The University of Wisconsin men’s football team (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) lost to The Ohio State University Buckeyes (8-0, 5-0) in Columbus Saturday afternoon.
In a game where both teams put emphasis on the ground game with rain coming down from start to finish, the Buckeyes prevailed at home.
Behind junior defensive end Chase Young — likely a top-five NFL draft pick come April — the Buckeye defense stifled the Badger offense and held them to just 72 yards in the first half.
On the other side of the ball, Wisconsin’s defense managed to hold the Buckeyes to just about no offensive production until the middle of the second quarter, when junior kicker Blake Haubeil drilled a 49-yard field goal to give OSU a 3–0 lead. The Buckeyes then got the ball back quickly and drove down the field to score a touchdown and give them a 10–0 lead heading into the half.
Football: Badgers face critical five-game stretch to close season
Coming out of the break, Wisconsin showed promise by forcing a quick three-and-out deep in OSU territory. Redshirt freshman Alexander Smith blocked the ensuing Buckeye punt, giving the Badgers great field position. Wisconsin managed to find the end zone on a third-and-6 pass to senior A.J. Taylor to cut the score to 10–7.
The rest of the game was all OSU.
The Buckeyes immediately followed up the Wisconsin scoring drive by rattling off a quick touchdown of their own, thanks to sophomore quarterback Justin Fields’ legs.
The Buckeye defense continued to hold Wisconsin defensively, putting pressure on junior quarterback Jack Coan and stuffing junior running back Jonathan Taylor. Young tied an OSU record with four sacks defensively, in addition to five tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles from Coan.
In the post-game press conference, Head Coach Paul Chryst explained the loss wasn’t all on the offensive line.
“Definitely not all on the o-line, definitely not on J.T. There’s 11 on offense, 11 on defense,” Chryst said. “It’s a really good defense. Obviously the things that we had to help us [on offense], we didn’t do them well enough.”
Offensively, the Buckeyes drove down the field with ease, scoring a touchdown on four straight drives in the second half following the blocked punt, making a close defensive game into a blowout win by the fourth quarter.
Football: How A.J. Taylor fits into scheme of run-heavy Badger offense
In the end, the Buckeyes won 38–7 thanks to the dynamic duo of Fields and Young on each side of the ball. Taylor finished with just 52 yards on 20 carries, and Coan went 10-for-17 for 108 yards and a touchdown, in addition to his two fumbles.
The Badgers went from a disappointing loss to Illinois last week to a major loss against OSU, all but guaranteeing they will not be in a New Year’s Six bowl without a Big Ten Championship Game win, let alone an opportunity to playing in the College Football Playoff.
The Badgers head into their bye week with a 6-2 record, losing back-to-back games for the first time since the 2016 season. They’ll look to revive their season against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Nov. 9.
