The stakes from here on out just continue to climb for the Ohio State football team. A win over Penn State last Saturday kept the astronomical goals and trajectory on track, but things don’t end there. The Buckeyes now must hit the road for a what should be a physical rock fight against Wisconsin after it just got done dodging boulders against the Nittany Lions.
When we looked down the schedule at the beginning of the year, this game was circled as one of the toughest tests. After all, it’s never a walk in the park along the daisies to hit the road and play in Camp Randall at night.
However, Wisconsin has not been the formidable foe in the West division we all thought under new head coach Luke Fickell. The Badgers have dropped two games (one at home to an Iowa team that has less offense than a third world military) already on the season, and also lost their starting quarterback, Tanner Mordecai, to injury a couple of weeks ago.
Still, the Wisconsin program is a proud one that still has plenty to play for, including a West division crown and spot in Indy. It would love nothing more than to knock off a top-five opponent in front of the home fans.
But we like Ohio State in this one for several reasons. Here are five things we think lead the Buckeyes to a victory on Saturday night among the cheese and beer up in Wisconsin.
Ohio State has "the dude"
Why it matters
Schematics and culture are without a doubt an important part of a football program, but by and large, games are one and lost by the players on the field. And when it comes to players this year in college football, there aren’t too many better than Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
Sometimes a team just has the dude that can put a team on his back and get a big play when needed, and that’s the case with Harrison Jr. He was the difference on offense for OSU against Penn State last week and when the cards are down, he’s the option that can call other team’s bluff and trump everything else going on.
When things get a little rough in Mad-town, Harrison has the skill set to separate get open, and make the big catches when needed.
Defense travels
Why it matters
Offense is great, and that’s kind of been the culture under Ryan Day, but the thing that can suck the life out of a home crowd is a defense that throttles the opposing team’s ability to make plays on offense. Ohio State has that this year as evidenced by what it did to Notre Dame earlier in the year on the road and what we saw last week against a good Penn State offense.
When the bus arrives at Camp Randall and the Buckeye players step off, those same defenders will walk into the stadium, suit up, and play as solid and violent as they have all year. Defense travels, and it covers up a lot of issues you can have on the road.
Many happy returns
Why it matters
Ohio State’s running game hasn’t been quite as effective as what you’d want it to be, but when you have your best home run threat out with injury, that tends to happen. We still don’t really know why TreVeyon Henderson has been out for three weeks after being told it was a “precaution,” but it appears as though he has been give the full go tag this week.
Look for the running game to compliment the passing game with Kyle McCord and Harrison much more this game and create more chances and bigger plays on the offensive end. Ohio State should get more than 20 points in this one and put pressure on Wisconsin to score enough points to keep up.
On top of that, there’s a good chance that receiver Emeka Egbuka and defensive back Denzel Burke also find their way back in the lineup according to remarks Day made earlier in the week. That would even further add to the personnel advantage for the Buckeyes in this.
Wisconsin's quarterback issue
Why it matters
Wisconsin hasn’t been known for its quarterback play throughout the years, and hadn’t been so far this season either. But, it’s still the most important position on the field as a leader and maestro of the offense, even against a team that will hand the ball off a lot.
Freshman Braedyn Locke has been thrust into the starting lineup with the injury to former starter Tanner Mordecai, and he’s about to face an Ohio State front that’s bigger, stronger, and faster than what he’s faced in his lifetime. It’s one thing to orchestrate a comeback against Illinois, it’s another to go against a defense that’s as good as OSU’s.
If Wisconsin gets down early, Locke is going to have to drop and pass the ball more than the Badger coaching staff would like, and that’s going to spell big problems.
Talent gap
Why it matters
More than anything else, this just isn’t the Wisconsin teams of the past that had great defenses, talent all along the offensive line, and the depth at running back to wear you down. It hasn’t been that way for a few years now and it’s the reason Paul Chryst was shown the door midseason last year.
Luke Fickell has shown his ability to build a roster, but it’s just not there yet. The talent gap was evident last season when Ohio State administered a public college football flogging to the Badgers, 52-21, and there’s still a wide chasm that will have to be closed with recruiting classes and development in future years.
