Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Ohio State Buckeyes Match Player Stats On Nov 05, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Nov 6, 2016

J.T. Barrett threw for 290 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 6 Ohio State to a convincing 62-3 rout of No. 10 Nebraska on Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio.

The Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) completely dominated the Cornhuskers (7-2, 4-2), who came into the game leading the Big Ten West Division.

Barrett completed 26 of 38 passes against a Nebraska defense that couldn't stop Ohio State. Two of the touchdown passes went to H-back Curtis Samuel, who finished with eight receptions for 137 yards and also rushed for 41 yards on five carries.

The Buckeyes had four receivers with four or more catches, and Mike Weber rushed for 72 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown as Ohio State outgained Nebraska 590-204 in total yards.

There was a scary moment in the first half when Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong suffered an upper-body injury. Armstrong lay motionless on the sideline for several minutes and was briefly unconscious after he was hit near the sideline by Ohio State safety Malik Hooker with 6:06 remaining before halftime on an 11-yard gain.

The senior was attended to by medical personnel on the sideline while the Ohio Stadium crowd watched in stunned silence. He was taken on a stretcher into a waiting ambulance to be transported to a local hospital for evaluation but returned to Ohio Stadium in street clothes to cheers from the crowd in the second half.

Barrett's 1-yard jump pass to Samuel at the end of the half capped an impressive first 30 minutes for the Buckeyes, who led 31-3 at intermission after scoring on all four offensive possessions.

Samuel and Barrett struck again at the start of the third quarter with a 75-yard touchdown hookup that extended the lead to 38-3. It continued to be all Buckeyes with Barrett firing another touchdown pass and Hooker scoring on a 48-yard interception return, Ohio State's second pick-six of the game.

Barrett threw two touchdown passes in the first half and was 14 of 24 for 123 yards. His other first-half touchdown pass was a 7-yarder to Terry McLaurin in the first quarter.

A disastrous start for Nebraska resulted in a pick-six by defensive back Damon Webb that gave Ohio State a 7-0 lead 1:34 into the game. Linebacker Raekwon McMillan tipped Armstrong's pass and Webb avoided a couple tackles on the way to the end zone.

Armstrong showed veteran leadership when he came back after the interception and led Nebraska on a 15-play, 72-yard drive that ended with a 20-yard field goal by Drew Brown. The Cornhuskers had to settle for the field goal after having a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line.

After McLaurin's touchdown catch, Weber scored on a 23-yard run to boost the Buckeyes' lead to 21-3. Tyler Durbin kicked a 28-yard field goal with 8:22 left in the second quarter and Barrett ended the half with the touchdown pass to Samuel.

NOTES: Ohio State's defense had only one sack in each of the previouis two games. ... Nebraska and Ohio State hadn't met since 2012, but they will play each of the next four years under the Big Ten's nine-game conference schedule format implemented this season. ... Ohio State wore throwback jerseys to honor the 100th anniversary of the 1916 team led by legendary Chic Harley. ... WR Jordan Westerkamp is ranked third in career catches in Nebraska history. ... Ohio State has the third-most wins in college football history and Nebraska is fourth. ... Ohio State H-back Curtis Samuel is the only player in FBS with 500 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving.