Nebraska running back Dedrick Mills (26) reaches for the touchdown during the second quarter Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
JOSHUA BICKEL, Pool via Ohio State Athletics
Nebraska tight Austin Allen (11) tries to stay upright against Ohio State defenders Pete Werner (20) and Marcus Williamson on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — To get it out of the way right off the top: Nebraska lost by 35 points on Saturday to Ohio State, so anything that constitutes positive or good news is going to come with the caveat that, yeah, there is plenty to work on.
Nebraska’s not going to see many receiver groups like the Buckeyes', nor many quarterbacks like Justin Fields.
No matter who the Huskers play, though, certainly cleaner play and more consistent offensive production — and more playmaking from that veteran secondary — are going to be required if wins are going to follow.
Let’s start with the offense. A drive early in the second quarter provided a glimpse at the foundation Nebraska is building and the versatility with which this group, guided by coach Scott Frost and offensive coordinator Matt Lubick, can put on display.
Like a pitcher mixing all his pitches, Nebraska on an 11-play, 78-yard touchdown drive threw the kitchen sink at Ohio State, but it didn’t feel forced or gimmicky.
Play 1: Adrian Martinez was in the pistol with Luke McCaffrey behind and he threw to Wan’Dale Robinson for a 4-yard gain.
Play 2: McCaffrey moved to quarterback, Martinez flanked out wide to the right and the redshirt freshman quarterback ran for three yards.
Play 3: McCaffrey came off the field and Martinez hit Jack Stoll for a 15-yard gain and a first down. He had Robinson with him out of the backfield, a look NU used quite a bit.
Play 4: Martinez went under center with an I-formation behind him. Tight end Austin Allen served as the fullback in front of senior running back Dedrick Mills. This was a shot play and Martinez nearly threw an interception down the left sideline looking for tight end Travis Vokolek. One play after senior tight end Jack Stoll was hurt, NU was still in 21 personnel (two tight ends, one running back).
Play 5: Maybe the most normal personnel and call. Martinez in the gun with 11 personnel, handoff to Mills for 8 yards.
Play 6: McCaffrey came back in the game and lined up next to Martinez in the backfield. He took the snap and ran for 5 yards and a first down on third-and-2. McCaffrey and Martinez next to each other, run 7 on third-and-short.
Play 7: Right back to the I-form with Martinez under center, this time with Robinson dotting the “I†behind Mills. Martinez gave to Mills on the option dive for 3.
Play 8: Back in the gun, Allen ran a nice route across the back of the offensive line and slipped into the flat behind the linebackers as Martinez rolled right. A 26-yard gain into the red zone on a nice design seen frequently around the country.
Play 9: Similar look with motion and Martinez ran for 8 yards.
Play 10: Two tight ends in the game inside the 10, Martinez followed Mills on QB power for another first down.
Play 11: Still two tight ends and Mills powered in for a 3-yard touchdown run.
In one drive, the Huskers were in pistol, gun and under center. Two quarterbacks took snaps. They were on the field at the same time multiple times. A host of players lined up in the backfield. NU used play-action, a nice design to free Stoll in the middle on third-and-3, an old-school option look and more.
It was, to use a technical term, sweet.
It also highlighted a couple of general limitations shown in Saturday’s performance: The one attempt to push the ball down the field did not go well, and the Huskers were able to score on a drive in which they committed no penalties and did not put the ball on the ground.
“I thought we had a really good game plan, and I think Matt Lubick has made us better,†Frost said after the game. “We stopped ourselves a lot today between penalties and sacks. When we played clean drives, we executed pretty well and moved the ball well.
“We still, as a program, need to push the ball down field better. There’s no question about that.â€
Nebraska averaged 8 yards per pass attempt, which is more than serviceable. In fact, it’s pretty darn good. But that was mostly because of an 80% completion rate, which is likely not sustainable.
The question is, who will be that threat for Nebraska? And at this point, it’s a question that still has several potential answers. Perhaps junior Omar Manning will return to action soon. Frost said he wants to see how all the receivers looked on film — certainly there will be some things to like — and how youngsters Alante Brown and Marcus Fleming took advantage of limited opportunities late in the game.
The creativity, versatility and diversity put on display on that second-quarter touchdown drive is a foundation from which to build. It’s mostly a matter of what further materials the project has to work with.
Notes
* A week of preparation comes with the potential that Nebraska will evaluate its options, but the response to the ejections of defensive backs Cam Taylor-Britt and Deontai Williams might indicate what the plan is personnelwise in the secondary.
Both players have to sit the first half against Wisconsin because their ejections for targeting penalties came in the second half against the Buckeyes.
NU plugged in sophomore Quinton Newsome for Taylor-Britt and redshirt freshman Myles Farmer for Williams. That would be the straightforward way to handle the first half against the Badgers, too. It would bump players like redshirt freshman Noa Pola-Gates or freshman Isaac Gifford and freshmen corners Tamon Lynum and Ronald Delancy III further up the depth chart, too.
* Nebraska used diversity in its defensive fronts, as well. It reduced the three-man front at times, gave even looks in addition to its more normal odd alignment and cycled a bunch of players through. From senior Ben Stille playing some three-technique and interior spots in pass-rush situations — that picture looked pretty good — to outside linebackers like Caleb Tannor, Pheldarius Payne and Nick Henrich putting their hand on the ground at times, it was an interesting first week out. NU held up decently against the run and registered three sacks, but is going to need more consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks going forward. Certainly, OSU had among the best offensive lines NU will face.
* An early look at the rotations gave the impression that Tannor and Payne are going to be involved in pass-rush situations and NU is willing to use senior JoJo Domann anywhere, anytime.
* Right tackle Bryce Benhart and left guard Ethan Piper both impressed in their first extended action.
Benhart started and Piper rotated in with senior Boe Wilson and they both appeared to play well overall. It will be interesting to see how the balance of playing time between Piper and Wilson continues from here. Those two, plus center Cam Jurgens, form a fun young trio to watch. Senior left tackle Brenden Jaimes is rock solid and had very few problems on Saturday. Senior right guard Matt Farniok didn’t play his best, though the entire line had its hands full with defensive tackle Haskell Garrett.
Look at the young fella Bryce Benhart skip step, move and find his man. Early impression is he played awfully well in his first career start.
— Parker Gabriel (@HuskerExtraPG)
* Frost caught some flack on social media late in the first quarter when he decided to punt on fourth-and-2 from his own 43, trailing 14-7. Ohio State had marched to touchdown drives on its first two possessions and NU had run the ball well, but he opted to punt and was ultimately rewarded for it.
Sophomore punter William Przystup hit a booming 51-yarder that was downed at the 6. The Buckeyes got one first down, but the Huskers forced their first punt of the day, thanks in part to sure tackles on second down by Dicaprio Bootle and third down by Garrett Nelson. Then the offense mounted the 11-play scoring drive detailed above.
That is the kind of marriage between offense, defense and special teams that good teams show. Now the Huskers have to do it consistently.
* Nebraska’s tight end group saw liberal use and finished with five catches for 55 on seven targets. Not only that, but they were heavily involved in the run game. Stoll’s injury will have an impact, but that’s a group that has potential.
* It will be interesting to see how Mills is used moving forward. He got nine carries (for 25 yards) against OSU, but shared the backfield plenty with several players including Robinson, McCaffrey and redshirt freshman Ronald Thompkins. Not necessarily a bad thing — each of those players have strengths — but we’ll learn over time if that was specific to the game plan or a harbinger of a widely shared workload to come.
Photos: Ohio State prevails over Huskers 52-17 in delayed season opener
Nebraska tight Austin Allen (11) tries to stay upright against Ohio State defenders Pete Werner (20) and Marcus Williamson on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.