Ohio State vs. Wisconsin football recap

Ohio State gets 20-17 road win @ Wisconsin

Crunch time arrived Saturday night at Camp Randall Stadium with 6:26 remaining, when the Ohio State Buckeyes faced a 17-13 deficit against host Wisconsin and needed to drive 80 yards for a game-winning score.

The Badgers had just taken the lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by P.J. Hill, and the Buckeyes had returned the ensuing kickoff to the 20-yard line. As a packed house of 81,608 fans rocked Wisconsin's venerable gridiron venue, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor focused upon the task at hand.

“Everyone is saying, ‘This is why you’re here, we believe in you,’” Pryor said later, recalling his teammates' words of encouragement.

The 6-foot-6, 235-pound freshman from Jeannette, Pa., then went to work, leading the Buckeyes on a 12-play march that culminated when he ran 11 yards for the decisive touchdown with 1:08 left.

“It was a battle, and we were fortunate to be able to take it down that last drive and make some plays,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said following his team's 20-17 victory.

During the Buckeyes' final possession, Pryor completed passes of 19 and 27 yards to Brian Hartline to advance into Wisconsin territory. After a 13-yard strike from Pryor to Ray Small set up a third-and-1 from the Badgers 15, Pryor rumbled for 2 yards for a key first down.

Two plays later, Pryor rolled out to the left with running back Chris “Beanie” Wells trailing him.

“We thought they were going to blitz,” Tressel said, “and you know we love to run option versus blitz, and actually they didn’t get lined up. And we were saying, 'Snap it! Snap it!' because there wasn’t anyone over there.”

Rather than pitch the ball to Wells, Pryor kept it, sprinting around left end for the touchdown.

“It was a gimme for him to keep it,” Wells said. “The cornerback came and took me and the lane was right there wide open for him.”

The Buckeyes (5-1 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) had to overcome their own mistakes during the game-winning drive. Pryor and Wells muffed a handoff exchange on the fourth play of the possession, resulting in a 5-yard loss when Pryor fell on the loose ball. Hartline then fumbled after his 27-yard catch, but receiver Brian Robiskie was there to recover it. Three plays later, Pryor held the ball and was sacked for a 4-yard loss, setting up a second-and-14 from the Wisconsin 28.

But that's when Pryor took charge, completing the 13-yard pass to Small, then running the ball himself on the next play for the first down. A 2-yard run by Wells gave the Buckeyes a second-and-8 from the 11, and Pryor followed with his game-winning touchdown dash.

“It was incredible the way he handled himself that last drive,” Wells said about Pryor, who finished the game with 144 yards passing and 20 net yards rushing. “It was great for our team and for that young guy. He is a special player and has so many great things ahead of him.”

Wells, the 6-1, 237-pound junior tailback from Akron, rushed for 168 yards on 22 carries. He scored the game's first touchdown on a 33-yard run on the Buckeyes' opening possession.

Wisconsin tied it at 7-7 in the second quarter on a 9-yard pass from Allan Evridge to Mickey Turner, and the Badgers took a 10-7 lead on a 20-yard field goal by Philip Welch with one second left before halftime.

Ryan Pretorius kicked a 21-yard field goal in the third quarter for Ohio State, and he added a 34-yarder with 10:52 left in the fourth.

Wisconsin (3-2, 0-2) answered with a 63-yard drive, capped by Hill's 2-yard touchdown run, to move in front by a score of 17-13.

Following the kickoff, the stage was set for Pryor, as the Buckeyes took over at their own 20 with 6:26 showing on the clock.

“When (Coach Tressel) told me it was a big drive, I didn’t want to let him down,” Pryor said.

Twelve plays and 80 yards later, the mission was accomplished, as the freshman quarterback crossed the goal line to lead the Buckeyes to victory in this early-season Big Ten showdown.

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