Will Howard tosses 3 TDs as No. 4 Ohio State tops Nebraska
Will Howard had three touchdown passes, including a late go-ahead score, as No. 4 Ohio State rallied to defeat Nebraska 21-17 in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday.
Howard’s 9-yard pass to Quinshon Judkins with 6:04 to play gave the Buckeyes (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) the lead after the offense had stalled in the third quarter with 23 total yards and no first downs.
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Jordan Hancock sealed the win with an interception at the OSU 45 with 1:16 left.
Nebraska (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten) had gone ahead 17-14 with 10:47 remaining on a 1-yard run by Dante Dowdell and a two-point conversion catch by Nate Boerkircher.
The Cornhuskers went 74 yards in nine plays for their first fourth-quarter lead against a top-5 team since playing Texas in 2009.
Despite a perfect half of throwing by Howard, the Buckeyes held just a 14-6 lead after Nebraska’s John Hohl hit a 54-yard field goal as time expired.
Hohl also made a 39-yard field goal early in the second quarter to make it 7-3. He entered the game 1 for 5 with a long of 21 yards this season.
Howard went 9 for 9 for 167 yards, two touchdowns and a 329.2 quarterback rating in the first half.
He opened the scoring with a 40-yard strike to Carnell Tate on a post pattern to complete a 91-yard drive with 29 seconds left in the first quarter.
After Hohl’s first field goal, Howard led the Buckeyes to a 14-3 lead on the next possession when he connected with Jeremiah Smith for a 60-yard score.
Howard’s first pass of the third quarter went for 5 yards before he threw an incompletion to Smith at the right sideline.
Hohl then cut the deficit to 14-9 with a 47-yarder.
Each team was coming off a disheartening defeat. The Cornhuskers were routed 56-7 at Indiana; Ohio State lost at current No. 1 Oregon 32-31 on Oct. 12.
On Nov. 2, the Buckeyes play at No. 3 Penn State while Nebraska hosts UCLA looking for a win to be bowl eligible.
