Recap: Ohio State 33, Wisconsin 29

Devin Smith for the win

After the first half of the season came and went with anxiety, disappointment and many second half collapses, Ohio State (5-3, 2-2) finally came out on top over a quality opponent, and did it in style. The Wisconsin Badgers (7-2, 3-2) fell to the Buckeyes on another Hail Mary play, for the second straight week. Of course, Russell Wilson had a chance at the end with about 20 ticks on the clock, but couldn't complete a pass although Nick Toon came up very close twice. When you look back on Ohio State in 2011, this may be the turning point on a chaotic season. If Ohio State wins out, the Buckeyes will be facing the inaugural B1G Championship Game in Indianapolis. This game was by far OSU's toughest test of the season, and perhaps one of the most important games as far as trying to maintain a sense of Big Ten superiority.

The two Big Ten losses the Buckeyes have suffered have come at the hands of Nebraska and Michigan State, both who are in the Legends division, while Ohio State and Wisconsin both fall under the Leaders division. There were so many key moments in this game, and for OSU to upset a rival like the Badgers was huge for confidence in true freshman Braxton Miller and the rest of this young Buckeye squad down this last stretch of games, including 2 key match-ups in November: Penn State, and at Michigan.


The Badgers came into this game averaging 47 points per game and 512 yards, but could not move the ball very well for the majority of this game against the OSU defense. Russell Wilson went 20/32 (52% completion percentage) for 253 yards and three touchdowns, while Montee Ball gained 85 yards on 17 carries with 1 score. Jared Abbrederis had six catches for 113 yards and 2 TD's. The first half was a stalemate, with both defenses playing outstanding while the offenses were anemic. At the beginning of the second half, Ohio State was receiving the ball and soon after Boom Herron burst through a wide open hole and broke a tackle on his way to a 57 yard run to the Wisconsin 18 yard line. After 3 more plays near the goal line, Braxton Miller faked the handoff to Boom and streaked for the endzone, making one of the better juke moves all year to slip into the endzone for a 10-7 Buckeye lead.

A huge momentum shift, courtesy of Ryan Shazier

After stifling the Wisconsin offense yet again, the Badgers were set to punt. That's when another true freshman stepped up big for the Buckeyes, when Ryan Shazier eluded the Wisconsin wedge and blocked the punt to set OSU up at the Badger's 1 yard line where Jordan Hall would punch it in on 3rd and goal to give Ohio State a commanding 17-7 lead. The Badgers did refuse to be out for the count, after a couple of drives that ate clock up, Wisconsin scored on a Montee Ball run to make it 17-14, and within striking distance towards the end of the third quarter. After about 10 minutes of more pointless drives down the field, Ohio State would add on a Drew Basil kick to put OSU up 20-14, and after that was pure Silver Bullet domination.

Basil's kick went up and in with 10:39 remaining, and coupled with a couple of drives by Wisconsin that went nowhere, as well as a few failed Ohio State drives, Ohio State got the ball back with about 6 or 7 minutes left in the game after stopping Ball on a 4th and 2 attempt, hoping to ice the victory with a time consuming, and scoring drive. Six plays later, Braxton Miller channeled his inner freshman Terrelle Pryor (think Wisconsin 2008) and scampered 44 yards into the endzone untouched. That score gave Ohio State a 26-14 lead with less than 5 minutes to play in the game. That's when the Badgers started to drive, pulling off 2 straight touchdown drives, putting them up 29-26.

With about 30 seconds left in the game, Braxton Miller rolled out and avoided another defender gracefully, and started to scramble. That's when he noticed true freshman Devin Smith not giving up on the route, and was nearing the endzone. Miller fired up in the air and delivered a perfect strike to the receiver, who crumbled in with the ball cradled in his soft hands for a Buckeye touchdown, and victory. The next Badger possession lasted 3 or 4 plays that were incomplete, and fans rushed the stadium to celebrate a huge Ohio State win, and the feeling of contending for a seventh straight Big Ten Title.