Ohio State prevailed 59-0 in the Big Ten Championship Game, though there was some level of anxiety before kickoff. Ohio State was starting the preseason third-string quarterback against the country's no. 2 total defense. Cardale Jones gave Ohio State fans reason to believe by leading a six-play, 77-yard touchdown drive that was capped with this strike to Devin Smith.
Ohio State's second drive was a three-and-out that went -9 yards. The next possession went much better: two plays for 93 yards. Ezekiel Elliott had 81 of them and the touchdown.
Ohio State added a field goal and two more touchdowns. One touchdown was a 44-yard strike to Devin Smith and the other was a 14-yard run by Ezekiel Elliott. This was their second touchdowns of the game.
However, Wisconsin felt like it had a puncher's chance, albeit the scorecard may have already been too great for Wisconsin to overcome. With a Heisman finalist at running back, Wisconsin could conceivably claw back into the game with some help from Ohio State. That hope was dashed with less than a minute before halftime.
Four plays into its penultimate drive of the half, Michael Bennett punched the ball from Melvin Gordon behind the line of scrimmage. Joey Bosa was the only person there to recover it for another Ohio State touchdown.
Ohio State's offense stalled a bit in the third quarter until Devin Smith decided he needed to clown Wisconsin's secondary again for his third touchdown of the game.
A few scores later, the only intrigue that remained was when Urban Meyer would get his Gatorade bath. That came with a minute and a half remaining.
