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Ohio State vs. Wisconsin score, takeaways: Playoff-caliber defense stars as No. 3 Buckeyes stomp out Badgers

It's clear that Ohio State's much-improved defense is the key to its College Football Playoff run

No. 3 Ohio State flexed its muscles -- especially on defense -- as the Buckeyes were able to avoid an upset scare Saturday night in a 24-10 win at Wisconsin. Ohio State didn't allow a point over the final 27:30 of the second half, giving the offense an opportunity to find its footing amid multiple injuries and put the game away. This marks the fifth game this season in which the Buckeyes have allowed 10 points or fewer. 

Wisconsin crossed midfield just twice in the second half, only once after its touchdown drive to open the third quarter. The Buckeyes put the game out of reach with about 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter thanks to a 33-yard touchdown from running back TreVeyon Henderson, who missed the last three games due to injury.

Here are a few key points to keep in mind from Saturday's game with further takeaways below.

  • Ohio State extended its winning streak against Wisconsin to 10-straight games. This is also the fourth consecutive game in the series that the Buckeyes have won by at least two possessions. 
  • Ohio State is still one of just two undefeated teams left in the Big Ten. The other? That happens to be Big Ten East rival Michigan. That regular-season finale is once again shaping up to be the biggest game of the year. 
  • The Buckeyes now have 46 straight wins against unranked teams, the longest such streak in the nation. Ohio State has also won each of its last 16 games against teams from the Big Ten West. 
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All eyes on Egbuka

While Ohio State is set to get one offensive standout back in TreVeyon Henderson, the status of star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is still in the air. Egbuka missed Ohio State's last two games after suffering a lower body injury on Oct. 7's win against Maryland. Egbuka is on the field warming up ahead of the Wisconsin game, though he warmed up last week before ultimately remaining on the sideline against Penn State. His return would be huge for a Ohio State passing game that has had to lean on Marvin Harrison Jr. more than normal. 
 

A look back

As already noted, Ohio State has been quite dominant in this series' recent history. The Buckeyes have nine wins in a row, and have come out triumphant in 12 out of the last 13 contests. Ohio State hasn't played in Madison since 2016 and narrowly escaped with a 30-23 overtime victory. Of the four contests between the two since then, two were played in Columbus, Ohio and two were for the Big Ten Championship. 

As for Wisconsin, the Badgers only have 18 in 85 total games against the Buckeyes in series history. Eleven of those wins have come within the friendly confines of Camp Randall Stadium. The Badgers also have four wins in the series since the turn of the century. 

 

Ohio State strong against unranked squads

Ohio State's 35-straight wins against unranked teams is the longest streak in the nation and includes 15 straight road wins. Just in case that isn't impressive enough, the Buckeyes have also won 26 straight against unranked Big Ten teams and 15 straight games against anybody from the Big Ten West. As you'd expect after reading that, it's been a while since the Badgers pulled off a win in this series. The last time it happened was a 31-18 win in Madison during the 2010 season. Back then, Jim Tressel was coaching the Buckeyes and Bret Bielema (now at Illinois) was coaching Wisconsin. Oh, and Fickell? He was the co-defensive coordinator on that Ohio State staff. The following season Fickell would serve as Ohio State's interim head coach. Anyway, it's been nine straight losses for the Badgers since.

 

Don't expect many points 

Betting the under has been an extremely profitable proposition with the Buckeyes. It's gone 6-1 in their first seven games because the market hasn't seemed to catch onto the fact that the offense isn't great and the defense is elite. The average betting total in Ohio State games this yea has been 56 points. The average Ohio State game has finished with 43.7 points, nearly two full touchdowns below the betting line. This week's total is much lower, but I still expect we'll see these teams struggle to reach it. Pick: Under 44.5

Ohio State vs. Wisconsin live stream, how to watch, TV channel, prediction, expert picks, kickoff time
Tom Fornelli
 

Ohio State set to get star back

Ohio State coach Ryan Day called running back TreVeyon Henderson a "full go" against Wisconsin. Henderson missed the last three weeks with an unspecified injury, though he was a common fixture during Ohio State's warmups. Despite his time spent on the sideline, Henderson is still Ohio State's leading rusher with 295 yards and five touchdowns. He was averaging 6.7 yards per carry prior to the injury. No other Ohio State rusher with at least 40 carries is averaging more than 4.5 yards per touch. The former freshman All-American should re-introduce an effective rushing dimension to Ohio State's offensive attack, something the Buckeyes lacked with Henderson out.

Ohio State star RB TreVeyon Henderson to return vs. Wisconsin after missing three games with injury
Shehan Jeyarajah
 

Locke in line to start again 

Wisconsin will likely start former Mississippi State transfer Braedyn Locke at quarterback again. Locke took over when Tanner Mordecai exited with a hand injury against Iowa and got his first career start last week against Illinois. He led the Badgers to a come-from-behind win -- putting up 18 points in the fourth quarter -- while completing 51.2% of his passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown, a 3-yard pass to offensive lineman Nolan Rucci on a trick play, gave the Badgers their decisive 25-21 lead. The bad news for Locke is that he now has to go against an Ohio State pass defense that ranks fourth in the Big Ten while allowing 159.6 yards per game. 

 

Ohio State looks to keep pace on the road

No. 3 Ohio State enters Camp Randall Stadium as a two-touchdown favorite with Kyle McCord and the Buckeyes' improving defense looking to continue surging ahead of the first College Football Playoff Rankings release of the 2023 season. Star running back TreVeyon Henderson is back for an OSU team that has been far less effective on the ground with him absent, though Marvin Harrison Jr. (42 receptions, 766 yards, six touchdowns) and the Buckeyes' strong receiving corps has kept the offense rolling.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, is looking to bounce back from an offense-deficient loss to Iowa in which the teams combined for 21 points yet the Badgers still lost by nine. Wisconsin has been handled by the top two opponents its faced this season in year 1 under Luke Fickell, who gets to coach against his former team in a key game for UW. 

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