Ohio State is going to be formidable enough on offense and defense.
But unless Nebraska is able to show improvement from its first four games, the Buckeyes' biggest advantage may be in special teams.
Saturday's win against Illinois was another adventure in the Nebraska kicking game. Another extra point was blocked. Another field goal was missed. The Huskers didn't record a touchback on any of their kickoffs.
"Until that last game, I thought our special teams made huge improvements," Nebraska coach Scott Frost said Monday. "We didn’t kick it well at all. We didn’t punt it very well. We kicked some line drives that were very returnable in the kickoff game. We had some penalties on special teams. We didn’t play very well in that phase, so we will put a lot of emphasis on that this week.
Steve Sipple and Parker Gabriel give insights from Nebraska defensive coaches on Ohio State preparations after practice on Sept. 24, 2019.
"The reason Ohio State is so good is because they are good on offense, on defense and they’re really good on special teams. They keep pressure on you on all three phases, so we need to be at our best on all three phases."
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Nebraska has just 10 touchbacks on 28 kickoffs, a rate of about 36 percent. The Huskers are 2-for-7 on field goals, with two of those attempts being blocked, along with two blocked extra points. Ohio State, meanwhile, has already blocked three kicks this season.
"It's critical. Absolutely. If we end up with having some poor kickoffs, it’s going to be a bad situation. Field position is going to be of the utmost importance. It’s going to matter," special teams coordinator Jovan Dewitt said. "There’s a talented football team coming in that we have to play, and we can’t give them free yards. We have to find a way to maximize the field position much as possible. So it’s huge. It’s gigantic."
Backup punter William Przystup has handled kickoffs the past two games. Walk-on Lane McCallum will likely continue in the place-kicking role.
"You've just got to put in the time, to be honest with you. It's not just something that happens. Those guys will go all over the country learning how to do one thing (punting). So it's something that we've gotten better at," Dewitt said of Nebraska's kickoffs. "I think consistency is again going to be the issue, and consistency comes with reps. It's just like if you're shooting free throws. How do you get good at shooting free throws? By shooting more free throws.
"It's no different. It's an acquired skill that we've got to continue to work on."