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Even though he’s midway through his seventh year on Ohio State’s coaching staff, Ryan Day has never coached at Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium.
The Buckeyes haven’t been to Madison since 2016, the year before Day became Ohio State’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, which means Saturday’s game against the Badgers will be Day’s first time ever coaching in Camp Randall. But Day is well aware of its reputation as one of the toughest places to play in college football.
Given that, Day says the Buckeyes have been preparing themselves all year for the challenge of playing Wisconsin on the road just one week after hosting Penn State at home.
“We knew when we saw Wisconsin on the schedule that this was going to be a challenging game,” Day said Monday. “We knew coming off of the Penn State game, but also just Camp Randall is one of the better places in college football. And when we looked at Notre Dame, we looked at this one and we looked at the last one, we knew that we were gonna have to be road warriors this year. That these were going to be battles. And when you go on the road, it's (worth) about seven points. So we have to overcome that in this game. We've gotta have a great week of practice, and then we got to continue to build on that competitive stamina that we talk about.”
The Headlines
Avoiding the trap
If you were looking to cook up a trap game for Ohio State this season, this game has all the ingredients. Coming off of its biggest game of the season to date, the Buckeyes now have to go on the road to play in one of the Big Ten’s hostile environment against a 5-2 team that is unranked but still good enough to be dangerous.
Both of the Badgers’ losses have come by only nine points, and they’re 3-1 so far in conference play. They haven’t faced an opponent of Ohio State’s caliber – none of their first seven opponents are currently ranked – but they have a history of playing Ohio State tough. The Buckeyes needed overtime to beat Wisconsin in their last trip to Camp Randall Stadium in 2016, and seven of the last 10 meetings between the two schools have been decided by 13 points or fewer.
“First off, we know we're going into a really difficult environment, and they're going to be gassed up for this one. So we’re going to have to play well,” Day said. “And the goal this week for us is like it is every week, we want to play our best football to date. And I still think it's out there.”
That said, Ohio State has won its last nine games against Wisconsin. And trap games have been a non-issue for the Buckeyes through Day’s first four-and-a-half years as head coach. While Ohio State’s losses to Iowa in 2017 and Purdue in 2018 are frequently recalled as reminders of what can happen if the Buckeyes don’t perform on the road – and both of those games came around the same time of the year, with the Iowa loss also coming one week after a closely contested win over Penn State – the Buckeyes are 34-0 in games against unranked opponents since Day became Ohio State’s head coach in 2019.
Ohio State just needs to continue those trends to improve to 8-0 this weekend.
Fickell faces his alma mater
If the sign-stealing scandal up north wasn’t dominating headlines in Columbus right now, the week’s most popular talking point likely would have been the impending matchup between the Buckeyes and one of their own as Luke Fickell prepares to face Ohio State for the first time as Wisconsin’s coach.
Fickell has a storied history as both a player and coach at Ohio State, as he was one of the Buckeyes’ all-time great defensive tackles, starting 50 consecutive games from 1993-96, then was a member of the Buckeyes’ coaching staff from 2002-16, including one season as interim head coach in 2011. But Fickell says he’s trying to keep his focus on his present role leading the Badgers rather than on his past as a Buckeye as he prepares for Saturday’s game.
“It’s not about me. I know we have some guys on our staff, myself included, that have some obvious history there, whether they went to school there or played there. But that’s not what it’s about,” Fickell said this week. “It’s about the players, it’s about our team, it’s about our program. It’s about the journey that we’re on and the process that we’re in.
“When the ball’s kicked off, that’ll have absolutely no effect on anything that happens on that field. And so we try to just focus on the things that are going to have the greatest effect on Saturday night.”
This won’t be the first time Fickell has coached against Ohio State; he previously did so in 2019 as the head coach at Cincinnati, suffering a 42-0 loss to the Buckeyes. As Akron’s defensive line coach in 2001, he was also on the losing end of a 28-14 game against the Buckeyes. Both of those games were played in Ohio Stadium, however, and this will be the first time Fickell goes head-to-head with his alma mater as the coach of a Power 5 team, as Cincinnati was a Group of 5 team for his six years coaching the Bearcats.
Run game still chasing improvement
As Day looks for his team to play its best football of the season to date against Wisconsin, one specific area where he’ll certainly be looking for improvement is with the Buckeyes’ rushing offense. Although it hasn’t yet cost Ohio State a game, the ground attack has been a clear weakness for the Buckeyes as they’ve been held under two yards per carry in two of their last three games and currently rank just 93rd nationally in rushing yards per attempt (3.85).
While Wisconsin has been known for stout run defenses in the past, the Badgers rank 67th nationally in yards allowed per rush (4.05) this season and have given up over 200 rushing yards in each of their last two games, so Saturday could be an opportunity for Ohio State to build some momentum on the ground – or raise more cause for concern if it doesn’t.
“We gotta execute better, we got to coach it better, and that's on us as coaches to get it done,” Day said. “So we'll work our tails off to get it done this week, because we need that balance, and we’ve gotta be able to do that.”
Ohio State’s running game should get a boost this week from the return of top running back TreVeyon Henderson, who has missed the Buckeyes’ last three games with an undisclosed injury. Day said Thursday that Henderson is “full-go” for the trip to Wisconsin, and his explosiveness will make the Buckeyes’ running game tougher to defend, as he leads OSU with 295 yards and five touchdowns on only 44 carries this season.
Day said Tuesday that he also expected to have starting wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and cornerback Denzel Burke back on the field this week after they missed the Penn State game, though he did not specifically address their status during his radio show as he did Henderson.
Keep An Eye on These Guys
RB Braelon Allen
Wisconsin’s offense has become more balanced in terms of passing plays and running plays under new offensive coordinator Phil Longo, but running the ball remains its strength. While the Badgers are currently playing a backup quarterback, Braedyn Locke, who has completed only 51 percent of his passing attempts, they have one of the nation’s best running backs.
With 704 rushing yards and eight touchdowns this season, Allen ranks second in the Big Ten in both categories. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound running back is a load to bring down, having already forced 41 missed tackles this season per Pro Football Focus, while he also has the speed to break off a long run, as evidenced by his 75-yard run against the Buckeyes last year.
75 yards, untouched, to the end zone. @BraelonAllen x @BadgerFootball pic.twitter.com/SxfGhyGNuK
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 25, 2022
“When he gets going, he can get a big, long run, I don't think you see that for a dude that size to have that kind of breakaway speed,” Ohio State safety Sonny Styles said. “I think the biggest thing is just wrapping him up. You're not going to try and hit him up high, you can't come reaching, he's gonna give you a stiff arm. So you gotta be a sure tackler and it's gonna be a swarm to the ball, all 11 (defenders).”
S Hunter Wohler
In his first year as a starter, Wohler has emerged as the star of Wisconsin’s defense, leading the Badgers with 70 tackles – the second-most in the Big Ten this season – and also recording two interceptions in their win over Georgia Southern.
With high grades in both tackling and coverage, Wohler has the ninth-highest overall grade (87.3) among FBS safeties this season from PFF. He’s a big reason why Wisconsin ranks among the national leaders in not allowing big plays with only 21 plays of 20-plus yards and seven plays of 30-plus yards given up this year, and the Badgers might need him to make some big plays of his own to have a chance to upset the Buckeyes.
CB Ricardo Hallman
The other standout in Wisconsin’s secondary is Hallman, who leads the Big Ten and is tied for fourth in the FBS with four interceptions this year. Those four picks include a 95-yard interception return against Rutgers, underscoring that opponents need to be careful when throwing the ball his way.
ARE YOU SERIOUS?! @ricardohallman6 runs 95-yards for a pick six for @BadgerFootball
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 7, 2023
: Peacock pic.twitter.com/Z8JpyvABbM
Hallman has been strong in coverage for the Badgers all season, allowing only 16 catches on 30 targets for 203 yards across seven games. He’s been particularly strong in Wisconsin’s past four games, allowing only six catches for 39 yards on 16 targets.
If the Badgers are going to have a chance to slow down Marvin Harrison Jr., they’re going to need a great performance out of Hallman, who will likely draw the assignment of matching up with Ohio State’s superstar wideout for most of the game.
Game Week Talk
“I think they’re more talented than maybe four or five years ago, even when we played them.”– Luke Fickell on Ohio State
The 2019 team that beat Fickell’s Bearcats 42-0 was Ohio State’s best team since its 2014 national championship team, so it’s high praise that Fickell believes this year’s Buckeyes are more talented than that squad was.
“Everybody doing their job is all it takes to win, so I think that’s the main focus this week. Not trying to put too much emphasis on we’re the underdogs or try not to make them better or kind of blow them up into something that they’re not. They’re a team that’s beatable, and we just have to do our jobs to the best of our ability.”– Braelon Allen
It’s rare for Wisconsin to be an underdog by more than two touchdowns as it is entering this game, but Allen says the Badgers still believe they can upset Ohio State.
“I like playing away games. I feel like the villain walking in their house. So I'm definitely excited. I've never been up there to Madison, so I think it'll be a good experience.”– Ohio State safety Josh Proctor
In a year where the Buckeyes are playing six regular-season road games, this has been a common refrain from Ohio State players ahead of games away from home. The Buckeyes are embracing the villain role they play when going to opponents’ stadiums, and it’s worked for them so far.
| Ohio State | Pos | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| OFFENSE | ||
| KYLE MCCORD | QB | BRAEDYN LOCKE |
| TREVEYON HENDERSON | RB | BRAELON ALLEN |
| MARVIN HARRISON JR. | WR | CHIMERE DIKE |
| JULIAN FLEMING | WR | BRYSON GREEN |
| EMEKA EGBUKA | WR | WILL PAULLING |
| CADE STOVER | TE | HAYDEN RUCCI |
| JOSH SIMMONS | LT | JACK NELSON |
| DONOVAN JACKSON | LG | JOE HUBER |
| CARSON HINZMAN | C | TANOR BORTOLINI |
| MATT JONES | RG | MICHAEL FURTNEY |
| JOSH FRYAR | RT | RILEY MAHLMAN |
| DEFENSE | ||
| JT TUIMOLOAU | DE | RODAS JOHNSON |
| MIKE HALL | NT | GIO PAEZ |
| TYLEIK WILLIAMS | DT/DE | JAMES THOMPSON JR. |
| JACK SAWYER | DE/OLB | DARRYL PETERSON |
| STEELE CHAMBERS | LB | MAEMA NJONGMETA |
| TOMMY EICHENBERG | LB | JAKE CHANEY |
| SONNY STYLES | NB/OLB | C.J. GOETZ |
| DENZEL BURKE | CB | RICARDO HALLMAN |
| DAVISON IGBINOSUN | CB | ALEXANDER SMITH |
| JOSH PROCTOR | FS | KAMO’I LATU |
| LATHAN RANSOM | SS | HUNTER WOHLER |
Get Smart
- Ohio State has a 62-18-5 all-time record against Wisconsin. The Buckeyes have not lost to the Badgers since 2010, when they suffered a 31-18 loss in Madison.
- Starting center Carson Hinzman is Ohio State’s only player from Wisconsin.
- Wisconsin’s roster includes 11 players from Ohio. Five of them are starters: left guard Joe Huber, defensive ends Rodas Johnson and James Thompson Jr., outside linebacker Darryl Peterson and kicker Nathaniel Vakos.
- Former Ohio State linebackers Tuf Borland and Chris Worley are both members of Wisconsin’s staff; Borland is a defensive graduate assistant for the Badgers while Worley is their director of player development.
- The Wisconsin game will be Ohio State’s second 7:30 p.m. game televised by NBC this season. The Buckeyes’ 17-14 win over Notre Dame in their final game of September also aired on NBC in primetime. Ohio State will play a third 7:30 game on NBC when it hosts Michigan State on Nov. 11.
How It Plays Out
Line: Ohio State -14.5, O/U 45.5
Wisconsin has won more than 80 percent of its games at Camp Randall Stadium over the past 10 years. Ohio State has a track record of struggling one week after playing Penn State, and one can’t help but wonder if the Buckeyes might be a tad distracted by the scandal happening in Ann Arbor – even if they’re saying all the right things. And one can expect Fickell to have his team dialed in for the chance to make a statement against a program he knows very well.
All of those are reasons to think Saturday night’s game could end up being a tighter affair than it should be, and the Buckeyes could put themselves on upset alert if they aren’t careful. But this game really shouldn’t be too close, at least not by the end, if Ohio State plays well.
More Ohio State vs. Wisconsin Coverage
On paper, the Buckeyes have a clear advantage over the Badgers, especially when Ohio State’s defense is on the field. The Buckeyes haven’t allowed any opponent to score more than 17 points all year, and they’ve already played four teams (Penn State, Notre Dame, Maryland and Western Kentucky) who average more points per game than Wisconsin.
Wisconsin’s defense, meanwhile, has been statistically only slightly better than Maryland, who allowed the Buckeyes to score 37 points. The Terps held Ohio State to only one offensive touchdown before the fourth quarter, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see some similarly tough sledding for the Buckeye offense in this game when factoring in the road night game environment. But a better Wisconsin defense gave up 52 points to the Buckeyes last year, and this year’s Badger defense gave up 31 points to the only offense comparable to Ohio State (Washington State) that it’s faced so far this season.
With all of that in mind, we expect the Buckeyes to cover the spread and improve to 8-0 on the season with a win over the Badgers on Saturday night.
| Eleven Warriors Staff Prediction | ||||
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31 | 13 |
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