The ending of the Buckeyes loss to Oregon in Eugene two weeks ago might have been catastrophic, but don’t be fooled into thinking that it means the entre season is.
As the clock hit 00:00, and the crowd went wild inside of Autzen Stadium, Will Howard sat there on the field in disbelief, as did most of us Ohio State fans.
I mean…we were RIGHT THERE. A costly penalty, followed by bad game management killed the chances the Buckeyes had given themselves on that final drive.
I was sick.
And I know if I felt that bad, I can only imagine how the team themselves felt, and to be honest, I’m kind of glad they had to feel that.
I think those moments really define who you have inside the locker room.
Mentally you get a glimpse at whether guys are going to act like the world is over, or if they’re ready to run through a brick wall all over again.
Players are going to look at the leaders, guys like Will Howard, Jack Sawyer, JTT, Denzel Burke, and a handful of other seniors who decided to return this season with the sole mission of bringing glory to Columbus.
How those players handle adversity, how they react to coming up short, how they respond this upcoming Saturday means A LOT.
Nebraska comes to town with a bad taste in their mouth after getting pummeled by a surprisingly good and undefeated (Never thought I would type that) Indiana team.
Dylan Raiola, a former Ohio State recruit, will get his chance to play in the Shoe for the first time in his career and will be motivated to showcase his talents to a fanbase that had his heart for a portion of his recruiting process.
Ohio State has every goal directly in front of them, handle business from here on out and they will most likely get their shot at redemption in the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis.
But first, you must play who is in front of you.
And unfortunately for Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers, they’re the lucky winners this weekend.
I expect Ohio State to have a statement game on both sides of the ball. The offense is loaded from top to bottom with talent. Nebraska gave up close to 500 yards to Indiana, I can only imagine Jeremiah Smith and Co are salivating at the opportunity to line up across their secondary.
The defense has heard the noise for the past two weeks, Denzel Burke, Jack Sawyer, and JTT primarily. They’ve heard the numbers, seen the tape, and caught wind of the doubts. It’s time for them to shut the naysayers up once and for all.
Buckeyes 42 Nebraska 17
