Where was this earlier? The Nebraska Cornhuskers are starting to peak and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Husker fans know that their team has played better than their record indicates, and a win over Ohio State this Saturday would do wonders for this rising program.
The quest for three in a row
It was no surprise that Nebraska rolled to a 45-9 win over Bethune-Cookman this past Saturday. But the way Big Red has struggled, a win is a win - no matter who they face. Now they hit the meat and potatoes portion of the schedule. Yes, it seems like a long shot, but the underdog Huskers have a lot going for them heading into Columbus, including the fact that no one is giving them a shot.
Sometimes the “us against the world” mentality is the best motivator of all!
Big Red fans know that at 2-6, they need to win their remaining four games to be bowl eligible - and that road is a tough one.
The Journal Star reports that after the Huskers head to OSU this week, then will host Illinois and Michigan State and visit the Iowa Hawkeyes to end the season. Both home tilts are very winnable games for the Huskers and if Nebraska can pull off the major upset against the Buckeyes, you can bet that Memorial Stadium will be rocking in two weeks when Illinois comes to town.
Upset of OSU is possible
With a break or two, Nebraska could easily be 4-4 instead of 2-6, but close isn’t good enough in college football.
So can the Huskers pull off a huge upset against the Buckeyes? Sure they can, and here is why.
Ohio State is not having a typical Ohio State type of year. Somehow the Buckeyes jumped up three spots in the latest AP Top 25 poll on their bye week, but they are coming off of a terrible loss at Purdue, where the high powered Boilermaker offense exposed the OSU passing defense.
If quarterback Adrian Martinez can have time in the pocket he can complete passes downfield on this Ohio State defense. Martinez should surpass the 2,000-yard passing mark in his freshman season, but what makes him the X-factor on Saturday is that he can run as well.
Martinez has shown that he can keep his team in any game with his running ability on many RPO plays, but he can’t do it alone.
Ohio State is a "home run" hitting team. In other words, they usually have huge plays during the course of a game. Nebraska has to limit those plays. Ohio State may be 7-1 on the season, but they have been pushed to the limit by Penn State (a one point victory) and Indiana, which the score does not indicate how close this game was in the 4th quarter.
If the Nebraska defense can limit those 20+ yard plays Ohio State lives and dies with, and Martinez can keep the offense churning, Big Red has more than a shot to pull off an upset this Saturday.