Nobody who watched Ohio State’s 48-7 romp over Nebraska on Saturday at Memorial Stadium needed a statistical analysis or complicated breakdown to understand why the Buckeyes rolled to an easy victory.
Still, among all of the numbers that skewed heavily in OSU’s favor, perhaps one stuck out above the others in terms of illuminating the extent to which the Buckeye defense put the clamps on NU’s offense.
No Husker wide receiver or tight end caught a pass until late in the third quarter when sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez finally hit junior JD Spielman for a 7-yard gain with the score 48-0 and the game, obviously, well in hand for the Buckeyes.
Before that, Martinez had missed on eight of his 11 attempts, and was 0-of-5 with three interceptions while targeting Husker wide receivers.
“We need some more guys playing out there and we’re just going to have to force feed them and bring them along,†coach Scott Frost said Monday when asked about the lack of production.
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While playing a team like Ohio State will exploit weaknesses and in some cases make them look worse than they really are, Husker offensive coordinator Troy Walters said on Wednesday that his wide receivers group hasn’t been consistent enough to earn the trust of Martinez through five games.
Offensive coordinator Troy Walters talks about the team's wide receiver situation and the Northwestern defense on Oct. 2, 2019.
"Our job as receivers is to give the quarterback an accurate picture,"Â Â Walters said. "When he gets to his third step, fifth step, whatever it is, we're where we're supposed to be and he trusts that we're going to get there. Right now, I don't know if there's that trust, and so we've worked hard this week and feel like the quarterback now understands that we're going to be where we're supposed to be."Â
Spielman has put together another standout season — he entered Saturday averaging more than 22 yards per reception — but was targeted just three times against the Buckeyes.
“Within the framework of the offense, we’re going to try to get them more touches,†Walters said. “JD, to have one catch, is inexcusable. He’s a guy that when he has the ball in his hands, he can make plays.â€
Wan'Dale Robinson has consistently been the other main target in the receiving corps, while senior Kanawai Noa has been limited to five catches for 61 yards through five games. Three catches and 52 yards plus Noa’s only touchdown came against Northern Illinois last month.
On Saturday, NU played only those three with a smattering of senior Mike Williams before mop-up duty in the fourth quarter, when sophomores Jaevon McQuitty and Kade Warner saw some time. Warner, Walters said, aggravated an injury that had held him out the first four games and his status going forward isn’t clear.
Steve Sipple and Parker Gabriel share insights from Nebraska offensive coaches on wide receivers and Northwestern's defense on Oct. 2, 2019.
Frost said Monday that freshman Darien Chase will get more chances and that senior Jaron Woodyard, who has been limited by injuries of his own, will be used more going forward.
One area NU lacks — and has all along — is a physically bigger threat. Spielman, Robinson, Williams and Woodyard are all on the small side and others either haven’t seen the ball much (Noa) or haven’t been used often.
“To ask a 5-6, 5-7 guy to run a deep route to throw a jump ball is asking him to do probably something that he can’t do,†Walters said. “Asking a bigger guy to catch a screen and work some interior moves, that’s probably not the best decision. So we’ve got to find roles, find what guys do best and try to highlight them the best that we can.â€
The coordinator counted Williams and Woodyard among Nebraska’s deep threats, but acknowledged that two of the group’s fastest players are freshmen Demariyon Houston and Jamie Nance, who are both still seeing scout team duty and don’t appear to be close to getting real playing time.
“On Fridays we have a developmental scrimmage with those guys and we’re able to work with them more,†Walters said. “You see flashes with them. Those guys are your speed guys, can stretch the field, got good hands. They’ve just got to become a little more physical and process things a little quicker.
"Another year of maturity will help them both out. Those guys are the ones that, when they get right, will be able to stretch the field and make plays down the field.â€
NU’s struggles at receiver behind Spielman and Robinson are only one part of the equation, and it’s fair to point out that the Huskers scored 42 and 44 points the two weeks before facing the Buckeyes.
Answers, though, will either have to come from players improving their play or new weapons emerging over the final seven games of the year.
“We’re in this thing together,†Walters said. “We’re a team. We can’t listen to the outside noise. We can’t listen to everybody who says this and that. We’ve got to trust each other and we’ve got to play together. And we’ve got to understand that everyone’s job is important. In this offense, if 10 guys are doing their job and one guy’s not, it’s not going to work.â€