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Urban Meyer: Offense going through some growing pains

By The Sports Xchange
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer walks the sidelines in the second quarter of the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale Arizona, January 1, 2016. Photo by Art Foxall/UPI
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer walks the sidelines in the second quarter of the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale Arizona, January 1, 2016. Photo by Art Foxall/UPI | License Photo

After surviving an upset scare by Northwestern last week, Ohio State remains at home in the Horseshoe to face No. 9 Nebraska on Saturday night in a prime-time game.

The Cornhuskers suffered their first loss after opening the season with seven straight wins, falling 23-17 in overtime last Saturday at Wisconsin. The Buckeyes also played an overtime game against the Badgers two weeks earlier in Madison but managed to come out on top.

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Ohio State was able to bounce back from its first loss of the year to Penn State on Oct. 22 with a solid effort against Northwestern.

The offense was balanced against the Wildcats with 208 yards rushing and 223 yards passing. But the Buckeyes aren't finding the end zone as easily as they did during the early portion of the season.

Meyer sees that as a product of playing better defenses and a young offense going through some growing pains.

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"You've got a bunch of young cats going and swinging hard and practicing hard," he said. "So I guess I'm much more positive. Do I wish that we were (scoring) 56 points and all those kind of things, sure, but we're a work in progress.

Ohio State's defense gave up more than 400 yards at home to Northwestern for the first time since 2014 but made a critical stand in the fourth quarter when the Wildcats had a first down at the Ohio State 5-yard line trailing by seven and forced a field goal instead of a tying touchdown.

"That's what we pride ourselves on," Ohio State linebacker Chris Worley said. "It's not about guys getting interceptions or forcing turnovers or guys getting sacks. It's the complete defense when the team needed us, not when we're up by 40.

"In those crunch times when it's third- or fourth-and-goal, we have to get a stop to have a shot at winning the game."

The defense has allowed 400 or more yards in two of the last three games and three times this season. Northwestern, ranked No. 93 in FBS in total offense last week, managed to sustain four long drives of 75, 82, 84 and 60 yards with timely passing and some scrambles by quarterback Clayton Thorson.

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But the Buckeyes are clearly bending but not breaking. That's reflected in just 13 touchdowns allowed in eight games.

This week, the Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) face a mobile quarterback that provides an added concern. Nebraska's Tommy Armstrong Jr. has rushed for 380 yards and six touchdowns in addition to passing for 1,764 yards and 11 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Running back Terrell Newby has rushed for 588 yards on 120 carries.

The Buckeyes opened as a 16 1/2-point favorite over the Cornhuskers (7-1, 4-1) in Saturday night's clash (8 p.m. ET, ABC), but that doesn't mean much lately. Ohio State was a 26-point favorite against Northwestern and eked out a four-point win.

"Very good team," Meyer said of Nebraska. "Really impressed with our conference, with the quality of play, players and teams we're playing, and these guys are really good."

Saturday's victory was the 161st of Meyer's career, setting a record for most wins by a coach in his first 15 seasons. He surpassed Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, who had 160. Meyer's 161-28 record gives him the highest winning percentage (.852) of any active FBS coach with 10 or more years of experience.

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Meyer is now a remarkable 57-5 in five seasons with the Buckeyes. He's hoping to add another win on Saturday.

The two teams are in a dogfight in their respective Big Ten divisions. Ohio State is tied with Penn State a game behind Michigan in the East and Nebraska has a one-game lead in the West over four teams.

NOTES, QUOTES

PLAYERS TO WATCH

--QB J.T. Barrett -- For the first time in his career, the redshirt junior didn't account for a rushing or passing touchdown in Saturday's 24-20 win over Northwestern. Still, Barrett made plenty of big plays to secure the victory. Two of the biggest were on the Buckeyes' final drive that killed the clocked and keep the Wildcats' offense from getting a final possession. Barrett completed a 16-yard pass to WR Noah Brown and took off for a 35-yard run on two third down plays. Barrett's final numbers -- 21-of-32 passing for 223 yards and an additional 71 yards rushing -- were pedestrian by his standards but enough to help Ohio State rebound from its loss at Penn State the previous week.

--S Malik Hooker -- The first-year starter began the season with a flash, intercepting four passes while playing a center fielder role. Now he's also providing plenty of run support. In Saturday's 24-20 win over Northwestern, Hooker led Ohio State with career-high 14 tackles and was in on one tackle for loss. That boosted his season total to 50 tackles, one behind LB Raekwon McMillan for the team lead. Hooker is a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award honoring the nation's top defensive back.

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--H-back Curtis Samuel -- The junior might be the Buckeyes' most interesting man. Seemingly after every game, coach Urban Meyer fields questions about Samuel's perceived lack of touches. Meyer is usually honest and says he wants to find ways to get the ball in Samuel's hands. But he was pleased after Saturday's win over Northwestern with Samuel's overall production: team-best seven catches for 68 yards and seven rushes for 33 yards, including a touchdown. Samuel is the Buckeyes' second leading rusher (558 on 71 carries, 7.9-yard average) and No. 2 in the Big Ten with 44 receptions for 539 yards and three touchdowns.

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