Before every game, we provide a preview of Ohio State football’s opponent for the upcoming week. It’s just an eight-game regular season during this COVID-19 shortened season with a ninth “championship week” and whatever postseason comes about.
In week one, it’s a familiar foe/ally in the Nebraska Cornhuskers. It’s awfully convenient the conference decided to pit the two programs that were the most vocal of any in the conference when it came to fighting for a season on the docket for week one. But here we are. The ‘Huskers are a traditional college football power but are still looking to return to that glory of yesteryear. It’ll be a tall order to try and knock off an Ohio State team that should be a monster again in 2020.
But regardless, it’s our job to tell you all you need to know about Nebraska and what to look for. So, if you want to impress your friends while watching the game, we’ve got your cheat code right here. We do the research, you drop nuggets. You win on Saturdays. It’s as simple as that.
Ohio State vs. Nebraska 2020 football Preview And Prediction https://t.co/7wyvTos7fq
— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) October 19, 2020
Next … Nebraska all-time vitals
Nebraska Record
(0-0 overall); (0-0 ACC): Hey, it’s the first game1
All-Time Record vs. Ohio State
Ohio State leads all-time series 7-1 (.875)
Nebraska All-Time Vitals
Record: 902-395-40, No. 9 All-Time
National Championships: 5, No. 11 All-Time
Conference Championships: 46, No. 2 All-Time
Bowl Games: 53, No. 4 All-Time
Bowl Record: 26-27-0, No. 49 All-Time
Consensus All-Americans: 54, No. 8 All-Time
Heisman Winners: 3, No. 5 All-Time
NFL Draft Picks: 361, No. 7 All-Time
College Football Playoff Appearances: 0
Best All-Time Season
1995 – The tail-end of the Tom Osborne era was perhaps the best in the history of the Cornhusker program. In 1995, the team was coming off a national championship the year before with a lot of pieces still in place. The team of course employed a heavy triple-option style on offense, but still managed to put up over 53 points per game behind quarterbacks Tommy Frazier and Brook Berringer.
The defense was as equally dominant, allowing just 14.5 points per game and sending relentless pressure with speed and athleticism. The team went on to obliterate the Florida Gators 62-24 in the Fiesta Bowl to cement itself as the best team in Cornhuskers’ history.
Best Player Of All-Time
30 days till the start of CFB Saturday….
Heisman winner 2x All-American Mike Rozier of Nebraska pic.twitter.com/gkrS9uRKvb— Christian Summers (@fbcoach_summers) August 6, 2015
Mike Rozier, RB (1981-1983) – Rozier was one of the best running backs to ever play the college game. A two-time All-American, he is still the ‘Huskers all-time leading rusher with 4,780 total yards over three seasons. As a senior Heisman winning campaign, Rozier rushed for over 2,148 rushing yards, had 2,486 all-purpose yards, 29 touchdowns, and nearly took his team to a national title. He was drafted in the first round of the NFL and USFL draft in 1984.
Next … Head coach, offensive and defensive styles
Current Head Coach
Scott Frost – 28-22 overall, 9-15 in his third full season at Nebraska
Nebraska is a 26.5-point underdog against Ohio State on Saturday.
Scott Frost: "I'm anxious to see their response when inevitably Ohio State makes a play or two on us… I want to see a bunch of guys that don't like that but aren't afraid of the next play." pic.twitter.com/hxHhYviY83
— Kevin Sjuts (@kevinsjuts) October 22, 2020
Cornhuskers’ Offensive Style
It’s a combination of several different things. And even though there’s a new offensive coordinator in the promoted Nick Lubick, this will still be Scott Frost’s Nebraska offense. As a former triple-option quarterback, Scott Frost likes to use the Q-run but does it out of the shotgun spread. But don’t let that fool you — the Huskers can air it out as well from the same formation. They like to get their best playmakers in space — including quarterback Adrian Martinez — and try to make plays in a quick-tempo setting.
Ohio State had all kinds of issues dealing with the scheme and offensive game plan in 2018 but adjusted and kept everything in front of the defenders last year with a change in philosophy (and a superhuman disrupter in the backfield, Chase Young). This time, it’ll all hinge on how effective (or ineffective) Martinez is in executing and delivering on the game plan. Schematically, Nebraska is sound and difficult when in rhythm.
Cornhuskers’ Defensive Style
The Huskers use a 3-4 / 4-3 hybrid look that’s designed to create turnovers and produce negative plays. Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander is in his third year so there shouldn’t be a ton of surprises. Ohio State has been able to get out in space and use its speed and athleticism advantage for multiple years now. We’ll see if there are any adjustments the defense can make in 2020 to negate that.
Next … Player to watch and the Tigers’ chances
Nebraska player to watch
Throughout a longer-than-normal offseason in which he didn’t know if he was going to actually be the starter or not, Adrian Martinez earning the vote of his teammates to name him a captain for a second straight year might make it that much sweeter. https://t.co/mEu0iBBwDi
— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) October 20, 2020
Adrian Martinez, QB — We’ve alluded to it already, but Nebraska’s ability to give Ohio State a game is all dependent on Martinez having one whale of a game from under center. He’s a dual-threat guy that fits the spread-scheme nicely and is now going into his third year in the offensive system. He’ll look to beat you with designed runs but can also spread it around a little through the air. He won the Big Ten’s freshman of the year in 2018 and as he goes so too does the ‘Husker offense. He’s didn’t take that second-year leap like many thought during 2019, but he’s still got the skillset and goods to be one of the top quarterbacks and playmakers in the Big Ten.
Nebraska Can Win The Game If …
The Cornhuskers can move the ball well-enough out of the gate to keep the Ohio State offense off the field and the defense scrambling for answers. The Buckeye front seven is still pretty darn good, but there could be some plays available through the air with a rebuilt secondary.
Martinez has to have a solid day early throwing the ball, will his team through the fire to hang around into the second half, then hope confidence and belief sets in. That’s easier said than done against this Ohio State team.
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