Welcome to Femme Football, the Ohio State football coverage for Her Campus. Here, you’ll find an overview of this week’s game with in-depth explanation to build your understanding week by week, as well as position highlights that will teach the responsibilities of different players.
Ohio State crushed Nebraska in Lincoln this Saturday 56-14, or as the commentator put it, Nebraska was essentially “running into a buzz saw.” Ohio State led 35-0 at the half.
The Buckeyes’ offense demonstrated its weekly improvement against the Cornhuskers being called a “three-headed monster” due to their effective run game, pass game, and quarterback. Tempo (1) was consistently utilized at the line of scrimmage, quickly tiring out Nebraska’s defense and leading to an illegal substitution penalty (2). J.T. Barrett was responsible for two rushing touchdowns as well as 325 passing yards, proving himself to be a truly multi-talented quarterback. The improvement in the passing game is proving lethal for the Buckeyes.
However, Ohio State was called for an illegal formation penalty, which means that there were more than four players in the backfield. One of Ohio States’ receivers was not lined up at the line of scrimmage (3), which led to the penalty.
The defense provided a solid wall against the Cornhusker’s offense, as they only had 393 yards of total offense and 15 first downs. They also stuffed a third down attempt for one yard.
Special teams (4) seems to be having a rough time as of late. After missing multiple extra points against Maryland, special teams had a couple short and out of bounds kicks. Hopefully, special teams can use the bye week to work out the kinks. The Buckeyes’ next game is against Penn State, who they lost to last year due to issues with special teams.
The position highlight this week goes to the quarterback position. J.T. Barrett exemplified growth and flexibility in his performance this week; his passing game was fast and accurate, he utilized his talented running backs, and he also used the leg power he is famous for to help Ohio State reach 41 first downs. While Barrett does not call the plays, his execution was precise and intelligent. If Barrett and his offense continue to improve, this could be a championship-caliber team.
1 Tempo: A rapid offensive strategy in which the offense lines up quickly and does not give the defense enough time to adjust.
2 Illegal substitution: A team tries to substitute players after the snap, resulting in having more than eleven players on the field.
3 Line of scrimmage: The line at which both teams line up on to begin play.
4 Special Teams: A squad that is used for kickoffs, punts, and other special plays.