MADISON, Wis. — Football may be played in four quarters, but this game wasn’t decided within those confines.
With Wisconsin winning the coin toss for overtime, Ohio State started on offense. After costly penalties threatened to cost the Buckeyes dearly, J.T. Barrett was able to find Noah Brown for a seven yard touchdown.
Ohio State 30, Wisconsin 23.
Then it was Wisconsin’s turn with the ball. After Alex Hornibrook found Rob Wheelwright for a 21 yard pass, the stage was set. After a couple of failed runs and an incomplete pass, it was fourth down on the goal line for Wisconsin.
Hornibrook dropped back and was sacked on the final play of the game by Tyquan Lewis. Ohio State would win 30-23.
But the night was not all bad for Wisconsin fans as the offense was able to find itself after a terrible showing against Michigan.
Offensively, the Jazz Sweep owned the night. Jazz Peavy was handed the ball on numerous big plays and he answered the call. He would end up with four carries for 76 yards.
The run game was able to get going thanks to Alex Hornibrook and the Wisconsin passing game. On the first play by the Wisconsin offense, Hornibrook hit tight end Troy Fumagalli for a 28 yard pass. Hornibrook would end the game going 16 for 28 with 214 yards and one touchdowns.
After a jet sweep by Peavy and a few stops by the Ohio State defense, Wisconsin kicker Andrew Endicott drilled the 46 yard field goal. Completed field goals by Endicott would became a common occurrence. Endicott, who replaced injured Rafael Gaglianone went 3 for 3 on field goals and showed his leg kicking two of them from 30-plus yards.
On the next offensive series for Wisconsin, the run game really opened up on a 68 yard run by Clement. The senior tailback fumbled at the end of the run but thankfully, the Ohio State defender who was ripping the ball out was out of bounds.
Fumagalli was a huge asset in the passing game much like he was during the LSU game to open the season. His ability to get open in the passing game helped open up other facets of the offense.
The tight end would end up with seven receptions for 84 yards
The Wisconsin defense held an Ohio State offense that previously was putting up 3+ touchdowns to two not including overtime. In the first half Ohio State was held to only two field goals, the first time all season Barrett and his team had not scored a touchdown.
Inside linebacker Jack Cichy led in tackles with 15 including 3.5tackles for a loss. The backfield combination of Dixon and Shelton held Ohio State to 226 passing yards.
After a really hot start by Wisconsin’s offense in the first half, the second half saw a regression. Wisconsin’s offense started the half with three drives that saw no pay dirt. Punt, three and out and then an interception in their own territory. Wisconsin’s offense lagged with only 11 yards of offense in the third quarter.
“We didn’t make the plays, execute to give ourselves that chance,” Chryst said.
In the second half, Ohio State’s offense showed up, controlling the time of play with nearly an eight minute drive to the end zone for a touchdown. Barrett was 11 of 22 with 135 yards in the third quarter, and a combination of wide receiver Curtis Samuel and running back Mike Weber drove the ball downfield.
Chryst praised Barrett’s control of the offense in his postgame press conference. “I thought he was a guy that competes and makes plays, and he did that,” he said.
Ohio State would end up getting their first lead on a Vince Young like run by J.T. Barrett. With the Buckeyes up 20-16, Wisconsin’s offense would take the field.
After a couple broken plays, it looked like a quick three and out was on the way, but a 38 yard pass to Peavy quickly changed that. And after some nice runs by Clement, fullback Austin Ramesh was able to punch it in to give Wisconsin a 23-20 lead.
On the ensuing offensive drive for Ohio State, J.T Barrett and the Buckeyes marched right down the field thanks to a 43 yard pass to Dontre Wilson. Leo Musso would save the day with a shoestring tackle forcing Ohio State to settle on a field goal.
Well, you know the rest of the story.
Despite the sting of the loss, Chryst expressed pride in his players and confidence in the rest of the season.
“We’ve got a ton to go forward with. We are at the halfway point in our season,” he said. “The bar is set high here. We want to be the best we can be.”
Wisconsin travels to Iowa next week for an 11 a.m. kickoff.