COLUMBUS, Ohio - Going on the road to play under the lights against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the prelims are now over for Ryan Day and Ohio State. The Buckeyes’ second conference matchup cracks their schedule wide open after an opening slate that, while providing an impressive showing for every aspect of Ohio State’s team, did not provide an opportunity to show how this team will be able to handle adversity.

Day said during his Tuesday media availability that Nebraska will be the best team the Buckeyes have faced this season and that dual-threat quarterback Adrian Martinez will be the best passer they’ve faced so far. The same things have been said leading into Cincinnati and Indiana, but the results in those games (a combined score of 93-10) showed that not to be the case.

Despite early games not inviting the challenge and adversity that Day and Ohio State expected, he says the coaching staff has been preparing the Buckeyes all season for that adversity they will presumably face for the first time this season against the Cornhuskers.

“Keep talking to them about it. Just keep talking to them about what it's going to take. We did going into the Indiana game. It didn't come out that way. So we'll just keep talking to the guys about that and making sure that they realize that,” Day said. “I think the older guys who have been through it before do respect that and understand that. I think the younger guys, they have to learn a little bit how that's going to be.”

The four blowouts have led to the starters rarely staying in past the third quarter, so for the young guys and Justin Fields who only had limited time as a backup last season, this will be the first time many of these players have been on the field for 60 minutes.

Day says it’s a unique scenario that his team hasn’t had to play a full game yet, but preparing them for a full four quarters will be a focus this week.

“It's something that we're going to talk to the guys about is that we have to be able to play 60 minutes and prove that we can play 60 minutes. That has not happened,” Day said. “The good news is we've been picking up some depth and we've been building depth in these four games and guys have played so that we feel a little better about putting guys in the game when we need to and we can roll guys.”

In terms of the opponent providing a challenge, the Nebraska offense will bring athleticism and play making ability to the field that Ohio State hasn’t seen this season. The lauded rushing defense of the Buckeyes, tied for third in the nation on only 1.7 yards per carry allowed, will have to go up against a trio of backs that have led the Cornhuskers to nearly 220 yards on the ground per game.

With four legitimate rushing threats, Day admits that Nebraska offense is a challenging unit to prepare for.

“A big challenge. I think all three of those backs get you in different ways. Wan'Dale [Robinson] is really dynamic. He reminds me of the kid from Purdue. He could be a match-up problem for you if he gets on a linebacker or speed sweeps, things like that. He can do a bunch of different things, a little bit of a hybrid,” Day said. “And the other guys run hard, those two other backs, they run downhill, and they've got some receivers. [JD] Spielman, like you said, is a playmaker. And then Martinez, you have to be able to handle his feet, too. That's the other part of this thing. When you combine that all together with the tempo, it's hard to prepare for.”

Martinez himself provides a matchup challenge for Ohio State who has given up some yards to rushing quarterbacks this season. Martinez has 234 yards on the ground this season and three touchdowns, so not only will the Buckeyes have to contend with his run game, but he is also an accomplished passer with the Cornhuskers. Already accumulating over 1,000 passing yards and accounting for 10 touchdowns, Martinez looks like a much improved passer than he did during last year’s matchup in Ohio Stadium, and Nebraska almost won that game.

Day is familiar with Martinez, though, having recruited him out of high school. Martinez visited Ohio State when Michigan State played at Ohio Stadium in 2017, but the staff never extended an offer to him. Regardless of the decision, Day said that Martinez is skilled as a leader off the field and in his athleticism on the field, and he’ll be a lot to handle for Ohio State’s defense this weekend when they face their first real challenge on the road.

“...in terms of the run game, his ability to extend plays with his feet, you’ve got to get him on the ground, which is not easy. He’s explosive, he’s fast, he’s strong and has good running skills. Makes good decisions,” Day said. “Throwing the ball, he’s really accurate. When you combine that together, the ability to run and throw along with his intelligence and game management, he is by far the best quarterback we’ve seen.”