The University of Wisconsin football team battled the third-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes tooth and nail in front of a sellout crowd at Camp Randall Stadium.
Saturday night, Ohio State dominated play for the most part, but the Badgers forced three turnovers to stay in the contest and will regain possession of the ball after trailing 10-3 at the half
These are three first-half observations that I have made.
Badgers complicate matters.
The talent gap in this game made it difficult for Wisconsin to defeat Ohio State already, but the Badgers are making things more difficult for themselves. The Badgers’ errors, which started with an out-of-bounds kickoff and continued with fumbles, dropped passes, and jumping offside, are making things more difficult than they already are.The University of Wisconsin football team battled the third-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes tooth and nail in front of a sellout crowd at Camp Randall Stadium.
Saturday night, Ohio State dominated play for the most part, but the Badgers forced three turnovers to stay in the contest and will regain possession of the ball after trailing 10-3 at the half.
The worst sequence started when Wisconsin was placed in Buckeyes territory following a 35-yard punt return by Chimere Dike. When the Buckeyes jumped offside on a third-and-five, the Badgers failed to snap the ball, which would have resulted in a free play. Wisconsin ultimately received a delay on that play. Third-and-10 resulted in an incomplete throw, and Nathanial Vakos missed a 54-yard field goal.
By forcing two turnovers in the first quarter, a fumble off a sack and an interception in the red zone, and another interception in the second quarter, Wisconsin’s defense has contributed to somewhat offsetting the Badgers’ mistakes. On the final drive of the half, the offense finally got going and managed to convert a third and 13 before settling for a field goal with one minute remaining in the half.
The Wisconsin defense has mostly responded to the Buckeyes’ frequent runs that have forced the Badgers to the edge. Though it hasn’t been flawless—defenders have given up a little too much ground when forcing runners back inside—the Badgers’ edge defense has been superior to what we’ve seen so far this season.
In an attempt to turn the corner, Ohio State is utilizing a sweep play to receiver Xavier Johnson, but thus far, it hasn’t produced much of an explosion. Anticipate a counterplay by the Buckeyes, which might involve a reverse or a pass off this play.
After fumbling on two of his first three carries, it became evident that the Buckeyes were going to assault the ball in running back Braelon Allen’s hands. On both occasions, a defender wrapped up Allen while another tore at the ball.
Allen is too large and powerful for the ball to be torn away in such a manner. Running the ball is still a possibility if he puts it on the ground again, but Wisconsin has managed to stay in the game this far.
