Ohio State's defense delivers with play on the line against Nebraska

The Buckeyes didn't have to rely on their defense to get two stops in the fourth quarter to secure a four-point win against Nebraska, a team they would beat by 25.5 points. But on a day when Ohio State's offense had by far its worst performance of the season, scoring a season-low 21 points and averaging just 2.1 yards per rushing attempt, while its offense struggled mightily without Josh Simmons had, the Buckeyes' defense did whatever it wanted, unable to do anything against Oregon to fend off Nebraska's upset bid.

The fourth quarter began precariously for the Buckeye defense, as it allowed Nebraska to drive 74 yards in nine plays, allowing a touchdown. But Ohio State's defense could hardly have been blamed even if it had turned out to be a game-winning touchdown. After all, the Buckeyes had previously kept the Cornhuskers out of the end zone on all nine of Nebraska's drives, including two consecutive third-quarter possessions that started in OSU territory but resulted in no Nebraska points. One of those drives started at the 7-yard line after a Will Howard interception and ended with Davison Igbinosun and Cody Simon stuffing Dante Dowdell on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line.

On 4th and rejected at the gate

The @OhioStateFB The defense comes to a HUGE stop pic.twitter.com/CgGlPqp2fN

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 26, 2024

Nonetheless, Ohio State's defense had a lot to prove when it took the field on Nebraska's next possession with 6:04 left in the game after the Buckeyes' only touchdown drive of the second half gave the Buckeyes a 21-17 lead again. When the defense had been put in a similar position two weeks earlier at Oregon, taking the field with exactly six minutes left to preserve a two-point Ohio State lead, the Buckeyes allowed the Ducks more than four minutes bled out the clock before kicking what would ultimately be a game-winning field goal.

This time, Ohio State left the field in just three plays, forcing a three-and-out with a second-down tackle by JT Tuimoloau leading to loss and a third-down forcing incompletion.

Ohio State's defense had to hold the lead once again as the Buckeyes' offense finished 3-0 on the ensuing possession. After a controversial targeting penalty on Arvell Reese brought Nebraska to its 46-yard line, Ohio State's defense stepped up again. Simon missed two consecutive screen passes for tackles for loss before Jordan Hancock – who moved from his unusual nickelback position to safety against Nebraska while Lathan Ransom was sidelined with injury – deflected Dylan Raiola with a throw over the middle to seal the game-winning interception .

OHIO STATE HOLDS OFF RAIOLA

The @ohiostatefb The defense does it again! pic.twitter.com/Su5tQEYDqG

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 26, 2024

After a game that he acknowledged shouldn't have been as close as it was, Ryan Day was proud of his defense for responding to its woes in Eugene – where the Buckeyes allowed Oregon to rack up 496 yards of offense to face — and got the job done when Ohio State needed it most.

“We put the defense in bad spots … but I like the way the defense played,” Day said. “I thought we played with energy. We played with fire. We kept fighting, even though there were some difficult spots.”

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Ohio State's defense was always going to be the unit most relied upon this season, but there were serious questions about whether the defense was that unit based on its performance in the 32-31 loss to Oregon. However, Ohio State University defensive tackle Ty Hamilton said the Buckeyes never stopped believing.

“We know we're the best defense in the country and we just didn't play at the level we played at Oregon,” said Hamilton, who recorded five tackles with a sack against the Ducks. “We definitely shot ourselves in the foot (at Oregon), but that doesn’t stop us from continuing to play the best defense we can.”

That's not to say Saturday's performance against Nebraska will eliminate questions about Ohio State's defense from outside the program. The Cornhuskers weren't exactly an offensive juggernaut, averaging just 18 points per game in Big Ten play, and Raiola had a few missed throws to open receivers that could have been enough for big plays. Lorenzo Styles Jr. got away with contact that could have easily been a defensive pass interference penalty on the third-down incompletion that sent the defense off the field on its stop in the fourth quarter. Ohio State did a better job generating pressure against Nebraska than against Oregon, recording three sacks and 13 tackles for loss, but Hancock's interception was the only forced turnover of the game.

Ohio State's defense knows it could have played better than it did against Nebraska and that it needs to play better given the tougher tests ahead. One of those comes next week when the Buckeyes play Penn State, whose offense averaged 13 more yards per game than Oregon entering Saturday.

“We could always be better. There are still so many areas where we could have made plays and we could have helped our offense more,” said Simon, who led the Buckeyes with eight tackles and three tackles for loss. “We need to get more sales. We need to create more stops, give up fewer rushing yards and keep the quarterback in the pocket. There are a lot of things we can work on. I mean, I’m happy because the guys aren’t getting complacent because we know we can do a lot better.”

But proving the Buckeyes could lead to a win in the fourth quarter was a test Ohio State's defense needed to pass after failing to field a single punt or turnover in Ohio State's last three decisive games to force fewer than 14 points in the fourth quarter, a result of losses to Michigan and Missouri last year. And the Buckeyes believe they can build on that against Nebraska.

“We didn't have the experience of going out and knowing what it takes to win in the two-minute drill, so having these two games under control is huge for us,” Hamilton said.