Buckeyes dominate Nebraska

J.T. Barrett passed for five touchdowns and ran for two others, and ninth-ranked Ohio State scored on its first eight possessions on its way to a 56-14 victory over Nebraska on Oct. 14.

The Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) continued their dominant surge since their loss to Oklahoma last month, tying their school record with a fourth straight game of scoring 50-plus points, and now get a week off before their East Division showdown with thirdranked Penn State.

They rolled up 633 total yards and had 41 first downs while scoring the most points by a Nebraska conference opponent in Lincoln and most overall since Minnesota won 61-7 in 1945 when the Huskers were in the Big Six.

Barrett was 27 of 33 for a season-high 325 yards and rushed 10 times for 48 yards before giving way to backup Dwayne Haskins on the second series of the fourth quarter.

J.K. Dobbins ran for 106 yards on 12 carries, Mike Weber had 82 yards on 18 carries, and K.J. Hill caught seven balls for 80 yards and two touchdowns.

It was Ohio State’s second straight lopsided win over the Huskers. The Buckeyes won 62-3 in Columbus last year.

For Nebraska (3-4, 2-2), this beat-down followed a 21-point home loss to Wisconsin and turned up the heat on third-year coach Mike Riley another notch or two or three.

Ohio State went into the game as a 24-point favorite — Nebraska hadn’t been a bigger underdog at home since 1957 — and was up 35-0 at halftime on a blustery evening. A trickle of fans headed for the exits when it was 210, and many more were gone by the start of the second half in what undoubtedly was a referendum on Riley and his staff. The stadium was less than a quarter full early in the fourth quarter.

When the Huskers picked up their second first down of the game late in the second quarter, fans gave them a sarcastic cheer and many let go of their red balloons.

Those balloons traditionally are launched when Nebraska scores its first touchdown.