It had been 301 days since No. Ohio State last played a football game.
Sometimes, it showed in a 52-17 victory over visiting Nebraska in Saturday's belated season-opener at Ohio Stadium.
No, this wasn't the juggernaut some Buckeyes fans might have envisioned when coach Ryan Day said in the spring that he might have a once-in-a-lifetime team.
Ohio State's defense missed tackles and got gashed far more often than it did last season. The Buckeyes' running backs couldn't get untracked for most of the game.
But one part of Ohio State's game didn't look the least bit rusty, and that was more than enough.