Each Sunday, Scarlet and Gray Report will release a position-by-position grade card for Ohio State from Saturday's game. Here's how the No. 5 Buckeyes fared after their Week 9, 26-17 win against Nebraska.

Quarterback: While C.J. Stroud's completion percentage was better than it was against Penn State, throwing for his third career 400-yard game with two touchdowns, the redshirt freshman quarterback looked like a freshman against Nebraska at points. Without much help from the running game, Stroud had to force throws into tight windows, leading to four pass breakups and his first two interceptions since Week 3 against Tulsa, nearly losing the ball again on a fumble in the fourth quarter that his center Luke Wypler fell on top of. Stroud said after the game that he had to take control of the Ohio State offense. And with that pressure, a pressure that he had in each of the first three games of the season and last week against Penn State, Stroud's success faltered. GRADE: C

Running backs: With TreVeyon Henderson taking the lead role, recording 21 of Ohio State's 30 rushes, the Buckeyes' run game could not muster any sort of consistency. Ohio State recorded less than 100 yards in a game for the first time since its Oct. 20, 2018 loss to Purdue, recording 91 total yards and averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Henderson did not score a touchdown in a game for the Buckeyes for the first time in his college career, mustering 92 yards on 21 carries. The freshman running back's final two rushes against Nebraska were his only two for longer than 10 yards, while he added three carries of negative yardage, The lack of success from the running back room — continued adversity from the Penn State game — force Ohio State's offense to be one dimensional, hurting the Buckeyes overall. Henderson also brought in 44 yards on six catches in the pass game GRADE: C+

Wide receivers: Jaxon Smith-Njigba was special for Ohio State Saturday afternoon. He broke David Boston's 24-year-old school record for most receptions by a receiver in a single game with 15, became one of five receivers in Ohio State history to record more than 200 receiving yards in a single game with 240 and brought in one of Stroud's two touchdown passes: a seven-yard curl that turned into a 75-yard touchdown, in which Chris Olave helped with a key block on the outside. Outside of Smith-Njigba, there was not a lot of consistency for the receiving corps. Olave brought in seven of his 12 targets for 61 yards and a touchdown, while Marvin Harrison Jr. and Julian Fleming — who started in place of the injured Garrett Wilson — brought in four catches combined for 47 yards on 12 targets. GRADE: A-

Tight ends: After bring a major part of the passing game over the last two weeks against Indiana and Penn State, Jeremy Ruckert and the tight ends were really nowhere to be found. The senior brought in three receptions for 12 yards on five targets, while Mitch Rossi brought in one catch for no gain on a tight end screen. With the amount of struggle Ohio State had in the run game, the Buckeyes really had a forgettable game from their tight ends. GRADE: C

Offensive line: Ohio State did not have any penalties on the offensive line against Nebraska, improving from the multiple false starts and snap infractions it had against the Nittany Lions. But there was really no consistency from the unit. From the start of the game, with Dawand Jones out of the starting lineup, moving Thayer Munford back to tackle and Matthew Jones in at guard, Ohio State was out of sync, even when Dawand Jones entered back into the game in the third series. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said Ohio State was moving guys around on the line "out of necessity" against Nebraska, leading toward an average of three yards per rush for the Ohio State run game, five tackles-for-loss, two sacks and four quarterback hits for the Nebraska defense. GRADE: C

Defensive line: Ohio State's defensive line continued to be the stable part of the Buckeyes' defensive operation, providing consistent pressure in and around the Nebraska backfield. Ohio State limited the Cornhuskers to 3.3 yards per carry — including 2.8 yards per carry by Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez — while recorded four of Ohio State's five sacks and two of their quarterback hits. Tyreke Smith added a pass breakup at the line of scrimmage, while Zach Harrison added a forced fumble on a blind-side sack. This is a group that's hitting its stride and will be vital moving forward. GRADE: A

Linebackers: Where Teradja Mitchell is best used is rushing the quarterback. Early on in the game, there were back-to-back series in which the linebacker put pressure on Martinez in the backfield, ending the series with a half a tackle-for-loss split with defensive tackle Taron Vincent and a quarterback hit. Tommy Eichenberg also showed off his ability to rush, recording two tackles-for-loss: a two-yard loss on a Martinez rush and a two-yard loss on a rush by Rahmir Johnson. Cody Simon led the defense with eight tackles, while Steele Chambers, in one half, recorded six tackles and an interception to seal the win in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Playing for Chambers in the first half, Palaie Gaoteote IV recorded four tackles, but struggled in the middle of the field, allowing, with safety Bryson Shaw, a 26-yard completion to Nebraska tight end Austin Allen. Overall, a much better performance against Nebraska than it was against Penn State. GRADE: A-

Secondary: While the secondary had some moments of success, Nebraska beat Ohio State where it is most vulnerable: the inside. Slot receiver Samori Toure, facing players like safety Lathan Ransom or safety Bryson Shaw, feasted for 150 yards and a touchdown on four catches. Other than that, the secondary kept the Cornhuskers passing game at bay, recording a sack by safety Ronnie Hickman, who also added seven tackles, and three pass breakups, including a beautiful one by freshman defensive back Denzel Burke in man coverage against Omar Manning. GRADE: B-

Special Teams: Noah Ruggles needed to be perfect again against the Cornhuskers, and he obliged, hitting four field goals from 26, 46, 35 and 46 yards out to help Ohio State earn a nine-point victory. Punter Jesse Mirco also added four punts for 152 yards, one of which traveled over 50 yards and two of which landed inside the 20-yard line. Ohio State averaged eight yards per punt return, while Emeka Egbuka returned one kick for 24 yards. GRADE: A

Coaching: Ohio State's offense was out of whack, with a balance that was out of whack, attempting 54 passes compared to 30 rushes, not attempting back-to-back rushes until the beginning of the second quarter — the Buckeyes' first scoring drive. Red zone struggles continued, leading to 14 points scored off the foot of the kicker compared to 12 from the Ohio State offense. This is on Day to get fixed. Also, time management became a factor late in the second quarter, not able to convert from their own 41 with 35 seconds left in the half and two timeouts. The defensive coaching was solid, keeping Nebraska at bay for the most past other than the two massive pass plays from Martinez to Toure. GRADE: C

Final Overall Grade: B-