His team fresh off a bye and ranked No. 8 in the country, Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst met with assembled media Monday afternoon to preview the Badgers' primetime matchup under the lights of Camp Randall with No. 2 Ohio State.
The game will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, and ESPN College GameDay will be on hand to stoke the pregame atmosphere.
Presser notes:
- "We got a lot out of the bye week. Looking forward to a chance to be back home and play Ohio State. It will be fun for the kids and we need to have a good week of preparation."
- Chryst expects an "electric" atmosphere at Camp Randall, but "it's up to us to give the fans some energy."
- QB Alex Hornibrook didn't play well in a loss to Michigan, but Chryst is "very confident he'll be himself." Later added offensive line play will factor into that performance as well. Badgers' OL lineup isn't set in stone.
- Has the running game been explosive as he'd like? "No. We've been very inconsistent." Noted one problem is his players are searching for explosive runs instead of taking what the defense gives them.
- "[Ohio State's defense] has players that understand their role in their defense. They've got really talented players. ... I think all good defenses are like that." Also praised its ball skills.
- "What [Urban Meyer] has done there has been really impressive. That doesn't just happen." What separates him from others is the longevity of success despite losing players to NFL.
- On the challenges of facing J.T. Barrett: "He's a really good quarterback. He looks to me like has a great understanding of what they're trying to do. ... He's a point guard, and he's a really good one."
- On Wisconsin safeties D'Cota Dixon and Leo Musso: "They have things they can improve on, but I like what they've done. ... They'll be challenged this week."
- On Ohio State not surrendering a defensive touchdown: "It's a good scheme. It's a sound football scheme. They've got guys that play it well, and they're playing with confidence. They play fast and they get off blocks. They're keeping teams [out of the red zone]. They're doing things at the start of the drive to prevent teams from getting down the field. ... You can see why people are having a hard time scoring on them."
- What will it take for RB Corey Clement to break out? "Looking back over the first few games, there are some times we've been inconsistent up front, but there are other times he's been impatient." It was good for Clement to see the film over the break.
- Injured OLB Vince Biegel "may not play but he's vested in this group. He'll do whatever he can to help the group prepare for the Buckeyes."
