#2 Ohio State 30, #8 Wisconsin 23
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The list of reasons why Ohio State trailed Wisconsin 16-6 at halftime last night might have been as long as your arm but near the top of the list had to be the inability of the defense to slow down the Badger offense on 1st down.
A middling offensive attack coming in, the Badgers simply hammered the Buckeyes on 1st down in the opening half cranking out a ridiculous 210 yards on 18 plays, or 11.7 yards per play.
The Badgers were especially effective on the ground chewing up 149 rushing yards on 12 plays, good for 12.4 yards per carry.
Yes, Corey Clement got loose for a 68-yard burst on a 1st down snap kicking off Wisconsin's second possession of the game but even without that play the Badgers still averaged 7.4 yards per carry on their 11 other 1st down runs in the opening half.
Through the air, mediocre quarterback Alex Hornibrook even found success connecting on five of his six throws on 1st down tallying 61 yards in the process.
Overall, the Badgers amassed six chunk plays on 1st down in the opening half as the Buckeye defense struggled mightily to set the edge on running plays. To be fair, Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst deserves a ton of credit for his crafty playcalling in the 1st half featuring guys like Jazz Peavy on jet sweeps but the effectiveness of Ohio State's rush defense was not helped by guys looking lost in space as typically sure-tacklers like Malik Hooker and Gareon Conley whiffed to trigger big runs.
| METRIC | 1ST HALF | 2ND HALF |
|---|---|---|
| PLAYS | 18 | 14 |
| TOT YDS | 210 | 54 |
| YDS/PLAY | 11.7 | 3.9 |
| RUSHES | 12 | 11 |
| RUSH YDS | 149 | 38 |
| RUSH YPC | 12.4 | 3.5 |
| PASSING | 5/6 | 2/3 |
| PASS YDS | 61 | 16 |
| CHUNK PLAYS | 6 | 0 |
| TURNOVERS | 0 | 1 |
Meanwhile, Chryst also exposed Damon Webb among others with his tight end dragging across the field.
With no answer for the Badgers on 1st down, Ohio State's defense limped int the locker room at halftime having surrendered a whopping 313 total yards of offense.
To the credit of both the staff and players, the Buckeye defense came out for the 3rd quarter looking like a completely different unit.
Adjusting to largely take away the jet sweeps and outside runs that plagued their effectiveness in the 1st half, the Silver Bullets owned 1st down in the 2nd half and overtime limiting Wisconsin to 54 yards on 14 plays, good for just 3.9 yards per play.
On the ground, a stout defensive line supplemented by an improved effort from Jerome Baker, Chris Worley and the defensive ends to box in the Badger rushers held Wisconsin to 38 rushing yards on 11 attempts, or 3.5 yards per 1st down carry.
Hornibrook was also a non-factor through the air after halftime completing two of three 1st down passes for just 16 yards.
After giving up those six chunk plays on 1st down in the opening half, the defense gave up zero such plays on 1st down in the 2nd half and overtime and even boasted a turnover as Conley picked off Hornibrook setting up a J.T. Barrett touchdown run giving Ohio State a 20-16 lead early in the 4th quarter.
Finally, with the Buckeyes up 30-23 after Barrett's touchdown toss to Noah Brown to kick off overtime, the defense came up big on two different 1st down plays as Michael Hill stopped Corey Clement for no gain on Wisconsin's first play of overtime and later on 1st and Goal from the 4, Robert Landers and Chris Worley stuffed Clement again for zero yards. Three plays later Ohio State advanced to the winner's circle to remain undefeated.
Hat tip to Luke Fickell, Greg Schiano and the players for stepping up and making adjustments to get Wisconsin's offense off schedule after halftime to help secure the win.
