SATURDAY’S GAME
Nebraska at Ohio State, 8 p.m., ABC, 1410
Thousands of Ohio State Buckeyes fans throughout Ohio Stadium turned on the flashes on their phones in the third quarter Saturday. They waved them in the air during a break in the action against Northwestern.
Linebacker Raekwon McMillan noticed the light show and appreciated it. The No. 6 Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1) needed all the help they could get to escape with a 24-20 victory. They will need more of the same for their first prime-time game at home this season against No. 10 Nebraska (7-1, 4-1) at 8 p.m. Saturday.
The Buckeyes have already played three prime-time games on the road, beating Oklahoma 45-24 and Wisconsin 30-23 in overtime and losing 24-21 to Penn State.
“You talk about all the road games we’ve had at night,” McMillan said Monday. “I don’t really know any other team in the nation that has done that. We’d love to be 3-0, but to come out 2-1 is very impressive for a young team. Being back in the Shoe, last week was a little glimpse and taste of it. We came out at 3:30 and our crowd was amped up and ready for the game. Hopefully, they can do the same thing this week against Nebraska.”
McMillan is one of many defensive players who waves his arm in the air at key moments to urge the crowd to get loud.
“It’s usually third down,” he said. “You’re trying to get them off the field. You feel the energy for the crowd, and you want to make the play. When you do make the play, you hear the roar of the stadium.”
McMillan has heard that roar many times. He led the Buckeyes with 119 tackles last season, the highest total by a sophomore since Steve Tovar had 125 in 1990. He has 51 tackles this season but hasn’t made as much noise as players like safety Malik Hooker, who has four interceptions, or fellow linebacker Jerome Baker, who returned an interception for a touchdown against Oklahoma.
McMillan hasn’t recorded a sack or come up with a turnover, but he was one of 12 players named as a semifinalist for the Butkus Award. Baker was another. The award goes to the nation’s best linebacker.
“If I ask you all,” McMillan told the media, “I’m playing the worst season in the world. I’m more happy for Jerome. I could really care less if I was named to the list. It just goes to show how coach (Luke Fickell) has coached us and how this program has done a good job of broadcasting us and giving us a chance to be great.”
McMillan hasn’t been bothered by his lack of big plays.
“It’s just the game of football,” he said. “You’ve got to find your ins and outs, make your plays when you can make them, just hustle to the ball, whether it’s 40 yards down the field or whether you’re about to make a (tackle for a loss) in the backfield.”
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