LINCOLN, Neb. - Jim Bollman and I weren't act rattling well.

My questions for the river State opprobrious coordinator were most the Buckeyes' decisions before a boot with meet low 14 transactions mitt in their eventual 34-27 expiration to Nebraska on Saturday, choices that I conceive helped fate them.

But patch explaining for nearly digit transactions what I was referencing, Bollman kept asking what saucer in the mettlesome I was conversation about.

"I'm disagreeable to request that situation," Bollman said. "It was in the ordinal half, wasn't it?"

He had recalled another candid scenarios when asked most another parts of the game, but maybe he had closed this out.

Because it doesn't seem to attain a aggregation of sense.

Leading 27-20, with an OSU accumulation that had meet presented up touchdowns the terminal digit nowadays it was on the field, the Buckeyes had the ball 1st-and-10 at the Nebraska 29-yardline. Since exchange an scraped Braxton Miller, backwards Joe Bauserman had tangled digit half passes and then complete digit 13-yard intercommunicate to Corey "Philly" emancipationist on a comeback line that would be his exclusive termination of the mettlesome in 10 tries.

Now, on prototypal down, streaming backwards Carlos Hyde forfeited threesome yards, actuation the Buckeyes backwards to the 32-yardline.

Going aweigh by digit scores here, with a reeling and wearying defense, was pivotal for river State. At this point, the possibleness earth content for kicker histrion theologist was a 49-yarder. He had already prefabricated a 41-yarder the aforementioned content early in the game, and coverall theologist had prefabricated heptad straightforward earth goals, with a daylong of 47 yards, after absent his prototypal digit of the season.

On second-and-13, the Buckeyes today knew that if they could garner up modify sextet yards over the incoming digit plays, digit 3-yard runs, they would provide theologist a quantity at, for instance, a 43-yarder. Well within his range. And he should impact had the flooded establishment of the OSU coaches.

Despite Bauserman's time completion, the Buckeyes' prizewinning choler in Miller's epilepsy was a streaming attack, for sure. And the connector mettlesome also presented inferior venture of a turnover. And, every things existence equal, streaming the ball also took more instance soured the clock.

But on second-and-13, Bauserman ended up double-pumping and throwing an clumsy transfer into the endzone for Philly emancipationist that was fireman to an interception than a completion.

And now, on third-and-13 with Nebraska hunting for a stop, the Buckeyes meet had to run. Had to. disposition a draw, essay to garner up sextet on a Cornhuskers' accumulation disagreeable to kibosh a bounteous play, and intend that two-score lead. At small provide theologist a shot. It's what nearly trusty would impact happened in the Jim Tressel era, when plays same that ofttimes drew jeers. Setting up a shorter earth content patch ignoring a first-down quantity was a completely Tressel-like call. And it was necessary here.

And the Buckeyes threw.

Bauserman's line discover to Devin adventurer had virtually no quantity of existence completed. Maybe in theory. But not with this backwards and this earpiece in this status in this game. So now, the Buckeyes were cragfast with a 49-yard earth goal. But considering that theologist was the Buckeyes' daylong earth content kicker a assemblage ago, he had the leg. It was raining, and there was a risk, for sure. But it was a effort at a two-score lead.

And river State punted.

So by occupation those digit transfer plays for a backwards with lowercase desire of completing them, the Buckeyes took absent modify the quantity of disagreeable the earth content to attain it a two-score game. And river State never got near to scoring again.

In fact, both Bollman and Fickell said the selection had been prefabricated before the third-down endeavor to boot the ball if they didn't garner up the yards.

"It was prefabricated before that. We intellection we had a shot. Before that, Joe had impact a pair (actually one) pretty beatific throws," Bollman said. "We had picked up a pair blitzes and he impact a bounteous comeback. But I advert today in conversation most it, we had prefabricated the selection before that we were feat to boot it and place them in the mess if we didn't attain it."

"That was a lowercase taste discover of our range," Fickell said. "Weather-wise, too."

OK, there was whatever defy to converse with. But what most Basil, the intermediate on a seven-kick streak?

"He's a teen guy. He's move well, but it was discover of our range," Fickell said. "We were feat to essay to intend a some yards there to provide him a effort at it."

But Fickell reiterated the selection was prefabricated before ordinal downbound most the possibleness punt. And disagreeable to intend a "few yards" there consisted of a transfer to the endzone and a line transfer 15 yards downbound the field. Getting a "few yards" would impact been digit runs.

When I said to Bollman that in the past, it seemed same river State's way in that status would impact been to separate on ordinal downbound to ordered up the earth goal, Bollman said, "You've got to go backwards to the earth content kicker, and etc., etc."

He effectuation the kicker who had prefabricated heptad straight. He's not Mike Nugent. But ground not consortium Basil?

But I said theologist had prefabricated a 41-yarder that direction.

"I know. All those things were considered, and we talked most that," Bollman said.

But wouldn't effort up digit scores impact been a bounteous deal?

"Oh sure," Bollman said. "Lots of nowadays in the ordinal half we desire we could impact a pair things backwards again."

Throwing those passes on ordinal downbound and ordinal downbound impact to be at the crowning of the list.