The start of the college basketball season is about two weeks away, but the Nebraska and Ohio State football teams are thinking of rebounds.
Both the Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) and the No. 4 Buckeyes (5-1, 2-1) are coming off disheartening losses going into their Saturday conference matchup in Columbus, Ohio.
Nebraska was feeling good heading into a game at Indiana last weekend but absorbed a humbling 56-7 defeat.
“I think if you have the right team and the right group of men in the room, if anything, 56-7 should snap you back to reality,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said Monday. “We have a great, great test ahead of us, but we’re excited to move forward.
“We just weren’t ready for that moment. We weren’t ready for that game. Even in the pregame, it felt awesome. … I think there’s a challenge sent to the coaches. There’s also a challenge sent to the players. These are grown men.”
The Buckeyes, even after a 32-31 loss at now-No. 1 Oregon on Oct. 12, have a much bigger goal than Nebraska’s.
With the new 12-team playoff system, Ohio State still controls its own destiny but also knows another slip-up might end its chances.
“You look ahead at what we’ve got in the second half of the season, and then right here with Nebraska, you quickly move onto that and realize that there’s a lot of teams across the country taking a loss,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. “So now we’ve got to go play our best football here in the second half of the season.”
Ruhle, who is in his second season with the Cornhuskers, is eager to avoid a repeat of last season’s nightmare finish. Sporting a 5-3 record and needing just one win to reach bowl eligibility, Nebraska lost its final four.
Ruhle trusts that his players will put the Indiana game in the rearview mirror with the Buckeyes looming.
“I do think, if I’m going to be completely honest, my battle since I’ve been here has been the, ‘Here we go again,’ which predates us,” he said. “So, this is a great opportunity for our guys. It’s like a gut check to say, ‘Hey, if every time we’re down, we’re going to talk about our confidence,’ then we better start handing out participation trophies.”
The Buckeyes were torched for 496 total yards by Oregon, and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has been criticized by the likes of former Alabama coach Nick Saban for not pressuring Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who was 23 of 34 for 341 yards and two touchdowns without being sacked.
“I’m not happy with anything right now, but certainly we want to get more pressure on the quarterback. There’s no question,” Day said. “It’s the coach’s job to make sure that we put our players in a situation and environment to be successful. So that’s the first thing we’ve got to look at. And then it’s the players’ job to go do it and execute it.”
Ohio State will face another slinger in Nebraska freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who is no stranger to the Buckeyes. He committed to Ohio State in May 2022 but decommitted seven months later and settling on Georgia in May 2023. However, he switched his commitment again and signed with Nebraska in December.
Raiola was 28 of 44 for only 234 yards and three interceptions against Indiana, giving him nine touchdown passes and six picks on the season.
“I think he’s got an opportunity to be a great player,” Day said. “I think he’s already playing at a high level and he’s got a lot of talent, got a great family.”
