Ohio State football did not open the season in championship form Saturday against Nebraska.

Not on defense, where lapses that started on the opening drive kept creeping up throughout the game. Not on offense, where quarterback Justin Fields’ brilliance — and his emerging connection with new-to-the-slot receiver Garrett Wilson — hid an underwhelming rushing performance all around.

The No. 5 Buckeyes won with ease, 52-17. Sevyn Banks’ 55-yard fumble return touchdown late in the third quarter all but sealed the victory for the three-time defending Big Ten champion.

The game was played in a near-empty Ohio Stadium — 1,344 family members, reporters, staffers and other workers in attendance. The coronavirus pandemic that delayed the beginning of the season by seven weeks is, for now, prohibiting fan attendance.

While Ohio State was one of the last national powers to open its season, it was not the first to do so uneasily. The Buckeyes may still achieve a dominant peak this season, but the reach seems farther than it did at the start of 2019.

“The good news is now we have something to work on,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “Now we have to get on the film and get better.”

Fields connected on his first 11 attempts before his first incompletion — a potential touchdown which Chris Olave could not harness in the end zone. Fields developed an early connection with Wilson, who totaled 129 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. Olave added 104 yards on his six grabs, as Fields relied on his veterans for chunk yardage when other aspects of the offense lagged.

That included a mostly stagnant running game. Ohio State’s offensive line, led by All-American guard Wyatt Davis and returning starters Thayer Munford and Josh Myers, could not throw Nebraska’s defensive front around as they did a year ago.
Fields threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns on 20 of 21 passing. The explosive efficiency he demonstrated as a Heisman Trophy finalist last season is not dormant as 2020 begins. He also rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown, and while he may be the most talented runner in the Buckeye backfield, he will soon need help.