Ohio State led 14-3 midway through the second quarter thanks to touchdown passes of 40 and 60 yards from quarterback Will Howard to Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith, respectively:

Things started to go south from there, however, as the Buckeyes missed a 42-yard field goal with just over two minutes left in the half, allowing Nebraska to respond with a 54-yard field goal before going to the locker room.

Coming out of the half, the Buckeyes allowed another field goal to cut the lead to 14-9, and the first three offensive drives of the second half couldn’t have gone much worse.

Howard threw an interception when Nebraska defensive back Malcolm Hartzog Jr. caught a pass through the air and returned it to the OSU 7-yard line:

The defense bailed out the Ohio State offense, however, stopping the Huskers on fourth-and-goal at the 2-yard line.

Still, OSU went three-and-out on its next two drives, and Nebraska finally took advantage early in the fourth quarter when running back Dante Dowdell scored from one yard out. With a successful two-point conversion, Nebraska went up 17-14:

The pressure was heavy on the Buckeyes’ shoulders after Nebraska took the lead, but Howard came through in the clutch, orchestrating an eight-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a nine-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Quinshon Judkins to put OSU back. above:

While Day’s coaching has often been questioned in recent years, he has also been lauded for his ability to bring important recruits and transfers into the program.

Two of the biggest additions during the offseason came through the transfer portal in Howard and Judkins, so it was only fitting that he connected on the touchdown of having a bit.

Aside from one major mistake, Howard had another strong game, going 13-of-16 for 221 yards with three touchdowns and a pick, but the defense was the biggest difference for OSU.

The Buckeyes held Nebraska to 273 total yards, and quarterback Dylan Raiola struggled in a big way, going 21 of 32 for 152 yards, no touchdowns and Hancock’s interception:

Although the Buckeyes fell to No. 1 Oregon in their last game and didn’t play nearly their best Saturday, it seems highly unlikely that Ohio State will become a coaching state, meaning Day will almost certainly at the helm for the end of next week. clash with Penn State on the road.

Penn State entered Saturday with a perfect 6-0 record, and the winner of next week’s game against Ohio State will have the upper hand in the CFP race.