Through seven games, Ohio State has earned a 7-0 record. Thanks to a pair of wins over current top-15 programs, the Buckeyes’ resume is among the best in the nation. They continue to work toward impressing the College Football Playoff committee before their initial rankings on Tuesday. Next up are the Badgers of Wisconsin and, despite not exactly being up to the same standard as the top Big Ten East programs. Nevertheless, Wisconsin is going to be a tough foe.
For just the second time in his coaching career, Luke Fickell will face off against his alma mater. Fickell was a legend as a player but was unfortunately a one-off scapegoat for the program in 2011. While looking back in today’s climate the “crimes” did not exactly weigh up to the punishment, Fickell was the one Ohio State turned to and, as a result, the Buckeyes had their worst season in generations.
After taking over Cincinnati and leading the Bearcats to new heights, he took over Wisconsin and has led the team to a 5-2 start this year. While the Badgers may not have the same amount of talent, Wisconsin is not going to lie down. Fickell even said not every game is won by the best or most talented team. The Buckeyes must make sure to take care of business and not let Camp Randall Stadium Jump Around too much and lose their first to Wisconsin since 2010.
Ohio State Can Avoid a Trap at Wisconsin
Emotional Hangover
One area of the Ryan Day era at Ohio State that has been better than his predecessor is that when he loses, it’s not against subpar Big Ten West foes. Possibly the worst two losses of the Urban Meyer era were blowout losses at Purdue and Iowa. Thus far, Day has not disappointed in the same way.
Heading into the year, there were three regular-season games circled. In the wake of the second top-10, emotional win over Penn State, Ohio State heads into the unfriendly confines of Madison, Wisconsin. Coupled with a month to go until that titular showdown at the Ann Arbor Intelligence Department.
At Ohio State, Day has faced off against 15 ranked opponents in the regular season. In the games directly following those games (including Big Ten Championships and bowls), Day is 13-2 with those losses coming against Michigan in 2021 and Georgia in 2022. The average margin of victory in those 13 games is just over 25 points per game. Needless to say, Day makes sure to get his team up for games following big showdowns.
Camp Randall at night is one of the craziest venues in college football. Even if this is the same team that got outscored by Iowa two weeks prior, any window of opportunity for Fickell and Wisconsin to take down the Buckeyes will be taken advantage of.
Buckeyes Getting Healthy
Likely the biggest key for Ohio State at Wisconsin has to be health. Last week, the Buckeyes were without Denzel Burke, Emeka Egbuka, and TreVeyon Henderson. Day said this week that all three should be able to play.
On defense, the Buckeyes have been among the elites. On every step of the way, Ohio State’s defense has been able to step up and, honestly, carry this team to victory. Jermaine Matthews and Jordan Hancock stepped up in Burke’s absence last week. Hancock played nearly every snap on defense and the majority of his time was spent in the slot. His performance against the Nittany Lions reminded many of Shaun Wade‘s ability to play in the slot. Outside, Matthews notched 47 snaps as an outside defender.
Burke is having a resurgent year and while the Buckeyes were able to get the job done without him. However, his return will be a great asset. He will add to his eight tackles, eight pass breakups, one interception, and one forced fumble on the year. Against a team that has just as many touchdowns as he does interceptions, Burke should do well.
On offense, both Egbuka and Henderson will be able to give Ohio State a jolt. The rushing attack has been lackluster this year and most of the blame could be attributed to the offensive line. Regardless, Henderson’s ability to stretch the defense and bounce outside has been sorely missed.
Outside, someone has to take the attention off of Marvin Harrison, Jr. While he can handle 16 targets per game as he had against Penn State, it’s best to spread the wealth. With a future first-round talent like Egbuka lining up opposite Harrison, Wisconsin will have to devote more resources to stop the pass, thus opening it all up.
Keep Leaning on Defense
Is it hyperbole to say that if the Buckeyes punted the ball on first down and just let the defense play, they’d have a shot? Considering Wisconsin fell to Iowa and its offensive offense, perhaps it’s not too outlandish.
Regardless, Ohio State’s defense has been as great as any in the nation and will have the opportunity to take the game over. Tanner Mordecai, Wisconsin’s leading passer, will be out for the game and Braedyn Locke will step up. To date, Locke has only completed 51.4% of his passes for 370 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
The number-one threat will be Braelon Allen and that rushing attack, as per usual at Wisconsin. Allen is second in the Big Ten and 16th in the nation with his 704 rushing yards. Allen has accounted for 47% of the Badgers’ rushing attempts to date and is the latest in a gauntlet of running backs the Buckeyes must face.
Ohio State has allowed just over 100 yards per game. Even then, 176 of those yards came in one game against Notre Dame. Take away that outlier, that average plummets to 88 yards. Last week, the Buckeyes shut down Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, two of the conference’s best.
The defensive line, led by Tyleik Williams and Mike Hall in the interior, will have to lead yet again. Against a heavy rushing attack like Wisconsin (not to mention the backup quarterback starting), Ohio State will likely utilize a heavy rotation of players in the front seven to keep everyone fresh. This could be the opportunity that the C.J. Hicks truthers have been looking for. Hicks is as talented as any on the Ohio State roster but is buried in the linebacker depth behind a pair of stalwarts at the position.
