Ohio State Online

Starting quarterback Dan Persa was on the sideline in the second half because of a bum shoulder, and Northwestern’s maligned defense was doing all it could to hold off Nebraska.

Surely, most fans wearing scarlet and cream at Memorial Stadium were thinking it was just a matter of time before the Cornhuskers (No. 10 BCS, No. 9 AP) took control of this game.

The Wildcats wouldn’t let it happen, hanging on to upset Nebraska 28-25 for their first win over a top-10 opponent in two years.

“A great program win for us,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “To come on the road and put together our most complete game of the year. … Not perfect. Not a work of art. There are some things we can correct.”

The critiques can wait, though. There was much to celebrate after this one.

Second-string quarterback Kain Colter ran for two touchdowns and passed for another as Persa cheered him on from the sideline.

Just as important, a defense that had been allowing 32 points and 432 yards a game held up its end.

“We got beat. It’s that plain and simple,” Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. “They outplayed us, they outcoached us. What are you going to say? They won the football game. They deserve it. I give Northwestern a lot of credit. We didn’t respond.”

The loss to the 17-point underdog Wildcats (4-5, 2-4) dropped Nebraska (7-2, 3-2) into a second-place tie with Iowa and Michigan in the Big Ten’s Legends Division. Michigan State moved into sole possession of first place with its win over Minnesota.

The win was Northwestern’s first over a top-10 team since a 17-10 road victory over then-No. 8 Iowa on Nov. 7, 2009.

Persa injured his left shoulder in the second quarter when he was slammed to the ground by defensive end Eric Martin. Persa tried to play a couple more series, but he was on the sideline with his left arm in a sling after halftime.

Colter, who typically shares playing time with Persa at quarterback, took all but four snaps in the second half. He ran for 58 yards and completed four of six passes for 115 yards. Third-string quarterback Trevor Siemian came in and went 3 of 4 for 67 yards.

“I feel like we could really go into this game and make a statement,” Colter said. “We had a great week of practice, came into the game with a great game plan and a lot of focus. We just went out there and executed. We really wanted this game.”

Jeremy Ebert caught six passes for a career-high 147 yards and went over the 2,000-yard mark for his career on an 81-yard touchdown play that put the Wildcats up 21-10 early in the fourth quarter.

After the Huskers had pulled to 21-18, Colter scored from the 1 with 1:34 left to finish a 13-play, 66-yard drive that chewed more than 7 minutes off the clock.

On Saturday, Nebraska became the third ranked team in as many weeks to lose at home to an unranked opponent.

“I give it up to our O-line,” Ebert said. “We dominated the line of scrimmage. That final drive, for us to score, that was all them.”

Nebraska, missing Jared Crick and two other defensive linemen because of injury, couldn’t stop the running of Colter, Jacob Schmidt and Treyvon Green on Northwestern’s last touchdown drive.

“We’re thin up front,” Pelini said. “They were just getting the push. It looked like we’d have them stopped for no gain and it’d leak for 3 or 4 yards.”

Colter converted a fourth-and-1 with a 4-yard run around right end to the Nebraska 14, and five plays later the Wildcats were in the end zone.

Persa, who was 9 of 14 for 79 yards in the first half, slapped Christian Jones on the helmet, high-fived Drake Dunsmore and gave a quick hug to Colter as they came off the field.

Taylor Martinez, who passed for 289 yards and two scores, hurriedly moved Nebraska down the field. He hit Kenny Bell for a 14-yard touchdown with 18 seconds to play, but Charles Brown recovered the onside kick and Northwestern ran out the clock.

Nebraska finished with a season-low 122 yards on 35 carries, the third time this season it did not rush for at least 200 yards.

The Wildcats bottled up Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead and forced two costly turnovers in the first half.

Burkhead, who had 100-yard outings in five of his last six games, was limited to 69 yards on 22 carries.

Burkhead fumbled for the first time this season after the Huskers had driven to the Northwestern 5. Jack DiNardo reached in and stripped the ball, and Tyler Scott recovered.

Northwestern went nowhere after the turnover and punted into the wind, setting Nebraska up just inside the 50. But Quincy Enunwa got hit hard by Jeravin Matthews after catching a 25-yard pass, and Ibraheim Campbell recovered for the Wildcats.

“We had a lot of passion in practice and that really got spread around,” defensive end Quentin Williams said. “Really, the defense and the whole team collectively really put our foot down and said enough is enough. We really needed to come out here and play a complete game, defense especially.”

Northwestern kept alive its hopes of being bowl eligible for a fifth straight year. The Wildcats have no more road games and finish with Rice, Minnesota and Michigan State.

“I said it after last week, that if we wanted to make this season special we had to make it a November to remember,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re two steps up the mountain. But this one will go for naught if we’re not humble.”

Found at the Dispatch:

The first clue that yesterday’s game against Indiana wouldn’t be the expected cakewalk came when Ohio State booted the opening kickoff out of bounds.

Then Indiana drove for a field goal.

Then Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller fumbled when hit in the pocket, and the Hoosiers took advantage for a touchdown.

And the murmurings throughout Ohio Stadium began. After saving their season with last week’s dramatic victory over Wisconsin, the Buckeyes couldn’t really blow it against the Hoosiers, could they?

But thanks to some big plays on offense and a big interception on defense, Ohio State escaped with a 34-20 victory to keep their Big Ten Leaders Division hopes alive.

All week, coach Luke Fickell preached about avoiding a letdown against the Hoosiers (1-9, 0-6), a four-touchdown underdog.

“Even before Saturday, I thought the key was for us to come out with some poise after a big game, some energy,” Fickell said. “And I’m not sure that obviously showed to start with. Maybe our youth showed up a little bit in that.”

The Hoosiers are even younger than the Buckeyes (6-3, 3-2), but they played with pluck and more consistently executed their game plan.

Ohio State’s offense was mostly feast or famine against an Indiana defense that had surrendered an average of 51 points in its past four games. Realizing they’d be overmatched if they tried to play it straight, the Hoosiers used an assortment of blitzes and stunts. Most of the time, it worked. But often enough for Ohio State, it backfired.

“Sometimes that’s the way it is when people are bringing a lot of people in the box and bringing people from the edges,” Ohio State offensive coordinator Jim Bollman said. “If you split some things up the middle, there aren’t many people left to make the tackle.”

Ohio State gained 401 yards, with 267 coming on six plays. On their other 45 snaps, the Buckeyes gained only 134 yards.

But the big plays sufficed. Miller scored Ohio State’s first touchdown on an 81-yard run, the longest ever by a Buckeyes quarterback. Daniel Herron had runs of 48 and 40 yards, and Carlos Hyde had a 47-yarder to set up the clinching score.

Herron (141 yards), Miller (105) and Hyde (105) gave the Buckeyes three 100-yard rushers for the first time since 1989. That helped overcome a passing game that was mostly ineffective again. Miller threw for only 55 yards.

Miller and Indiana counterpart Tre Roberson were believed to be the first two true freshmen quarterbacks to meet in a Big Ten game since 1988.

Though he didn’t have the dazzling runs Miller had, Roberson made play after play to keep the Hoosiers in the game. Indiana converted 10 of 17 third downs. Roberson threw for seven first downs and ran for two more.

“It’s tough when an offense has a dual-threat quarterback like they have because it kind of gives them an extra man, so to speak,” defensive back Tyler Moeller said. “We didn’t do a very good job with the quarterback. We talked about third down being the money down, and we have to get off the field (on those). We just didn’t do that today.”

The biggest breakdown came when Roberson threw 34 yards to an open Kofi Hughes between C.J. Barnett and Bradley Roby for a touchdown to tie the score at 20 with 6:56 left in the third quarter.

Ohio State answered with its longest drive of the game — 80 yards in 13 plays — to take the lead for good. The last 20 yards came on a Miller quarterback draw on third-and-goal after one of Indiana’s six sacks. Miller found room up the middle, then juked strong safety Mark Murphy into grasping at air as he coasted into the end zone.

“I’d gotten sacked and was kind of upset,” Miller said. “I had to score after that one.”

Indiana then missed a 40-yard field goal attempt after two false-start penalties but got another shot with six minutes left. The Hoosiers moved the ball to the Buckeyes’ 44-yard line. Roberson then made his only major mistake by forcing a throw into coverage.

“I locked eyes with the receiver and the quarterback,” Ohio State cornerback Travis Howard said, “and I was just sitting there like, ‘He’s not about to throw this pass.’ ”

Yes, he was. Howard intercepted the pass and returned it 14 yards. Hyde then broke his 47-yard run and scored from the 2 to provide Ohio State some cushion, finally.

“What matters is the win,” Moeller said, “but the overall play, we’re not happy with. We can’t play like that again, or we won’t get the win.”