Ohio State passed major test No. 2 with a huge win over Penn State on Saturday. A dominating defensive performance put the college football world on notice that this isn’t the offense-only OSU teams of recent years. It was fun to see the Silver Bullets back.
Now on to significant test No. 3. While Wisconsin has lost a couple of games, lost its starting quarterback, and had to fight to the end for a victory over Illinois, playing a night game at Camp Randall will be no easy task. If the Buckeyes want their record to remain unblemished, they’d be wise not to look past the Badgers.
Time to get ready for Week 9 and a game under the lights in Madison! Here’s everything you need to know with our complete preview, complete with a prediction for Ohio State vs. Wisconsin on Saturday night.
Records and Broadcast Information
Buckeyes under the lights 🔦
The matchup vs Wisconsin on October 28th is officially kicking off at 7:30 PM ET on NBC ‼️ pic.twitter.com/nXpBdqqqU1
— Ohio State Buckeyes 🌰 (@OhioStAthletics) October 16, 2023
Records
Ohio State (7-0), Wisconsin (5-2)
Broadcast, TV, Game Time
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Game Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Network: NBC – Stream fuboTV (watch here)
Venue: Camp Randall Stadium (Madison, Wisconsin), Capacity: 80,321
All-Time Series: Ohio State leads, 62-18-5
Last Meeting: Ohio State defeated Wisconsin, 52-21, in 2022
Ohio State Potential Game Plan for Victory
Defensive 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲: THE WHOLE DEFENSE ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/82OCK15iWQ
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 22, 2023
Let’s just start with the obvious. If Jim Knowles’ defense continues to play like it did against Penn State, Wisconsin will not have a chance. The Badgers have always been a run-first team and rightfully so as they continue to churn out NFL running backs year after year.
But when facing a defense as dominant as the Ohio State defense has been this year, a team simply cannot become one-dimensional. Unfortunately for the Badgers, starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai went down with a hand injury that required surgery. Luke Fickell now has to rely on redshirt freshman, Braedyn Locke, to handle the snaps. Locke was the No. 22 rated QB in the 2022 class and transferred to Wisconsin after seeing no action at Mississippi State during his freshman season.
Locke has played in three games thus far, completing about 50% of his passes with two touchdowns and one interception. The focus then shifts squarely on Badger running back, Braelon Allen, who is averaging almost six yards per carry and eight touchdowns. The Buckeye defense just faced two of the best backs in the country, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, holding them in check. As long as Knowles doesn’t try to get cute and continues to do what has been working this season, I like the OSU defense in this matchup.
Offensively for Ohio State, Kyle McCord needs to settle down. There were far too many throws behind receivers against Penn State. Fortunately, the Buckeyes have some really talented pass catchers that bailed their quarterback out.
The Wisconsin secondary is capable of making life difficult on McCord as evinced by a total of eight interceptions, four of which are courtesy of cornerback Ricardo Hallman. However, the Badgers are giving up over 330 yards per game and haven’t seen anything like the Buckeye offense to date.
The OSU offensive line seems to be improving week by week and it should experience more steps in the right direction this Saturday in Madison.
Key Offensive Player for Ohio State
🌰WIN COLUMNS🌰
Miyan Williams is just so resilient. IYKYK…#GoBucks🌰 pic.twitter.com/60KvNyShZv
— Ohio State Buckeyes 🌰 (@OhioStAthletics) October 21, 2023
Miyan Williams – Running Back
It was nice to see a heavy dose of Miyan Williams toting the rock against Penn State. He received the lion’s share of carries with 24 to Chip Trayanum’s nine. His numbers weren’t gaudy by any stretch, but he earned the extra yards when needed. Assuming Williams is fully healthy, and even despite perhaps getting TreVeyon Henderson back, the grit and determination Williams has could come in handy in a Big Ten matchup where every yard will matter.
Key Defensive Player for Ohio State
One of the best LBs headed for the 2024 NFL Draft, Ohio State's Tommy Eichenberg, will flash his talent against Penn State this afternoon@JimNagy_SB on Eichenberg and 8 other draft-eligible players ahead of today's college football slate ✍️ ⤵️
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) October 21, 2023
Tommy Eichenberg – Linebacker
While the defense has looked night and day different from a year ago, the new scheme left the linebackers looking out of position early on. However, that play has improved as the season has wore on. Tommy Eichenberg doesn’t do anything flashy but leads by example. He leads the team in tackles with 54 and the Buckeye defense will need him on top of his game in order to contain Braelon Allen.
The Prediction
🚨6:30 p.m. CT kick vs. Ohio State on NBC🚨 pic.twitter.com/TTnaJ4MchH
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) October 16, 2023
The hope is to be playing your best football at the end of the season and that seems to be the trajectory Ohio State is on, improving each week. Wisconsin has been up and down this year, but losing your starting quarterback puts even more pressure on the run game to break free. The Buckeyes haven’t given up any explosive plays this year, and I don’t see it happening in Madison either. Luke Fickell will have his team ready to face his alma mater, but it will not be enough as Ohio State cruises to 8-0.
Final Score
Ohio State 38, Wisconsin 13
Line
Ohio State minus-14.5
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