The No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes are back in action following their bye week as they welcome the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Ohio Stadium. Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes dropped their last game prior to the bye but have opened as a 20.5-point favorite in this game. This week’s total opened at 72 points and the two schools have had an average combined score of 74.25.
- Nebraska is 0-4 ATS in its last four games vs Ohio State.
- The total has gone OVER in Nebraska’s last four games vs Ohio State (avg. combined score: 74.25).
- The total has gone OVER in five of Nebraska’s last six games (avg. combined score: 66.83).
Nebraska vs Ohio State Game Center
Ohio State looks to rebound from first loss of the season
Prior to its bye, Ohio State was stunned on the road 49-20 against Purdue. The Buckeyes couldn’t mount much offense until the fourth quarter when they scored 14 points, but defensively they couldn’t stop anything as the Boilermakers scored 28 points in that final quarter. Besides the porous defense, Ohio State had a rough time running the ball, gaining just 76 yards on the ground on 25 attempts.
Dwayne Haskins was good in the game, though, as he has been all season. The sophomore quarterback threw for 470 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, completing 67.1 percent of his school-record 73 pass attempts. He has thrown for 2,801 yards with 30 touchdowns and five interceptions this season, doing everything he can to earn wins for his team. The 20 points the Buckeyes scored were the fewest they’ve managed all season. They scored 27 in their only other road game, against Penn State, and have counted 30 or more points in every other game.
Nebraska struggling defensively this season
After dropping its first six games of the season while being outscored 230-140, Nebraska finds itself on a two-game winning streak, including a 45-9 beatdown of Bethune-Cookman last week. The Cornhuskers have done well putting points on the board this year, averaging 29.8 points per game and only having two games in which they scored fewer than 24 points. They are averaging 220.6 rushing yards per game, which is ranked 29th in the nation.
That rush game is led by senior running back Devine Ozigbo, who has rushed for 710 yards and eight touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Adrian Martinez is becoming a true dual-threat QB, rushing for 408 yards and four touchdowns, while throwing for 1,656 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. Defensively, though, Nebraska allows an average of 272 passing yards per game, which is the 20th-most in college football and could be an issue against the likes of Dwayne Haskins.
Is an OVER in store for this game?
There are strong trends pointing toward an OVER between these two schools and Sportsbook has the total Sportsbook at 72 points. Cornhuskers games have been high-scoring lately as five of their last six matches have gone OVER with an average combined score of 66.83. Meanwhile, the last four meetings between Ohio State and Nebraska have gone OVER, with an average combined score of 74.25. Lastly, the Buckeyes average 43 points per game, which is the eighth-most in the nation, while the Cornhuskers surrender 33.4 ppg, the 30th-most in college football.
My take on Nebraska vs Ohio State
I think Ohio State can cover the 18-point spread in this week’s match. I think head coach Urban Meyer will have the Buckeyes flying in this game following a loss before their bye week. Additionally, Dwayne Haskins continues to set new school records with his terrific arm and going against one of the weaker secondaries in the nation this week should be conducive to another impressive performance for the sophomore quarterback. Lastly, the Buckeyes are a perfect 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings with the Cornhuskers, including winning last year’s contest 56-14.
