Top-ranked Ohio State has dominated in recent years against Wisconsin, and there is little to suggest a change when the undefeated Buckeyes visit Madison, Wis., for a Big Ten matchup on Saturday afternoon.
The Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) defeated then-No. 17 Illinois 34-16 on Saturday, the first time a Buckeyes opponent has reached double digits in points this season.
Wisconsin (2-4, 0-3) is coming off an embarrassing 37-0 loss to Iowa in the Badgers’ first home shutout defeat since 1980.
Ohio State has won 10 straight games vs. the Badgers, whose most recent victory in the series was 31-18 at home in 2010 over the then-No. 1 Buckeyes.
“I think it’s important for us to recognize that this will be our third game on the road in four games,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. “This is a big focus for us, this four-week window, and we want to make sure we finish this thing strong because I felt like going in, we’d have an idea of what type of team we had.”
Ohio State’s dominance is reflected in the stat sheet, especially on defense. The Buckeyes average 36.8 points per game and allow a nation-leading 6.8 points. They average 421.5 yards total offense, while giving up 229.0, tied for fourth nationally.
The Buckeyes’ defense has given up just two red-zone touchdowns in 11 opportunities.
Quarterback Julian Sayin has thrown for 1,479, with 15 touchdown passes and three interceptions. Jeremiah Smith is the top target with 40 catches, 505 yards and seven scores.
Bo Jackson leads the ground game with 407 yards at 7.0 yards per carry, with two touchdowns. CJ Donaldson has 237 yards with a team-high six rushing touchdowns.
The Badgers’ offense is anemic, at best. Wisconsin had just 209 total yards vs. Iowa.
After non-descript opening victories over Miami (Ohio) and Middle Tennessee State, the Badgers have dropped four straight games, scoring just 34 points over that span.
“It’s really hard to dwell upon the things from last week,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said Monday. “That doesn’t mean we didn’t address them. … But with what sits in front of us in particular this week, it’s really hard to spend a whole lot of time dwelling upon last week.”
Starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., a senior transfer from Maryland, got hurt in the opener, backup Danny O’Neil was ineffective, and third-stringer Hunter Simmons has started the last two games. He completed 8 of 21 passes for 82 yards against Iowa, with two interceptions.
Wisconsin, once known as Running Back U., producing backs such as Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon and Ron Dayne, is averaging 112.2 yards per game on the ground at 3.1 yards per carry and just five touchdowns.
Leading rusher Dilin Jones averages just 47.7 yards per game, with a long run of 16.
“They play hard and they’re well-coached,” Day said. “I think maybe the easy thing to do is to look at their record or look at maybe what happened last week. But that’s not the case, and this is a team that has good players and is playing very hard.”
