Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong carted off, said to be OK

Remember when Iowa and Michigan State played in last year’s Big Ten championship game for a berth in the College Football Playoff. But they were just getting warmed up.

“It’s not like I was frustrated”, Barrett said after Ohio State’s 62-3 dismantling of Nebraska on Saturday night.

Nebraska is coming off a 23-17 OT loss last week against Wisconsin to fall to 7-1on the season and 4-1 in the Big Ten.

On offense, the Buckeyes were balanced, and a talented Nebraska secondary was never a problem for J.T. Barrett and the Buckeye passing game. Curtis Samuel has caught 44 passes for 539 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Noah Brown has caught 24 passes for 309 yards and 6 touchdowns for Ohio State. The defense was equally impressive, setting a single-season record for defensive touchdowns during the game. Cameron Johnston, Ohio State’s punter, had yet to trot onto the field. Ohio State linebacker Raekwon McMillan followed Armstrong’s eyes, then deflected the pass to safety Damon Webb, who returned it 36 yards for the record-setting touchdown 94 seconds into the game.

Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong is carted off the field after being injured during the first half of the team’s NCAA college football game against Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes did not punt, and their only turnover came on a muffed punt in the second quarter.

But Nebraska will enter the game with a boost from the likely return of senior tight end Cethan Carter, who Riley expects to take the field.

No. 10 Nebraska tweeted that Armstrong was briefly knocked unconscious but was “moving all extremities and talking while on the field”. Backup quarterback Ryker Fyfe took over Armstrong and went 5 for 18 for 52 yards and an interception. “The offensive line let me distribute the ball in the passing game, and in the running game, they were driving guys off the ball”.

With 16 new starters this season and three weeks of pedestrian performances-relative to the expectations set-the No. 6 Buckeyes found themselves in an odd position against No. 10 Nebraska Saturday night.

The story isn’t as bright for the two-loss Cornhuskers.

When Samuel is stretching defenses like this, Ohio State’s offense is almost impossible to shut down.

Inviting Barrett’s high school coach, Jim Garfield, to every remaining game might not be a bad idea, either.

Why the Cornhuskers make it to Indy: They win at Ohio State to break a 19-year drought in road games against top-10 opponents.

The Huskers come in with a one-game lead in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference, Ohio State is one game back of MI in the East Division.

“(Ohio State) didn’t really do that much different than anybody else that we really played”, Gerry said.

Marcus Lattimore made a few great pass breakups in the early stages of the game, and the D manufactured two picks for TD’s.

Barrett doesn’t have any trouble finding Curtis Samuel, which is more than you can say for the Huskers’ defense.

“We played a good game today”, Samuel said. “And we’re all responsible”.

“I didn’t feel like we played very loose”, Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. Another time I thought the front did a good job, and we bottled up the quarterback pretty good, and he hit the edge on us.

Obviously, we’ve got a scary scene in Columbus right now.

“This team will respond”, Riley said, per Heady.