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Nebraska Football: Three things to watch in week five vs Ohio State

By Leigh Oleszczak

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 03: Ohio State Buckeyes and Nebraska Cornhuskers line up on the line of scrimmage in a game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Nebraska Cornhuskers on November 03, 2018 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 03: Ohio State Buckeyes and Nebraska Cornhuskers line up on the line of scrimmage in a game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Nebraska Cornhuskers on November 03, 2018 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez (2) (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez (2) (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

NEBRASKA WILL HAVE TO RELY ON THEIR PASSING GAME

As noted on the previous slide, Ohio State is great at both running the ball and throwing the ball. The same can be said for Nebraska’s offense, but it definitely helps Adrian Martinez out a lot when the run game can get going and that might be tricky to do this week.

Ohio State has allowed an average of 60.3 rushing yards per game this season and that’s a big uh oh for Nebraska. Running the ball is the Huskers’ bread and butter and while Martinez is a skilled passer, he might not be as effective in that department if the Buckeyes know he’ll be throwing on every play.

The run game can certainly still be a big part of this game for Nebraska, and should be, but with how dominant Ohio State has been against the run so far this season, it’ll be interesting to see how early on Scott Frost opts to move away from running and focus on airing it out.

CAN THE HUSKERS HOLD THEIR OWN?

The most points Ohio State has allowed an opponent to score so far this season was 21 and that was against Florida Atlantic in the first game of the season. Since then, the Buckeye have allowed a total of 15 points through three games.

That doesn’t exactly bode well for a Nebraska team that knows they’re going to have to score to keep up with this Buckeyes squad. OSU is ranked fifth in the country for a reason and that’s because they’re effective on both sides of the ball.

If we see the Nebraska defense that traveled to Champaign last week, then it could be a long night for the Cornhuskers. The offense will likely have to carry the team in this one, but even then, it’ll be a tough go of it for Big Red on both sides of the ball.

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