Ohio State vs. Wisconsin football preview

#14 Ohio State travels to face #18 Wisconsin in key Big Ten matchup

The last time Ohio State and Wisconsin squared off under the lights in Madison, the host Badgers scored a 17-10 upset of the Buckeyes in a swirling autumn cauldron at Camp Randall Stadium.

“The thing I remember is the rain was going sideways,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said this week, recalling the conditions on the night of Oct. 11, 2003, when the Badgers ended the Buckeyes’ 19-game winning streak.

The Buckeyes were ranked third at the time and were coming off their national championship season of 2002. The Badgers, who were ranked 23rd, tallied the winning touchdown with 5:20 remaining on a 79-yard pass from backup quarterback Matt Schabert to star receiver Lee Evans.

Ohio State returns to the scene of that bitter defeat this Saturday evening for an early-season Big Ten showdown against the Badgers. The game, which begins at 8 p.m. EDT, will be televised by ABC.

“Knowing our guys, they’ll be energized by the atmosphere because it will be loud and it will be fun and the hitting will be stepped up just because of all the energy,” Tressel said, referring to the aura at the 91-year-old, 80,000-seat gridiron cathedral that is Camp Randall Stadium.

The Buckeyes (4-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) are ranked 14th in the Associated Press poll and 12th in the USA Today/AFCA coaches’ poll. Wisconsin (3-1, 0-1) is rated 18th by the AP and 17th by the coaches.

Ohio State is coming off its most impressive performance of the season, a 34-21 victory over previously undefeated Minnesota in the Big Ten opener. Freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor ran for two touchdowns and threw for another in his second start for the Buckeyes, after having passed for four scores the previous week against Troy.

The game against Minnesota marked the return of OSU tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells, who had missed the previous three contests after suffering a toe injury in the season opener against Youngstown State. Wells (a 6-1, 237-pound junior from Akron) rushed for 106 yards on 14 carries against the Gophers.

Wisconsin opened Big Ten play last week with a 27-25 loss at Michigan. The Badgers built a 19-0 lead before the Wolverines rallied in the second half.

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Wisconsin quarterback Allan Evridge completed 20 of 37 passes for 226 yards and touchdown in the game against Michigan. He also threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter by the Wolverines’ John Thompson. Running back P.J. Hill led the Badgers on the ground with 70 yards rushing on 22 carries.

The Wisconsin offense is averaging 218.5 yards per game on the ground and 195 yards through the air, while Ohio State is averaging 186.6 yards rushing and 152.8 yards passing. Both teams have been stingy in rushing defense, with the Buckeyes allowing just 95.2 yards per game and the Badgers surrendering 108.8. Ohio State has allowed 156.6 passing yards per contest, while Wisconsin has given up 196.8 yards a game through the air.

The Buckeyes defeated Wisconsin last year, 38-17, scoring 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of the Nov. 3 game in Columbus. They’ll try to make it two in a row over the Badgers on Saturday night, when they line up in the less-friendly confines of Camp Randall Stadium.

“We have often believed that Big Ten championships are certainly won on the road,” Tressel said. “There’s no way you’re going to win a championship if you can’t go on the road and come up with a big victory. So it’s a huge thing for us.”

Prediction: Ohio State 20, Wisconsin 17

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