No. 9 Nebraska is on the road again for its second big matchup in two weeks, this time taking on No. 6 Ohio State.
The Huskers are coming off a tough loss to Wisconsin and are now just one game up in the Big Ten West. Saturday is a must-win if Nebraska wants to control its own destiny to the conference title game. The Buckeyes have been in a bunch of too-close-for-comfort games in recent weeks and need a dominant win to convince the College Football Playoff committee of their legitimacy.
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Here's how to watch Nebraska at Ohio State, and keys to victory for both teams.
Nebraska at Ohio State
When: Saturday, Nov. 5, 8 p.m. ET
Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
TV: ABC
Online: ESPN3.com
Nebraska-Ohio State all-time series
The Huskers and the Buckeyes have played just four times in their history, two of which came before 2011 (when Nebraska joined the Big Ten). Ohio State leads the all-time series 3-1, but the Huskers' lone win came in historic fashion. In their first Big Ten home game, Nebraska came back from a 27-6 deficit to beat Ohio State, 34-27, the biggest comeback in program history.
Numbers that matter
108-13
Nebraska is a fourth quarter type of team. The Huskers have outscored all but one of its opponents (Northwestern and Nebraska did not score in the fourth quarter in that game) 108-13 in the fourth quarter, typically putting the game out of reach for the other team. Ohio State has let a few teams hang around in the fourth quarter recently — Northwestern tied the game early and lost by just four points, and Wisconsin took the Buckeyes to overtime — so a Huskers comeback isn't out of the question.
3
Ohio State's defense has flown under the radar this season, as its allowed just three rushing touchdowns, the lowest total in the nation. The Buckeyes have to keep tabs on both Nebraska running back Terrell Newby and quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. who have combined for 11 of the Huskers' 19 touchdowns. Containing that duo will be a challenge.
62
J.T. Barrett is the man for Ohio State and he's setting some records while directing the offense. Barrett set the Ohio State career touchdown passing record against Rutgers earlier this season (58) and now has 62. Look for him to keep adding to that total as he continues to take over the Buckeyes' offense.
Social buzz
The Big Ten is home to a lot of ranked matchups this season, and Saturday's game is no different. This is Nebraska's second big game in as many weeks, and Ohio State's third, and it's the first matchup when both teams are ranked in the Top 10. A lot of playoff/bowl scenarios will be figured out after this game, too, so we'll see where these teams stand in the conference after Saturday.
The big question
Will Ohio State take some of the pressure off of J.T. Barrett? Barrett is a dual threat, so it makes sense for the Buckeyes to use him on some designed QB runs in addition to the passing game, but it seems like he's been taking the bulk of the carries. In the last three games, Barrett has carried the ball 41 percent of the rushing attempts (51 of 126), which is an insane number for a team that has two great running backs in Mike Weber and Curtis Samuel. That wear and tear is going to catch up to Barrett, so the Buckeyes should look to utilize Weber and Samuel more in the ground game to allow Barrett to perfect the passing game.
