Three things to watch when Ohio State plays Nebraska for homecoming
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio State looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it plays Nebraska for homecoming on Saturday. Kickoff is at noon at Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State is coming into the game rested from a bye week and determined to get back to its winning ways. OSU fell to then-No. 3 Oregon 32-31 on Oct. 12 on the road. The Ducks have since risen to No. 1, and the Buckeyes are fourth in the AP poll.
"It was a long week for all of us. A lot of hours in here talking about it. You sit on it. You chew on it and then eventually, you move on and you look forward," coach Ryan Day said.
Here are three things to know ahead of the game.
Buckeyes look to move on but won't forget loss
It wasn't easy for the Buckeyes to put the one-point loss to Oregon in the rearview mirror. Quarterback Will Howard took it harder than most after the way the final drive unfolded, with him sliding to the ground as time expired. But the Kansas State transfer said it's a good thing the defeat came at this point in the season.
"We didn't want to have to learn in this way, but we can't change the past," Howard said. "We gotta bounce back from it and use it for good now. There's no way to go back and change the game. All we gotta do is look forward, run the table, win out and see them again in Indy. That's all we can hope for."
Saturday's game marks the start of six straight to close the regular season. A potential top-five matchup with Penn State looms on the horizon, with No. 13 Indiana and Michigan down the road. If all goes according to plan, Ohio State could see Oregon again in the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis on Dec. 7.
Day emphasizes the need to learn from the loss to Oregon but not dwell on it.
"You realize there's a lot of teams across the country that have taken a loss. So now we gotta go and adjust and play our best football here in the second half of the season," Day said. "You could have as many as ten games from here on out."
Michalski to step up for injured Simmons
Day confirmed that offensive lineman Josh Simmons will be out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury in the loss to Oregon. The senior left tackle had not allowed a sack this season and started every game for the Buckeyes since transferring from San Diego State.
In Simmons' place, Zen Michalski will make his first start after playing primarily on special teams.
"Big loss but got an opportunity for another guy to step up," Day said. "I thought he stepped up and did a nice job in the Oregon game. He's a veteran guy who's played a lot of football here in the program. Not as much in games but goes against really good players every day in practice. I think he was able to go into that game, in a big environment, and build confidence coming out of it."
Celebrating 10 years since the title
This weekend will mark the 112th homecoming at Ohio State. After being honored earlier this season by dotting the "i" with the marching band, two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin returns to be the grand marshal of the parade on Friday as the program continues to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his first Heisman.
The 2014 national championship team, coached by Urban Meyer, will be honored during the game. That year's squad went 14-1, culminating in the first College Football Playoff title with a 42-20 win over Oregon.
Howard, who grew up as a Penn State fan, remembers that team very well.
"When Cardale [Jones] came in as the third string, that was cool. I watched Zeke. Obviously, I was probably rooting against them at the time, but you couldn't deny how good that team was," Howard said. "The fact that we're honoring them, I want to look at that and say, 'This should be us in 10 years.' Coming back and getting honored, that should be something we look at and be like, 'I wanna be able to do that, too.'"