Tom Osborne was glued to his tube Monday night, as the man he just hired to lead the Huskers from the horrors of Pederhan did battle against Ohio State in prime time.

“I watched the game really closely. Everybody probably cringed a little bit the first couple of series,” Osborne told KETV NewsWatch 7’s Matt Schick on Tuesday.

Such as the third play of the game, when Chris Wells scored on a 65-yard touchdown run. Osborne said he may have been concerned, but he also knew a lot about the man he hired.

“One of the hallmarks, as I’ve watched Bo’s defenses, is they tend to get better as the game goes along. They tend to adjust well. They don’t panic. That’s a sign of good leadership,” Osborne said.

After the early-game struggles, Husker fans were re-introduced to another Pelini hallmark — takeaways. His Tigers came up with three to put away the Buckeyes.

“The one year he was here, Nebraska led the nation in turnover margin,” Osborne said. “Last night, turnovers were basically the difference in the game. The style of defense he played, the blitzing, the pass rush and so on, it gives you a chance to get you turnovers, which I think down the road will be very important to us.”