Ryan Day and Ohio State football avoided disaster Saturday against unranked Nebraska, escaping with a 21-17 victory in Columbus.

The coach was not pleased with his team’s complete game effort, but did state in his postgame comments that he was satisfied with the Buckeyes’ ability to overcome a late rally by the Huskers.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to win the game in the fourth quarter. We were down by three in the fourth quarter, put a drive together, scored a touchdown and the defense got a stop. To me, that’s what we’ve got to do to win these games,” Day said.

Ohio State’s difference maker in the contest was the Buckeyes’ ability to complete intermediate to deep throws, as quarterback Will Howard ended an efficient day going 13-of-16 passing for 221 yards and three touchdowns. The Kansas State transfer did throw an interception, but he made up for it with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate and a 60-yard score to Jeremiah Smith.

“I thought that the execution on the throw and catch to Carnell on the deep ball was big, and then the one to Jeremiah was really well executed. The timing was right – good throw and great catch,” Day said. “We struggled to run the ball, so setting up that play action pass on the sideline to Carnell got us into plus territory, and that allowed us to score.”

Nebraska’s defensive line pressured Howard and Ohio State while also stuffing the vaunted Buckeye run game. The Blackshirts produced two sacks while limiting Ohio State to 64 rushing yards on 31 attempts. Day added that his offensive line’s struggles showed throughout the contest.

“I got to go back and watch the film and figure it out myself,” Day said. “Quite honestly, it’s not good enough. We’ve got to run the football. We didn’t do that today and that’s why we put the defense in bad spots. That’s why we were 1-for-10 on third downs and 1-for-2 on fourth downs.”

The Buckeyes’ defense also had its moments, stuffing a fourth-and-goal from their own two-yard line, and forcing a late interception of freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola to seal the victory. Day was adamant that his defense stepped up when needed.

“I certainly think on defense that the response was excellent. I just like the way our demeanor was and the way we were playing. We were flying around and getting lined up. A lot of things to build on there coming out of the game. On offense, we have to do better in some areas. We have to get back to the drawing board because we’ve got a big matchup coming up against Penn State,” Day said.

In one of the more controversial aspects from Saturday, Day added he was “not going to say anything” about the targeting call late in the game against an Ohio State defensive back. The hit against receiver Jahmal Banks ended as a reception by Nebraska, with an additional 15 yards tacked on following the penalty. Ohio State also received a sideline warning due to their outburst following the call.

Ohio State now awaits its second top-four matchup in conference play of the season at Penn State on Saturday, while Nebraska prepares for UCLA in Lincoln.

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