COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After surviving an encounter a little too close for comfort against Northwestern last week, Ohio State remains at home to face another tough Big Ten opponent when No. 9 Nebraska invades the Horseshoe on Saturday night in a prime-time game.The Cornhuskers suffered their first loss after opening the season with seven straight wins, falling 23-17 in overtime last Saturday at Wisconsin. The Buckeyes also played an overtime game against the Badgers two weeks earlier in Madison but managed to come out on top.Our team actually will be mad, Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. You can be sad or you can be mad, and you can have a chip on your shoulder and know we can be better and we can play hard. Well have to play hard and well to win. Thats the approach I think our team will take.Ohio State was able to bounce back from its first loss of the year to Penn State on Oct. 22 with a solid effort against Northwestern.The offense was balanced against the Wildcats with 208 yards rushing and 223 yards passing. But the Buckeyes arent finding the end zone as easily as they did during the early portion of the season.Meyer sees that as a product of playing better defenses and a young offense going through some growing pains.Youve got a bunch of young cats going and swinging hard and practicing hard, he said. So I guess Im much more positive. Do I wish that we were (scoring) 56 points and all those kind of things, sure, but were a work in progress.Ohio States defense gave up more than 400 yards at home for the first time since 2014 but made a critical stand in the fourth quarter when Northwestern had a first down at the Ohio State 5-yard line trailing by seven and forced a field goal instead of a tying touchdown.Thats what we pride ourselves on, Ohio State linebacker Chris Worley said. Its not about guys getting interceptions or forcing turnovers or guys getting sacks. Its the complete defense when the team needed us, not when were up by 40.In those crunch times when its third- or fourth-and-goal, we have to get a stop to have a shot at winning the game.The defense has allowed 400 or more yards in two of the last three games and three times this season. Northwestern, ranked No. 93 in FBS in total offense last week, managed to sustain four long drives of 75, 82, 84 and 60 yards.But the Buckeyes are clearly bending but not breaking. Thats reflected in just 13 touchdowns allowed in eight games.This week, the Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) face a mobile quarterback that provides an added concern. Nebraskas Tommy Armstrong Jr. has rushed for 380 yards and six touchdowns in addition to passing for 1,764 yards and 11 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Running back Terrell Newby has rushed for 588 yards on 120 carries.The Buckeyes opened as a 16 1/2-point favorite over the Cornhuskers (7-1, 4-1) for Saturday nights clash (8 p.m. ABC), but that doesnt mean much lately. Ohio State was a 26-point favorite against Northwestern and eked out a four-point win.Very good team, Meyer said of Nebraska. Really impressed with our conference, with the quality of play, players and teams were playing, and these guys are really good.Saturdays victory was the 161st of Meyers career, setting a record for most wins by a coach in his first 15 seasons. He surpassed Oklahomas Bob Stoops, who had 160. Meyers 161-28 record gives him the highest winning percentage (.852) of any active FBS coach with 10 or more years of experience.Meyer, now a remarkable 57-5 in five seasons with the Buckeyes, has only lost twice at home in the past five years.Thats fine, but youre talking about the past right now, Nebraska wide receiver DeMornay Pierson-El said. Were in the present right now. Weve got to go out there and play our best game. And nothings going to be given. You stated their past history. Were talking about right now.Theyre a good team -- a bunch of good individuals -- but we still have to come out and play. Its still a game to be won. Its still a game to be played. Were going to focus on playing now.The two teams are in a dogfight in their respective Big Ten divisions. Ohio State is tied with Penn State a game behind Michigan in the East and Nebraska has a one-game lead in the West over four teams. The loser likely will fall out of College Football Playoff consideration.Theyre kind of a different animal, Ohio State, Cornhuskers wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp said. Theyve been so good for so long. This is a huge game for us. We know how good they are, but theyre beatable. Cheap Nike Shox Online . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. Nike Shox Outlet Cheap . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. http://www.wholesalenikeshox.com/ . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Wholesale Nike Shox Retro . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Wholesale Nike Shox Free Shipping . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. PARIS -- Cristiano Ronaldo didnt make the same mistake twice.In a semifinal penalty shoot-out against Spain at the 2012 European Championship, Portugals star played no part.He was fifth in line to step up to the spot. But, by then, the match was already lost. Spain had won the shootout 4-2 and Ronaldo never even got to take his kick.Against Poland on Thursday, Ronaldo was first in line.The end result was a victory that sends Portugal to the semifinals for a fifth time.It will next play the winner of Belgiums match against Wales.Here are five things to know about Portugals quarterfinal win in Marseille.---PORTUGALS NEW STARWith three-time world player of the year Ronaldo nearer the end of his career than the beginning, the search was already on for Portugals next star.Look no further.At just 18, and making only his ninth appearance for the national side, Renato Sanches stole Ronaldos thunder in his first start at the European Championship.Sanches equalizer for Portugal that cancelled out Robert Lewandowskis early goal oozed quality and remarkable self-confidence for a player so young and inexperienced on such a big stage.Sanches both started the move and finished it. Running, full of attacking intent, headlong into the Polish box, he flicked the ball wide to the quick-thinking Nani, who tricked the Polish defense by heeling it straight back to Sanches.Caressing the ball onward with his right foot, Sanches set himself up for a left-footed thump. A touch off Grzegorz Krychowiak made an already tough job nigh impossible for Polish `keeper Lukasz Fabianski, who couldnt get fingers to the ball despite his dive.The goal wasnt Sanches only contribution. The attacking midfielder was all over the pitch. He harassed Polish players and selflessly tracked back -- unlike Ronaldo -- from his right wing to help out with defense and then get Portugal going forward again.Portugals youngest ever player to be called up for a major tournament, surpassing the mark previously held by Ronaldo, is now heading to Bayern Munich, which paid Benfica 35 million euros ($40 million) for him.Could be a bargain.---WHO STOLE THE REAL RONALDO?Before scoring Portugals first penalty in the 5-3 shootout win, Ronaldo had been just a shadow of his usual self.Swinging a left leg at what could have been a match-winning goal in the last minutes of normal time but then missing the ball entirely: Was that Ronaldo or some impostor?That failure to connect with a golden opportunity to break the deadlocked score of 1-1 wasnt Ronaldos only glitch.He squandered a first half chance, scuffing the ball wide. Through on goal again in the second half, he hit into the side netting.And he thumped a free kick from 35 meters out straight into the Polish wall.Had he scored in normal time, Ronaldo would have matched Michel Platinis tournament record of nine European Championship goals.Instead, the accumulated misses made him look human.---RONALDO SHOULD HAVE HAD A PENALTYFelix Brych has mounds of experience, having officiated World Cup, Champions League and other matches.dddddddddddd. But the German referee made a very debatable call in the first half, not awarding what looked like a penalty for Ronaldo.In the heart of the Polish defense, Michal Pazdan stuck to Ronaldo like a shadow. He got too close in the 30th minute, shoving Ronaldo in the back and to the ground as the Portuguese forward prepared to receive Nanis in-bound cross in a threatening position in the box.The Real Madrid stars penalty appeals fell on deaf ears. Ronaldo looked terribly aggrieved, and understandably so.---LIKE HIM, LOATHE HIM, BUT ALSO RESPECT HIMIn the tunnel before kick-off, Portuguese defender Pepe was all sweetness and light, high-fiving the kids who accompanied the players onto the pitch.But the whistle brought the fighter out of him.By far the most experienced player in the Portuguese back line, with more caps (76) than the three other defenders -- Jose Fonte (14); Cedric (13) and Eliseu (18) -- combined, Pepe provided leadership and stability at the back.Few players divide opinion quite like the Real Madrid defender, notorious for his gamesmanship.But he was on his best behavior against Poland.He got a leg to a dangerous first-half shot from Arkadiusz Milik, diverting it away.He used his body to thwart Krychowiak as the midfielder made a scorching second-half run for the Portuguese area.Most important, his cool head and instructions to other players helped the team recover after Lewandowski scored the second-fastest goal in tournament history, just 100 seconds into the match.---PORTUGALS WEAK LINK:Poland quickly found a soft spot in Portugals defense, and exploited it ruthlessly.At 24, Cedric Soares was the youngest player in the Portuguese back four and the defender with the least national team experience.Polish winger Kamil Grosicki targeted the right-back with his first foray into Portugals half, collecting a pass from Lewandowski and then using his superior speed to overhaul the Southampton defender, who just -- but only just -- managed to get a foot to the ball and kick away the danger.It was an early warning for what happened seconds later: A long Polish pass bounced in front of Cedric and straight over his head to Grosicki, who was lurking behind him and then tore away downfield to center a cross to Lewandowski.The Bayern Munich striker scored with his first touch, right-footing the ball into the Portuguese netIt was Lewandowskis first goal in 645 minutes of European Championship football, since he scored against Greece in Polands first match of Euro 2012.----John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester ' ' '