Keys to victory, result predictions

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Nebraska football team (5-2, 2-2) will look to get back on track as it travels to Columbus to face No. 4 seed Ohio State (6-1, 2-1).

The Buckeyes and Huskers are trying to bounce back after losses to Oregon and Indiana, respectively. As kickoff approaches, here are today's keys to the Big Red's victory.

NU enters today's game as a 25.5 point underdog over OSU. Today's game is just around the corner 11 a.m. CT kickoff on FOX.

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KEY TO WIN: Nebraska vs. Ohio State

KEY 1: Leaving the field on third down

For Nebraska to have a chance at Ohio State today, its defense must get off the field and not be worn down by long shots on goal. This was a big problem a week ago as the Blackshirts couldn't win on third down.

KEY 2: Find a running game

How will Nebraska run football today? What new wrinkles might we see from the Husker offense? Could we see QB? Heinrich Haarberg continue to play a role in the crime?

KEY 3: Space Attack

Nebraska has been a great tackling team for most of this season, but that wasn't the case last week in Bloomington. The Huskers need to do a much better job against the run and avoid blowing run assignments and reads.

KEY 4: Explosive plays

As a head coach Matt Rhule said this week the Husker offense has been great at scoring eight and nine plays. However, they need more scoring drives over four games. Everything has been so difficult for the Husker offense and they need to find more explosive plays.

KEY 5: Put pressure on Ohio State

Believe it or not, Ohio State is under a lot of pressure after their recent loss at Oregon. There are questions about this Buckeye defense as it hasn't been particularly good at pressuring quarterbacks and getting off the field. NU needs to find a way to gain momentum early in this game and put pressure on the Buckeyes.

EXPERT TAKES

Sean Callahan – HuskerOnline Publisher

Nebraska will play better against Ohio State than it did a week ago, but the Buckeyes are too complete a team in all three phases. After a close first half, OSU will pull away in the second half.

Ohio State 38, Nebraska 17

Steven Sipple – HuskerOnline columnist

As Matt Rhule explained this week, Chip Kelly will find a way to control the ball. This is concerning for Nebraska because Ohio State can combine aggressive play with dynamic passing. As for Nebraska's offense, it's time to get Heinrich Haarberg more involved as Marcus Satterfield looks for something to put points on the board.

Ohio State 42, Nebraska 17

Robin Washut – senior writer at HuskerOnline

Last week in Indiana was a disaster for Nebraska in every way. Chances are this Saturday won't be much better. Ohio State is on a different level than anything the Huskers have seen this season, even the Hoosiers. If NU struggles again with turnovers and tackles, this could be another one-sided loss.

Ohio State 42, Nebraska 14

Andy Kendeigh – KETV ABC-Omaha

The Bounce Back Bowl. Which team can recover better? Can Nebraska overcome its worst loss of the Matt Rhule era? Or will this be the week for Ohio State, coming off a bye after a brutal last-second loss at Oregon? This is the third time this season that Nebraska has been a home opponent, which is usually by design.

Ohio State 37, Nebraska 13

Jim Rose – 1110 KFAB Radio-Omaha

Billion-dollar question in Lincoln: Was the Indiana debacle an isolated incident or the start of something? My guess is the former. Too many athletes in Husker Red to predict another dismal November. Parity has arrived in the CFB. Only a few are great. Only a few are bad. A bunch is good enough to win against anyone every week. Don't think the script will be flipped this week on the banks of the Olentangy River. The hairless nuts have been stewing over this loss in Eugene for 13 days, meaning NU is getting them at the wrong time. But be careful, the Huskers will make the game tougher than the oddsmakers predicted.

Ohio State 31, Nebraska 21

Microphone'l Severe – Big Red Wrap-Up

We all know the numbers. OSU is the second-best team in scoring and total offense in the B1G and first in both categories on the defensive side. The Buckeyes also boast PFF's highest-rated running back room. But there is something they haven't been great at: PFF credits OSU with 15.5 pressures per game, which ranks them ninth in the Big Ten. Nebraska needs some relief as it applied pressure on more than a third of its dropbacks.

If the Huskers can put pressure on Will Howard while also having some success chasing the Buckeyes' secondary and keeping them around for as long as possible, then you never know.

Ohio State 37, Nebraska 12

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Sean Callahan can be reached at (email protected) and can be heard daily 6:45 a.m. and 5:05 p.m To Big red radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha in the fall and appears weekly at Nebraska Public Media Big red abstract Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

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