NEBRASKA (5-2) vs #4 OHIO ST (5-1) - The Doctor Says This Might Hurt a Bit: HOW TO WATCH

It’s fine to hope, because hope is a good thing, Red, maybe the best of things.

But there’s nothing wrong with preparation, son.

I’ve worked out hard this week and am steeling myself for the Buckeyes. I’ve dealt with disappointment before and come Saturday, I will pop out pregame/halftime/recap articles over the course of the brunch hours, watch football, hang with the good people of Tiger Tom’s and - thanks to my liver still being deemed fully healthy due to reasons science cannot explain - wash it all down with a slight excess of Sailor Jerry and a heavy thumb on my Uber app.

This is common sense and with an utter lack of any useful training, I recommend Husker Nation does the same in their own way, be it their liquor or other controlled substance of choice, some yoga and chanting, snuggling a favorite doggo, killing hordes of simulated zombies on the PS5 or maybe just rigging a simulated victory over those damned Buckeyes in NCAA 25.

The possibilities are endless.

Watching Will Howard hooking up with freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith while Quinshon Jackson and Treveyon Henderson run it down our throats can be taxing. And the Buckeye 2nd ranked defense nationally at 254 ypg will be a step up from Indiana’s, so no breaks there either.

They’re not exactly the group against whom the Huskers should count on to revive their moribund ground game. And after Oregon, the Bucks took some grief for, in Nick Saban’s words, having an “antiquated” quarterback rush.

Dylan Raiola must be thrilled to know they’re looking to make a statement in THAT part of their defensive scheme.

Four and five-star players abound on the Buckeye roster and they’ve had a bye week to stew about losing another game against a top-five team while chomping at the bit to take it out on someone - and isn’t it magical that someone is a Husker squad who just took it in the teeth 56-7 from…Indiana??

At least we beat those bastards’ pride and joy - the Hoosier cagers - three times last season. So there.

But-

What if the line opens a hole or two for Dante and Emmett and keeps Dylan’s jersey fieldturf-clean? What if the Blackshirt defense I’ve been questioning since Northern Iowa recovers just enough to at least contain the Ohio St offense to the mid-20’s? Can Dylan Raiola rip the top of the Buckeyes secondary a couple of times? (Jaylen Lloyd, I’m lookin’ at you.) And maybe, just maybe, Brian Buschini gets a hold down as John Hohl boots a game-winner?

What does the ESPN game predictor machine thingy say?

WAIT…..SO…..

You’re DAMN RIGHT there is!!!

But just the same, be prepared.

Bottoms up and Go Big Red. On to the How To Watch.

Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

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HOW TO WATCH

Time: 11:00AM CST

Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH

Surface: Fieldturf (Cheap non-Bobfather blessed version.)

Wagering Info: Huskers +25 ¹⁄₂ . O/U - 48 (Draft Kings)

Series Record: Nebraska trails in the series with an overall record of 1-9. They defeated the Buckeyes in their first Big 10 meeting in 2011 and then proceeded to lose the next seven straight. Before joining the conference the two teams only played twice in Columbus in 1955-6 with the Huskers dropping both.

TV: The game can be viewed on Fox Sports as the Big Noon game with - Play-by-Play: Gus Johnson (earplugs, please). Analyst: Joel Klatt. Sidelines: Jenny Taft. It is also streaming on the Fox Sports App.

Radio: The audio can be streamed live for free at Huskers.com or the Huskers App. The crew will be: Play-by-Play: Greg Sharpe. Analysis: Damon Benning. Sidelines: Jessica Coody. Pre/Post-Game: Matt Coatney, Jessica Coody, Ben McLaughlin & Tommy Armstrong.

Weather: Another perfect day for football. It should be sunny plus a few clouds and breezes of 7-10 mph with temps around 54 at kickoff and rising to 60 by game’s end.

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FUN FACTS AND FIGURES

(Because this is supposed to be fun, right?)

• Nebraska is facing its second straight ranked opponent in No. 4 Ohio State. It marks the first time Nebraska has played back-to-back ranked opponents since late in the 2021 season (Ohio State, at Wisconsin). It is the first time NU has had consecutive road games against ranked teams since early in the 2021 season (at Oklahoma, at Michigan State)
• Saturday’s game pits two of college football’s winningest programs, as Ohio State (969) and Nebraska (922) are two of just eight schools with more than 900 wins in school history.
• With Ohio State ranked No. 4 this week, Saturday’s game will mark the sixth straight season Nebraska has faced a top-five opponent.
• Nebraska opened the season with three consecutive non-conference victories, marking its first 3-0 start to the season since 2016. It was also the first time Nebraska was unblemished in non- conference play since 2016.
• The 5-2 start through seven games marks only the second time in the past 10 seasons Nebraska has had five or more wins through seven games.
• TheHuskersdidnotallowtheoppositiontoscoreapointoffturnoversthroughthefirstsixgames. However, Indiana scored 28 points off Husker turnovers in the loss in Bloomington. Nebraska has outscored opponents 38-28 in points off turnovers this season, including a pair of interception returns for touchdowns.
• True freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola has been impressive in leading Nebraska to a 5-2 start. Raiola has thrown for better than 200 yards five times, including a career-high 297 yards and three touchdowns against Illinois. Overall, Raiola has thrown for 1,592 yards and nine touchdowns. His passing yardage leads FBS true freshmen and he is one of only three freshmen (true or redshirt) with more than 1,500 passing yards.
• Raiola is on pace to break the Nebraska freshman single-season passing yardage record, held by Adrian Martinez who threw for 2,617 yards in 2018 as a true freshman, which is the only 2,000- yard passing season by a Husker freshman.
• On a national level, Raiola was the first true freshman since Marcus Mariota (2012, Oregon) to complete at least 70 percent of his passes in each of his first three games.
• Raiola’s play through the first half of the season was recognized on a national level last week when he was named to the On3 Midseason True Freshman All-America team. Raiola was joined on the team by receiver Jacory Barney Jr., who was selected as an all-purpose player.
• And finally, just because -

NEBRASKA SINGLE-DIGIT JERSEY PLAYERS

» No. 0 Nash Hutmacher, DL*

» No. 1 Jimari Butler, DL#

» No. 2 Isaac Gifford, DB*

» No. 3 Marques Buford Jr., DB

» No. 4 Jahmal Banks, WR

» No. 5 John Bullock, LB*

» No. 6 Tommi Hill, DB

» No. 7 Malcolm Hartzog Jr., DB

» No. 8 DeShon Singleton, DB*

» No. 9 Ty Robinson, DL*

*also wore a single-digit jersey during the 2023 season

• #wore #1 for first five games, before choosing to switch back to #10 from previous seasons

Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Ohio State

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