Despite struggling on both sides of the field for most of the game, Ohio State eeked out a 21-17 win over Nebraska to improve to 6-1 on the season, overcoming a 17-14 fourth-quarter deficit to come away with the four-point victory. Here are BSB’s picks for players worthy of receiving Buckeye Leaves for the win.
Patrick Engels:
There wasn’t much to cheer about throughout the game on either side for Ohio State, but one of the few bright spots for the Buckeyes in their game against Nebraska was the suburb play of Caleb Downs, who continues to showcase his All-American potential with each passing game.
Downs was all over the field for the Buckeyes against the Cornhuskers, and was especially impactful near the line of scrimmage. He was often used in some key blitz packages for Ohio State on third down and made his presence felt on just about every rush, including a tackle for loss in the second quarter that went for a loss of 3 yards.
But perhaps Downs’ biggest play came in the third quarter on a 14-yard rush by Nebraska running back Dante Dowdell, where he had a key shoestring tackle that prevented the Cornhuskers’ rusher from getting a huge gain and possibly a touchdown.
If not for that tackle, the game may have turned out much differently for the Buckeyes, so I’ll give the Alabama transfer a ton of credit for coming through when it mattered most.
Bobby Gorbett:
The often overlooked Carnell Tate came through for the Buckeyes with a couple of monumental receptions in the 21-17 win. Tate made the most of his four catches to accumulate a team-high 102 yards and a touchdown.
Tate got the Buckeyes on the board late in the first quarter on a double-move that allowed him to spring wide open for a 40-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Will Howard.
Tate also sprung the Buckeyes’ go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, leading off the drive with a 37-yard reception from Howard, putting the offense into Nebraska territory.
Tate’s touchdown reception was only his second of the year, and the 102 yards he recorded in the game was the most he has had in a single game this season.
Greg Wilson:
My Buckeye Leaf goes to Denzel Burke, who was coming off of the toughest game of his career against Oregon on Oct. 12 when he gave up multiple long passes and had struggles making tackles as well.
Early on, it seemed like Dylan Raiola and the Cornhuskers were targeting Burke because of the weaknesses he showed against the Ducks, but he was able to mostly return back to form in the win over Nebraska. He was not only solid in coverage, forcing the Huskers to look for another corner to pick on – which they did with Igbinosun – but he was also able to secure multiple tackles for loss, getting to the ball carrier quickly.
He finished the game with six tackles, and two for loss, proving that he can get back to the player he was before his rough performance.