COLUMBUS, Ohio — Will Howard tossed three touchdown passes, but No. 4 Ohio State needed an interception by cornerback Jordan Hancock with 1:16 left to seal its 21-17 win over Nebraska on Saturday.
The Buckeyes (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) bounced back from their loss to Oregon two weeks ago but sure didn’t look like the well-oiled machine they are supposed to be in scuffling with a nearly four-touchdown underdog.
“It wasn’t perfect, but a win’s a win,” Howard said. “And we were able to show that when the going gets tough, and when maybe things aren’t going our way, we’re able to win in the fourth quarter. I think our defense did an unbelievable job of getting some stops, making some really big plays in that fourth quarter and getting us a chance to go down there and put that last one in and give us the lead.”
The Cornhuskers (5-3, 2-3) kept it close all day. John Hohl kicked three field goals before Dante Dowdell’s touchdown early in the fourth quarter gave them a brief lead. Ohio State converted just 1 of 10 third downs, punted five times, gave up the ball on downs, missed a field goal and survived a Howard interception.
Dowdell’s 1-yard run and a 2-point conversion put the Huskers up 17-14. The Buckeyes got the lead back with 6:04 left when Howard threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Quinshon Judkins.
Nebraska’s had the ball near midfield on its final possession after Arvell Reese was ejected for targeting for his hit on receiver Jahmal Banks. The Huskers were called for a false start and lost yards on consecutive plays before Dylan Raiola was off target with a pass intended for Isaiah Neyor and Hancock picked it off.
Howard knelt three times to run out the clock.
The Huskers had a chance to take the lead in the third quarter when Malcolm Hartzog Jr.’s interception and 34-yard return set them up at the Ohio State 7. On fourth-and-goal from the 2, Davison Igbinosun and Cody Simon plugged the middle to stop Dowdell short of the goal line.
“Yeah, that’s definitely a drive that we wish we could have finished off,” Raiola said. “I think we had our best play called. We just came up a little short and that’s what it is right now. And we’ll make sure that we hit those plays coming in the future.”
Nebraska: The Huskers surely played better than last week when they were drubbed 56-7 by Indiana but were denied a sixth win that would have made them bowl eligible for the first time since 2016. Nebraska has lost 27 straight against Top 25 opponents and 18 straight against ranked opponents on the road.
“I thought our defense was dominant all day, save three plays,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said, referring to Howard’s three touchdown passes.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes were largely one-dimensional, running for just 64 yards with no explosive plays from stars Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. They avoided their first home loss in 10 years against an unranked opponent (Virginia Tech).
“Give Nebraska credit and the job they did,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “They had a hard time the week before. We knew they were going to come out and play us really hard.”
Howard hit a wide-open Jeremiah Smith in stride for a 60-yard touchdown in the first half. That was his eighth receiving touchdown, tying him with Cris Carter for most among freshmen in school history.
Howard also threw a 40-yard TD pass to Carnell Tate in the first half. He finished 13 for 16 for 221 yards.
This game was closer than it should have been, and some voters might penalize the Buckeyes for that.
Ohio State starting safety Lathan Ransom and tight end Will Kacmarek were sidelined with unspecified injuries. … Nebraska running back Rahmir Johnson was out with a concussion. … LT Zen Michalski left the game with an injury. Michalski was in the game because of an injury to starter Josh Simmons in the Oregon game.
Nebraska: hosts UCLA next Saturday.
Ohio State: visits No. 3 Penn State next Saturday.
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