Three Key Stats: Ohio State Bottles Wisconsin Up While Getting Loose for 52 Points on the Badgers

That was easy.

In what was expected to be a tough test to start Big Ten play, Ohio State rolled Wisconsin 52-21 at home Saturday night, notching the Buckeyes' ninth straight win against the Badgers, and it was never really in doubt.

31 Points

Ohio State scored on their first five possessions of the game, jumping out to a 31-7 second-quarter lead, effectively ending this one before the half.

The Buckeyes took their opening possession 88 yards, capping it with a two-yard Miyan Williams touchdown run. Not long after, Tanner McCalister picked off Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz on Wisconsin's first drive of the game, and two plays later, C.J. Stroud found tight end Cade Stover for a 13-yard touchdown to make it 14-0 six minutes in.

Stover caught a two-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-0 in the first quarter on Ohio State's next possession, and Williams found the end zone again early in the second to push the Buckeyes' lead to 28-0. The Badgers put seven on the board midway through the second to cut Ohio State's lead to 28-7, but kicker Noah Ruggles tacked on a field goal at the end of a 68-yard drive for the 31-7 Ohio State halftime lead.

47 Yards

Since the dawn of time, Wisconsin's identity has been road pavers clearing the way for great running backs. The Badgers entered Ohio Stadium with all of the elements in place to establish that identity against the Buckeyes: sensational sophomore running back Braelon Allen and a physical offensive front facing a defense that's still a work in progress.

Allen's final numbers were noteworthy, as he finished with 165 yards – the first back to top 100 yards against Ohio State this season – and a 75-yard fourth-quarter touchdown, but most of his damage came when the game was out of hand.

Ohio State held the Badgers to a meager 47 first-half rushing yards on 16 carries – 2.9 a pop – taking Wisconsin out of their game plan early and holding Wisconsin scoreless on eight of the Badgers' first nine drives.

121 & 101 Yards

While Ohio State was stuffing Wisconsin's run game, the Buckeyes were getting loose when they had the ball. Running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams each topped 100 yards on the night, with the Buckeyes putting up 181 first-half rushing yards on the Badger defense.

Henderson led the Buckeyes with 121 yards on 21 carries (5.8 per rush) while Williams finished with 101 yards and two touchdowns on 11 rushes (9.2 per).

The pair gave the Buckeyes two runners with 100 or more yards in a game for the first time since 2020 when Trey Sermon (112) and Justin Fields (104) ran wild in a 52-12 win at Michigan State.

Ohio State finished with 258 rushing yards – at a clip of 6.0 per run – against the Badgers Saturday night.

Bonus Stats

The 52 points were the fourth-most the Buckeyes have ever scored against the Badgers (62 in 1969, 59 in 2014 and 1979, 56 in 1975, and 52 in 1974)… Ohio State improved to 26–7 in alternate uniforms and 4–0 when wearing black uniforms… With five touchdown passes Saturday night, C.J. Stroud now has 60 for his career, three off of Justin Fields' 63 for second in the Ohio State record book (J.T. Barrett's Big Ten record 104 touchdown passes is the school record)… Since 2014, Ohio State leads the nation with a .925 winning percentage in conference play… Tight end Cade Stover finished with a career-high four receptions and scored his first two touchdowns as a Buckeye… Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka has a touchdown catch in every game this season for Ohio State and has topped 100 yards in three-straight games… Linebacker Tommy Eichenberg had a team-best 14 tackles against the Badgers… Ohio State has scored 20 or more points in 65 consecutive games – Oklahoma holds the FBS record, scoring 20 or more in 69-straight games from 2016 to 2021… Braelon Allen's 75-yard touchdown run is the longest from a Wisconsin running back against Ohio State since at least 1960… With the loss, Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz fell to 2–7 against ranked opponents.