Bret Bielema sent the message out Monday afternoon, and his players sure got it throughout the week. The Wisconsin Badgers had better move on quick, because it only gets harder from here.
UW’s head coach was referring to last Saturday’s 37-31 stunning last-second loss at Michigan State that gave Wisconsin its first loss of the season. But the No. 15 Badgers (6-1, 2-1) had essentially only one week to reflect on it, as this Saturday they hit the road again to face the Ohio State Buckeyes (4-3, 1-2) in Columbus.
“People didn’t expect us to lose – we didn’t expect us to lose [to Michigan State] – but it happens,” safety Aaron Henry said. “It happens. And when it does happen, [to] the people who didn’t expect us to lose, all of a sudden we’re not good enough. From the outside looking in, people are probably saying, ‘Oh man, Wisconsin is not as good as I thought they were,’ or this or that. We’re going to go out there and perform like we’ve been doing.”
Though losing to Michigan State was surely costly – the Badgers most likely lost any chance at reaching the BCS National Championship Game – Wisconsin still largely controls its own postseason destiny. Should the Badgers take care of business the rest of the way, a return to the Rose Bowl or another BCS berth remains a legitimate possibility.
“What it comes down to is us playing the next five games,” left guard Travis Frederick said. “We need to go out there, and we need to win each of those games if we want a chance at anything to happen, championship or anything like that.”
Last season, Wisconsin was able to rebound with a resounding 31-18 victory when Ohio State traveled to Madison. The Buckeyes were unbeaten and carried the nation’s No. 1 ranking into the mid-October matchup, while the Badgers were ranked No. 16 after a loss to Michigan State, of all teams, two weeks earlier. Under the lights at Camp Randall Stadium, wide receiver David Gilreath took the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, and Wisconsin never relinquished the lead.
Now, the only similarities seem to be the loss to Michigan State. Wisconsin, led by quarterback Russell Wilson, is even more explosive than last year’s team that ultimately reached the Rose Bowl. The Badgers currently boast the nation’s fifth-ranked scoring offense at 47.4 points per game and are eighth in rushing yards with 252.1 per game.
Running back Montee Ball has rushed for a Big Ten-leading 768 yards on 125 carries (6.1 yards per) and 17 touchdowns, the second-most in the nation. Ball has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in seven consecutive conference games and has scored at least one touchdown in each of his last 13 games. Over that span, the junior has scored 34 touchdowns, with the nation’s next-closest player over that span being Oregon’s LaMichael James with 22.
But while Ohio State has struggled on offense for much of the year – the Buckeyes rank 110th in the nation with 302.9 yards per game – its defense has remained strong. The Buckeyes rank 17th with 304.9 yards allowed per game and 12th in scoring defense with 16.3 points surrendered.
With a powerful front-seven led by linebacker Andrew Sweat (49 tackles, five for loss, one interception and once forced fumble), the Buckeyes’ defense has often kept OSU competitive while the offense struggled to find a solution at quarterback.
Freshman Braxton Miller has settled into the role, though senior Joe Bauserman began the season as the starter. Since then, sophomore Kenny Guiton has eclipsed Bauserman as the No. 2 quarterback.
Miller has lived up to his reputation as a dual-threat quarterback, rushing for 243 yards on 61 attempts (4.0 yards per), though he continues to adjust to the passing game. In completing 51 percent of his passes for 403 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions, Miller has been serviceable, though Ohio State did lose its first two Big Ten games against Michigan State and Nebraska before rebounding Oct. 15 against Illinois.
In that game against the Illini, senior Dan Herron returned from a six-game suspension. Since returning, Herron has rushed for 114 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries (5.0 yards per). Last season, Herron was one of the Big Ten’s top running backs, gaining 1,155 yards and 16 touchdowns on 216 carries (5.3 yards per).
“It’s hard [preparing for Herron],” defensive tackle Patrick Butrym said. “You just have to put yourself in good positions and practice good tackling, because if you don’t, you’ll get in a situation where he’ll break a lot of tackles. We need to tackle very well this week, or he’s going to run for a lot of yards.”
Though the Badgers have won three of their last five games in Columbus, they’ve lost the last two. Ohio Stadium, famously known as “The Horseshoe” for it’s open-endzone design, is the nation’s fourth-largest stadium with a capacity of 102,329. In 2009, Wisconsin suffered through a 31-13 loss there, and two years earlier, the result was similar in a 38-17 affair.
“I think it’s probably the toughest place to play in the Big Ten,” Butrym said. “I’ve never played at Penn State, but it’s like a cathedral and the size of the stadium just goes straight up. It’s very impressive, but I think we have a team now that’s very mature, that believes that we can win on the road.”
Saturday’s game will air at 7:00 p.m. CT on ESPN. It can also be seen on ESPN 3: http://espn.go.com/espn3/index?id=272914
