By MITCH STACY, AP Sports Writer
COLUMBUS (AP) — With five minutes left in the game and Ohio State clinging to a six-point lead, J.K. Dobbins burst through a hole between center and right guard and rumbled untouched 42 yards for a touchdown and some breathing room.
The breakaway by the Buckeyes’ tailback was hugely satisfying for coach Urban Meyer, considering the running game has been absent for the past month, most notably in the inexplicable upset loss to Purdue two weeks ago. He harped on it with his team in the days afterward.
Dobbins ran for a season-high 163 yards and two more touchdowns as No. 8 Ohio State rallied in the second half and then weathered a late Nebraska score to win 36-31 on Saturday.
“It was great to get back to our old ways,” Dobbins said. “We knew what we could do.”
It wasn’t only Ohio State’s running game that showed up again. Its depleted and much-maligned defense — missing three starters in the secondary and prone to giving up big plays — staged a second-half stand.
Down 21-16 at half after the Huskers (2-7, 1-5 Big Ten) turned two Ohio State fumbles into touchdown drives, the Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1, No. 10 CFP) rallied in the second half. They forced five straight punts and held Nebraska to a field-goal when a drive stalled at the 1.
“We had every chance to in the world to win that game,” Nebraska coach Scott Frost said.
After the field goal, Dobbins broke off his run to cap the next series. Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to JD Spielman to pull the Cornhuskers within five with 3 minutes left, but Dobbins pounded away for two first downs to run out the clock.
“The biggest thing is to get that darned bad taste out of your mouth from two weeks ago and win the game,” Meyer said. “It was a close game against a team that was hitting its stride now.”
The win won’t look impressive on paper, so Ohio State is unlikely to gain ground in the polls as the Buckeyes get ready to visit Michigan State on Nov. 10 (Noon/FOX).