QUARTERBACKS
C.J. Stroud has 2,270 yards and 23 touchdown passes with three interceptions for No. 6 Ohio State (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten).
Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez is a four-year starter. Martinez (2,268 yards, 12 touchdowns, 7 interceptions) is also a running threat with 438 yards and 11 touchdowns. He threw four interceptions in a 28-23 loss to Purdue last week.
Advantage: Ohio State
RUNNING BACKS
Ohio State’s 161 yards rushing against Penn State looks solid until a 68-yard run and a 22-yard run by TreVeyon Henderson are taken away. The Buckeyes averaged 2.2 yards per carry on their other 32 rushing plays and will be looking to improve this week.
Rahmir Johnson, who didn’t become the No. 1 back until Nebraska’s fourth game, leads the Cornhuskers’ running backs with 433 yards.
Advantage: Ohio State
RECEIVERS
OSU’s top three wide receivers — Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba — have 43, 35 and 35 catches. Penn State is the only other Big Ten team with more than one wide receiver with 35 or more catches.
Samori Toure, a former FCS All-American at the University of Montana, is the top pass catcher for Nebraska (3-6, 1-5 Big Ten). He has 28 catches for 566 yards and three touchdowns. Omar Manning has 22 catches for 304 yards and tight end Austin Allen has 27 catches for 371 yards.
Advantage: Ohio State
OFFENSIVE LINE
Ohio State’s offensive line played its worst game in a long time last week in a 33-24 win over Penn State. It struggled to create space in the running game, was slow to adjust to what Penn State’s defense was doing and made quite a few mistakes, including six false start penalties.
Teddy Prochazka, a 4-star recruit, was Nebraska’s starting left tackle as a freshman before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Left guard Nouredin Nouilli is a former exchange student from Germany who played only one year of high school football.
Advantage: Ohio State
DEFENSIVE LINE
Ohio State’s defensive line had three of the Buckeyes’ four sacks against Penn State but that group’s biggest play might have been when it put enough pressure on the Nittany Lions’ quarterback, Sean Clifford, to make him throw a hurried pass that Cam Brown intercepted when OSU’s lead was only three points in the fourth quarter.
Defensive tackle Ben Stille, who has started 17 games in a row, is Nebraska’s leader at this position. The Cornhuskers rank 20th nationally in fewest points allowed (20.3) and 49th nationally in rushing yards allowed (137.2).
Advantage: Ohio State
LINEBACKERS
Ohio State will be without one of its best linebackers for the first half this week because of a targeting call against Steele Chambers last week.
Nebraska’s inside linebackers Luke Reimers and Nick Henrich lead the team in tackles with 86 and 79. Outside linebacker Garrett Nelson has 9.5 tackles for losses and three sacks.
Advantage: Nebraska
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Hybrid safety/linebacker Ronnie Hickman raised his team-leading tackles total to 67 with 14 of them against Penn State.
Nebraska nickel back JoJo Dorman has 62 tackles and safety Deontai Williams has four interceptions.
Advantage: Ohio State
SPECIAL TEAMS
Graduate transfer Noah Ruggles is 11 of 11 on field goals for OSU.
Nebraska kicker Connor Culp was first-team All-Big Ten last season but is only 6 of 12 on field goals this year.
Advantage: Ohio State
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