Ohio State had it all working against Nebraska but can’t slow down now

Receivers Noah Brown, Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin and K.J. Hill made it, too, along with tight ends Marcus Baugh and A.J. Alexander.

Then there were all five starters on an offensive line – tackles Jamarco Jones and Isaiah Prince, guards Michael Jordan and Billy Price and center Pat Elflein – who, like the wideouts, have been the subject of much handwringing since the offense’s production started going south the second weekend of October.

“It’s just you get what you emphasize and a lot of emphasis on pass protection,” coach Urban Meyer said of the line. “Their pass pro Saturday was outstanding. And so just a lot of emphasis on that right now.”

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Ohio State allowed zero sacks, a figure Barrett helped maintain by scrambling when he needed to.

He spread the ball around and responded well to a game plan that was heavy on passes (38 attempted).

So did many of his targets, who frequently worked open against Nebraska’s zone coverages but also were able to exploit the Cornhuskers when they had one-on-one opportunities.

Neither Meyer nor Barrett sounded like any magical formula had been found even if they were relieved to be asked positive questions about the passing game instead of yet more breakdowns.

“Just young players and not much experience and they’re coming into their own a little bit,” Meyer said of the receivers. “I thought they played fantastic. I thought they blocked well on the screen passes, and that was their best game by far. So how and why, if we had the answer, we’d wrap this up here in a couple minutes and say just go do it.”

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How sustainable is the success Ohio State found?

Only time will tell, but the Huskers once-proud “Blackshirts” defense shaped up well on paper for Ohio State to exploit.

Per Football Outsiders advanced stats, Nebraska's defensive line has been about average overall but not presented much of a pass rush all season.

Ohio State’s next opponent, Maryland, has one of the worst fronts in the country overall per FO, but the Terrapins have rushed the passer well on passing downs.

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Michigan State, the team the Buckeyes will face Nov. 19, is nearly the opposite: The Spartans’ pass rush has been nearly non-existent, but the line is solid overall.

Neither the Terps nor the Spartans have much to hang their hat on overall as a defense (ranking average or below in pretty much every category), but Michigan is another story.

Ohio State’s season-ending opponent has the No. 1-rated defense overall per traditional and advanced stats. The Wolverines defensive line leads the country in multiple Football Outsiders categories, including pass rush.

Michigan’s only weakness on paper? Giving up big plays.

That’s not great news for the Buckeyes, though, as generating explosive gains has been one of their largest issues on offense.

Sounds like something else for Meyer, Barrett, et al to emphasize over the next two weeks.