon Judkins with six minutes left for the game-winning score after Nebraska took its first lead on its previous drive.

Ohio State (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) then forced a three-pointer. But the Buckeyes' offense, which had little success for most of the game, failed to get another first down, giving Nebraska another chance.

The Cornhuskers were allowed a first down on a targeted tackle on linebacker Arvell Reese at their 46, which drew a heated reaction from OSU coach Ryan Day and a few bottle throws from the stands.

But Ohio State wouldn't let Nebraska get any closer. On third-and-19, Jordan Hancock intercepted a pass from Dylan Raiola to secure the win.

It was the Buckeyes' 44^Th Back-to-back wins against unranked opponents under coach Ryan Day are among the most concerning. Nebraska (5-3, 2-3) suffered a 56-7 loss to Indiana. Ohio State was eager to make a statement after beating No. 1 Oregon 32-31 two weeks ago.

The Buckeyes didn't, at least not in the way they intended. But at least they survived, although next week's showdown at No. 3 Penn State looks like an even bigger task.

Second half a mess for Ohio State until…

Ohio State hoped to extend its 14-6 lead at halftime, but that didn't happen. It opened the third quarter with a three-and-out, allowing Nebraska to drive 58 yards for a field goal.

On Ohio State's next play, Howard hit Emeka Egbuka and Nebraska's Malcolm Hartzog Jr. intercepted the pass and returned it 34 yards to the Ohio State 7.

Nebraska faced fourth-and-goal from the 2nd. Dante Dowdell tried to jump over the OSU huddle, but cornerback Davison Igbinosun hit him in the air to keep him out of the end zone.

But the offense's problems continued to weigh on the defense. Nebraska had the ball on its next possession at the OSU 32 when Ty Hamilton had a third-down sack to force a punt.

But the Buckeyes couldn't consistently stop the Huskers. Raiola, a one-time OSU commit, led Nebraska 74 yards in nine plays and took the lead on a 1-yard run from Dowdell followed by a shovel pass for the 2-point conversion with 10:52 left.

Ohio State crime is finally waking up

Howard completed all nine of his passes in the first half before faltering in the second half and the running game failing to close the gap. But it solved the challenge when it needed to.

Howard connected with Carnell Tate for a 37-yard completion down the sideline to start the drive. Emeka Egbuka caught a 3-yard pass on fourth-and-1 to keep the drive alive. Howard scrambled for 10 yards and then threw to Judkins for a touchdown.

Howard finished 13 of 16 for 221 yards.

Slow Ohio State offense in the first half, aside from two big plays

Ohio State's offense did almost nothing in the first three quarters other than two big plays. The Buckeyes made three-pointers on their first two possessions.

But they drove to the Nebraska 40 on their next drive before Howard Carnell Tate threw wide. The ball was easily subdued, but Tate was open enough to still catch it for a touchdown.

Howard scored on Ohio State's other touchdown of the first half. Freshman Jeremiah Smith ran free down the middle of the field, and Howard's pass hit him with ease for a 60-yard score.

Other than that, Ohio State's offense was stagnant. With Zen, Michalski took the lead and fought. Ohio State's running game did little in the first half. Aside from TreVeyon Henderson's 15-yard run, he and Quinshon Judkins ran eight times for 17 yards.

Ohio State's only other scoring opportunity ended when Jayden Fielding missed a 42-yard field goal late in the half.