[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For nearly three quarters, Wisconsin hung with the No. 1 team in the nation.

For four minutes, it held the upper hand.

For the final fifteen minutes, it was completely outmatched.

The fourth quarter was the difference Saturday, as Wisconsin (7-3, 3-3) fell to Ohio State (10-0, 6-0) 38-17 in fabled Ohio Stadium.

Trailing for the first time in the game after a Wisconsin touchdown gave the Badgers a 17-10 lead, Ohio State responded with a long 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive.

With the ball at the UW 31-yard line and just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Ohio State tailback Chris Wells took a handoff off the left tackle. Catching the Badgers in a blitz, Wells broke through the line and bounced the run to the sideline, beating safety Shane Carter in a race to the goal line for the tying touchdown.

“[Wells] has been very good since he got here,” Ohio State offensive tackle Steve Rehring said. “He got into a zone and you could see it in his face. He just needs one run to get him going.”

Wells did just that.

After Wisconsin went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, Ohio State took over on offense again in great field position at the UW 49-yard line.

After an 11-yard Wells run and a seven-yard scramble by quarterback Todd Boeckman, the Buckeyes had a first-and-10 on the 30-yard line and the stage was set for another Wells burst.

On a run designed to go right, Wells saw a hole on the left side of the line and cut back across the grain and into the Wisconsin secondary.

Wells shook the only defender in his way — strong safety Aubrey Pleasant — and covered 30 yards untouched for the eventual game-winning touchdown.

“I should have made that play,” Pleasant said afterward. “It wasn’t my responsibility, but I still should have made the play.

“In football, whether it’s your responsibility or not, plays are going to come.”

Wells’ back-to-back touchdowns gave Ohio State a 24-17 advantage over Wisconsin.

“Down the stretch there we missed some key tackles,” Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema said. “I thought we had two guys standing in the hole that honestly could have made a stop for us, but you know, they executed and were able to do some things. They made a couple cutbacks there towards the end that really hurt us.”

From that point on it was all Ohio State and all Wells.

The sophomore dominated the second half, rushing for 143 yards and three touchdowns on 15 attempts.

“He’s a strong runner and the whole first half we’d been waiting for him to run the ball and he couldn’t on us,” UW defensive tackle Nick Hayden said. “He’s a good back and wants to get to the outside all the time. We just couldn’t get him contained.”

Ohio State would go on to score two more touchdowns: the first on an eight-yard reception by wide receiver Brian Robiskie following a botched fake-punt attempt by Ken DeBauche that was the result of an audible not getting properly communicated, the second on a Wells 23-yard run after Donovan fumbled while getting sacked.

For as wide open as the second half was — Ohio State outscored Wisconsin 28-14 — the first half was a tight back-and-forth affair.

Ohio State scored on its opening possession of the game, a methodical seven-play, 75-yard drive. Boeckman found Robiskie on a short slant, and the receiver slipped past cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu and raced to the end zone for an Ohio State touchdown.

Wisconsin responded on its next drive thanks to some trickery.

Facing a fourth-and-12 from near midfield, Bielema sent the UW punt team onto the field. DeBauche took the snap and instead of kicking it, rolled right, stopped and heaved a rainbow pass down the left sideline to reserve punter Paul Standring.

The pass was on target and Standring made a nice over-the-shoulder catch between two OSU defenders for a 31-yard pickup.

“On film we saw it was going to be there, but “