Ohio at Nebraska

Ohio at Nebraska

This is Missed It. Ohio at Nebraska, Saturday, September 5, 92 and clear at Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, NE), with the Cornhuskers. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

The Ohio Bobcats are in town, and they've got the ball first. Ohio comes in looking to make some noise, and Nebraska is ready to answer. The crowd is up, the energy is real, and we're about to see what this Cornhuskers team is made of. Ohio has the football, and we're set to go.

Q1

Ohio wastes no time. They come out in the no-huddle, and on the very first drive, Poulos drops back and finds Neer on a short pass to the right. Neer catches it at the Nebraska zero, and it's a touchdown. Four yards, and just like that, Ohio has struck first. The kick is good, and it's seven to nothing Ohio. We're not even four minutes in, and they've already answered whatever question we had about them. The Bobcats came to play. But we don't flinch. Colandrea takes the field, and we start marching. On third down, he steps up and fires a short middle pass to Barney Jr., who hauls it in at the Ohio nineteen and rumbles down to the four. Twelve yards, first down, and suddenly we're knocking on the door. The crowd feels it. We feel it. This is what we came for. And then Rule takes the handoff up the middle. One yard. Just one yard, but it's the one that matters, because he crosses the goal line. Touchdown, Nebraska. The kick is good, and we're tied at seven. The drive was thirteen plays, and it ended the way we needed it to. We answered right back, and now it's a ballgame. Ohio gets the ball back, and they chew up the clock. Eleven plays, and they move it down the field, but our defense holds in the red zone. They settle for a field goal, and it's ten to seven Ohio. We get the ball back, but we can't get anything going. Eight plays, and we're punting it away. Ohio takes over with eleven seconds left in the quarter, and they're not done yet. Poulos drops back and throws deep left to Dorwart, who catches it at the Ohio forty-two and picks up twenty yards. First down, and they're moving. The quarter ends with Ohio driving, and they're not letting up. They're grinding on us, and we need to find a stop.

Q2

Ohio keeps pushing. Poulos finds Neer again on a short pass to the left, and he picks up three yards, out of bounds, and it's a first down. They're inside our territory now, and the pressure is mounting. But our defense digs in, and they force Ohio to settle for another field goal. Thirteen to seven, Ohio. We've been chasing all half, and we need a spark. Colandrea takes the field, and he finds Gilmer on a deep pass to the right. Twenty-one yards, out of bounds, and it's a first down. The offense is starting to breathe. And then, the play of the half. Colandrea rolls out and throws a short pass to the right to Rule, who catches it at the Ohio twenty-four and takes it all the way. Twenty-four yards, touchdown, Nebraska. The kick is good, and just like that, we've taken the lead. Fourteen to thirteen. The crowd erupts. We're ahead for the first time tonight. Ohio gets the ball back, but they can't do anything with it. Five plays, and they're punting. We get the ball back, but we can't extend the lead. Six plays, and we're punting right back. Ohio takes over, and Poulos finds Neer again, this time for fourteen yards, out of bounds, and it's a first down. They're moving, but our defense holds, and they punt it away. We get the ball back with two minutes left in the half, and we're driving. Ten plays, and we're knocking on the door. But on fourth down, Colandrea drops back and throws to Lindenmeyer, and it's broken up by Gillison. Turnover on downs. We had a chance to add to the lead, and we came up empty. Ohio takes over with twenty-two seconds left, and they're not going to do anything with it. They turn it over, and we head to the locker room with a one-point lead.

Halftime

Fourteen to thirteen, Nebraska. It's a one-point game, and it feels like we've been fighting uphill all half. Ohio came out swinging, and they put us on our heels early. But we answered, and that touchdown pass from Colandrea to Rule, the one that put us ahead, that was the moment. That was the play that turned the half. We took the lead, and we never gave it back. But we can't be satisfied with one point. We need to come out in the second half and put our foot down. Ohio has been hanging around, and they're not going away. We need to find a way to pull away, to give ourselves some breathing room. The defense needs to keep making plays, and the offense needs to keep moving the chains. We're ahead, but this game is far from over.

Q3

We get the ball to start the half, and we're looking to build on that lead. But it doesn't take long for things to go sideways. On second down, Colandrea drops back and tries to throw to Hunter, but he's under pressure. The pass falls incomplete, and the flag comes out. Intentional grounding. It's a penalty, and it sets us back. The drive stalls, and we're punting it away. Five plays, and we give it right back. That's not how we wanted to start the half.

The Sequence

Ohio takes over, and they're driving. Seven plays, and they move it down the field, but our defense holds. They line up for a field goal, and it's no good. Missed. We get the ball back, and this is our chance to seize control. Colandrea takes the field, and we start moving. Eleven plays, and we're in the red zone. Then Colandrea keeps it himself, rushes left, and he's gone. Thirteen yards, touchdown, Nebraska. The kick is good, and it's twenty-one to thirteen. We've got some breathing room now, and the crowd is rocking. Ohio gets the ball back, but they can't do anything. Five plays, and they're punting. We take over, and we're not letting up. Eight plays, and Nelson takes the handoff, rushes right, and he's off. Twenty-nine yards, touchdown, Nebraska. The kick is good, and it's twenty-eight to thirteen. We're rolling now, and Ohio is reeling. But Ohio doesn't quit. They get the ball back, and they drive. Eleven plays, and they find the end zone. They add the two-point conversion, and it's twenty-eight to twenty-one. They're right back in it, and we need to answer. And we do. Colandrea drops back and throws a short pass to Nelson, who catches it at the Ohio forty-five and takes it all the way. Fifty-one yards, touchdown, Nebraska. The kick is good, and it's thirty-five to twenty-one. That's the dagger. That's the play that breaks them. Ohio gets the ball back, but they can't move it. Five plays, and they turn it over on downs. We take over, and we're not done. Five plays, and we're in the end zone again. Forty-two to twenty-one. Ohio gets the ball back, and they turn it over. We take over, and three plays later, we're in the end zone again. Forty-nine to twenty-one. Ohio gets the ball back, but the game is over. They run out the clock, and we've done it.

Wrap-up

Forty-nine to twenty-one. Nebraska wins, and we win big. We started slow, we trailed early, but we never stopped fighting. We took the lead before the half, and then we pulled away in the second half, and we never looked back. Twenty-eight points. That's the margin, and it feels every bit as good as it sounds. This is what we came for. This is what it means to be a Cornhusker. We're going home happy tonight.

By the Numbers

The Cornhuskers by the numbers. Final score, Nebraska 49, Ohio 21. 523 yards of offense to their 303, 275 through the air and 248 on the ground. 28 first downs. 9 of 14 on third down. 0 turnovers for us, 1 for them. We held the ball for just under 31 minutes.

Outro

That was Ohio at Nebraska, from the Cornhuskers side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.