#2 Ohio State 30, #8 Wisconsin 23
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MADISON, Wis. — Urban Meyer didn't know his team had done enough to beat Wisconsin until he nearly got trampled by one of his players.
“I didn't see it. We were scripting for the next set,” Ohio State's head coach said. “I almost got ran over on the sideline.”
The Buckeyes weren't anywhere near their best in front of a raucous crowd at Camp Randall Stadium Saturday night but left it with a 30-23 overtime victory over the No. 8 Badgers. After J.T. Barrett connected with Noah Brown on a fade to the right corner of the end zone to push the Buckeyes out front, Jalyn Holmes, Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis and Nick Bosa swarmed redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook for the game-clinching sack Meyer didn't have the pleasure of seeing.
“Our D-line did a great job of penetrating, getting a sack on the quarterback,” middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan said. “But we also had great coverage in the back end. Man coverage, everybody was body on body so the quarterback didn't have anybody to go to.”
“It just shows you what the team is made of now,” Holmes said. “Our backs were against the wall and we had to make a play and we did.”
”Goal-line stand was great. We were just trying to lock it down,” Bosa said. “Looked over at each other and said 'it's time.'”
It almost never got to that point, what with Wisconsin getting the ball back after Tyler Durbin's 31-yard field goal tied it with just under 4 minutes left. A few first downs allowed Paul Chryst to eat at the clock, hoping for to get Andrew Endicott in a position to kick his fourth field goal of the game.
Then Gareon Conley nearly stole away the chance with a brilliant diving play, only to have it overturned upon replay review. The Buckeyes still forced a punt, and Meyer played for overtime. Barrett was not particularly solid in the first half—nor was the offense as a whole—as Ohio State trailed 16-6 after 30 minutes. But the redshirt junior put together a winning performance when it mattered, with two touchdown rushes and the pass to Brown to keep bringing Ohio State back when Wisconsin thought it had killed it.
“I've been lucky, you look at the some of the quarterbacks I've been blessed to coach and been around,” Meyer said. “I know in that situation, that's who I want behind center. He didn't play his best game. When he does it's incredible.”
No, Barrett didn't play his best but he evaded pressure on numerous occasions and made plays to move the chains and put his team in a position to score. More than once, T.J. Watt had a hand or two on the quarterback, only to see Barrett duck out of it and run for a few yards or fire a strike to Dontre Wilson, Marcus Baugh, Parris Campbell and more. Not too many players can do that in college football.
“It's terrible, especially when I know it was me,” Watt said. ”I was back there so many times, especially on third and long, had him in my grasp completely and that leads to a touchdown. Certain plays like that, where you know it's on you, it sucks and I take full responsibility.”
“Thought he also made some big throws, clutch throws in hard situations,” Chryst said. “We got some pressure early, but I don't think we did much at the end. Even overtime, we had some opportunities for some lost-yardage plays. We didn't. They did make those plays. He's a heck of a player, J.T. I'm talking about.”
Barrett served as the beacon of consistency and resiliency, bouncing back from a third quarter interception in the end zone when his pass sailed over James Clark's head as a driving rain pounded the turf. He said it slipped out of his hands but wouldn't use the weather as an excuse.
“I can't do that. I've got big enough hands.”
His hands were all over the Ohio State comeback and eventual victory. Wins like Ohio State's over Wisconsin, on the road, at night, in overtime can draw a team closer together. The Buckeyes are convinced that's what happened on Saturday night.
“Something that stuck with me was after the game when Pat Elflein stood up and said he's played in a lot of big games, he's been a part of a lot of teams and he's never really felt a feeling quite like this,” Hubbard said. “With the brotherhood and how much we care about each other. That's just something that really stuck with me and is going to keep me going.”
“The bond that we have as a team is strong,” Holmes added. “We don't give up on each other, we count on one another to make a play. I just feel like that's a great team win. That's a brotherhood win.”
“We’re going to punch, scratch, claw, until the clock hits zero,” Pat Elflein said. “We’re going to fight until the end.”
“Takes another step in our journey,” Billy Price said. “This isn't a sprint, this is a journey. Each game, each week is a journey and this is another step for us.”
Ohio State's next step is in a similar situation, a week from Saturday at Penn State. The Nittany Lions are nowhere near on the same level as Wisconsin, though still will welcome the Buckeyes to yet another hostile environment.
Two years ago, Barrett led the Buckeyes to a double overtime victory after Ohio State blew a 17-0 first-half lead. He led them again on Saturday night and who knows—might have to do it again in State College.
Whatever happens, notching a victory like the one over the Badgers won't do anything but help Meyer's young team grow the way he wants it to.
“They did some good things against us. That's a very good coaching staff. They had two weeks to prepare and you could tell,” he said. “We've got another situation coming up here with that. Another bye week team on the road. Some indicators that it was going to be a bad ending but on our sideline, you just couldn't tell. It's just what you would do. Just what good, close football teams do. Hang in there and keep swinging.”
“It’s amazing to see the culture, it’s like a freight train. It just keeps going,” Elflein added. “Guys jump on the train and it keeps going. It’s pretty cool to see.”
And while Ohio State must continue to improve, especially throwing the ball, it has an Ace in the hole with Barrett and a culture lurching it ever forward as Meyer now stands an astonishing 56-4 as the head man in Columbus.
“I think we're at a good place. I know today at first it looked a little slow but I think we executed pretty well. I know we had a couple sacks,” Barrett said. “Other than that I think I did the best I could as far as breaking out, keeping plays alive and we did the scramble drill that we practiced. I think we're at a good place and just gotta continue to get better.”
