James Laurinaitis grew up in a house with a man who played dress-up for a living. Laurinaitis’ father, Joe, also known as “the Animal,” was a popular professional wrestler in the ’80s and ’90s. Years later, the younger Laurinaitis has carried the ferocity his father used to display in the ring onto the football field at Ohio State.

The All-American Laurinaitis stands as a beast to be reckoned with who is not only able to shoot the gap and stuff the run, but can also fall back into coverage while still eyeing the quarterback.

When Ohio State plays host to Wisconsin this Saturday, the BCS No. 1 team will look to avoid an upset to the heavy underdog Badgers.

Owners of the best scoring defense in the country (7.9 points per game) and only allowing 62.4 rushing yards a game (second in the nation), the Buckeyes seek to set a Big Ten mark by recording their 20th consecutive victory against conference foes. Wisconsin’s offense will need to be successful against one of the nation’s top defenses, anchored by middle linebacker Laurinaitis. After a disappointing finish to last season in which Ohio State lost the national championship game to Florida, Laurinaitis and company have returned with strict attention to their task ahead.

“We just focus on what happens between the whistles. “