1:09. Fumagalli catches a couple of tough passes to move the chains, and a pass to A.J. Taylor moves the ball into Ohio State territory. But a holding penalty throws on the brakes (and the refs pass on what looked like a defensive pass interference penalty on the same play, which Fox somehow decided not to replay), and that’s it. Hornibrook fires incomplete three times, a desperate fourth-and-20 pass is picked off by Damon Webb, and Ohio State will be your Big Ten champ.
Seriously, though, that really seemed like defensive pass interference.
2:59. The UW defense does its job ... with help. Two rushes gain just four yards and eat two timeouts, and then on an actually semi-daring play call (play action pass), Barrett throws a bad pass to Dobbins, who can’t reel in the pass. Wisconsin gets the ball back 21 seconds after it gave the ball up. The Badgers still have a timeout, too.
3:20. If you’re going to fail, fail quickly. Wisconsin moves the chains once, but on fourth-and-3 with 3:29 left, the Badgers elect to punt and put the game in the defense’s hands. That might prove too conservative, but with this defense (and this offense), it makes at least a little sense.
Lotti uncorks a 52-yarder that rolls out at the 12. They have all three timeouts.
5:20. Ohio State 27, Wisconsin 21. This is typically where Ohio State goes ultra-conservative, and the Buckeyes do ... sort of. Barrett completes a big third-and-4 pass to McLaurin, then converts a fourth-and-1 from the Wisconsin 13 that had no business working (the play call was insanely predictable, and the line got blown up, but Barrett, on one good leg, somehow plowed forward for the yard).
Given another fourth-and-1 from the 3, however, a spooked Meyer orders a field goal. It’s good, and Ohio State leads by six ... which means the Badgers can take the lead with a touchdown. No idea why they went for it on fourth-and-1 if they were just going to kick the field goal on the next fourth-and-1.
12:39. Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 21. The two-point conversion pass to Fumagalli is good. The Badgers are right back in this game once more.
12:39. Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 19. After a roughing the passer penalty, WE HAVE TRICKERY! After completing passes to running backs, Hornibrook catches a ball from one — a nine-yarder from Groshek to the OSU 4. Chris James sets up a first-and-goal from the 1, then dives in for the touchdown. Then we undergo a lengthy timeout to fix torn up artificial turf in the end zone.
Very Big Ten.
0:00. The third quarter ends with maybe Hornibrook’s attempt of the night, a flip (almost a chest pass) to Garrett Groshek for 17 yards on third-and-9. The burly running back takes the ball to the 23, where the Badgers will start the final quarter. Groshek is, I believe, the fourth running back to catch a pass from Hornibrook in this game.
2:07. INTERCEPTION. Only turnovers are keeping Wisconsin in this. As he’s getting hit, Barrett throws off target to Baugh on third-and-4, and an off-balance Baugh bats it to Wisconsin’s Leon Jacobs for the pick near midfield. Life again maybe!
3:10. Another Wisconsin three-and-out. On third-and-4, Hornibrook scrambles out of the pocket to his left and keeps waiting for someone to come open. No one does, and he’s sacked by Jerome Baker. After another decent return, Ohio State takes over at the UW 49.
5:21. Give Ohio State credit: the Buckeyes went for the throat. Johnnie Dixon can’t quite haul in a decent Barrett bomb for a touchdown, and OSU goes three-and-out from there, nearly avoiding a midfield pick in the process. After a nice punt, Wisconsin takes over at its 10, clinging to hope.
6:21. Yep, still waiting on some passing downs magic. Hornibrook just barely misses Davis for another huge gain on first down of Wisconsin’s ensuing drive, then Ramesh can’t haul in a screen. Hornibrook is sacked by Nick Bosa on third-and-10. Another three-and-out, and Ohio State takes over at the 44 after a nice K.J. Hill return. A touchdown would just about put this game away.
7:25. Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 13. Wisconsin is keeping as many bodies as possible near the line of scrimmage. It’s working most of the time, but when it doesn’t, Ohio State isn’t gaining 20 yards, the Buckeyes are gaining 50-plus. Dobbins breaks a 53-yarder to the Wisconsin 12, and while the drive stalls there, it still earns the Buckeyes a field goal try. A 27-yarder is good, and OSU’s back up by two possessions.
10:34. Ohio State 21, Wisconsin 13. Wisconsin really, really needs some of that Hornibrook passing downs magic. A gorgeous 33-yard catch by Davis moves the Badgers to the Buckeye 30, but it’s quickly third-and-7, and Hornibrook and Davis can’t connect again. Still, Gaglianone nails a 46-yard field goal, and Wisconsin is within eight points. Just hanging around.
13:26. Ohio State had a chance to put this game away by scoring before halftime, then scoring again to start the second half. No and no. The third quarter begins with Ohio State committing a holding penalty and going three-and-out. The Badgers will start their first possession of the half from their 23.
Some stats:
- Total yards: OSU 309, Wisconsin 159
- J.T. Barrett (OSU): 8-for-16, 182 yards, two touchdowns, one interception.
- Alex Hornibrook (UW): 8-for-16, 103 yards, one interception. Both QBs have missed some shots downfield. But Barrett also connected on one.
- J.K. Dobbins (OSU): six carries, 90 yards
- Jonathan Taylor (UW): 10 carries, 25 yards, and a 16-yard reception.
- Austin Ramesh (UW): two catches, 45 yards
0:00. Perfect clock management by Ohio State to end the half. The Buckeyes drive 49 yards, eat up the rest of the clock, and set up a 43-yard field goal attempt. Barrett, however, missed at least two wide open guys for touchdowns, and Wisconsin’s Nick Nelson blocks the field goal. Could’ve been 28-10, should’ve ben 24-10 ... it’s 21-10.
3:42. Ohio State 21, Wisconsin 10. Apparently Van Ginkel needed to take the ball into the end zone on that turnover. The offense can’t do it. A dropped slant pass and a false start create a third-and-long, and Hornibrook has to scramble for a short gain. Rafael Gaglianone makes the 26-yard field goal, but that’s a missed opportunity. Wisconsin’s had a few of them.
5:33. FUMBLE. Two punts inside the 8, two Van Ginkel takeaways. He strips Mike Weber on Ohio State’s first play and recovers the ball at the 11. Without Van Ginkel and Ramesh, Wisconsin is getting destroyed right now.
5:41. Oof. Once again Wisconsin drives inside the Ohio State 40, and once again Hornibrook misfires. On third-and-3 from the 38, Wisconsin calls a perfect delayed route to get Fumagalli open in the secondary. It works, but Hornibrook rushes an inaccurate pass. Fumagalli nearly makes a great diving catch but can’t. Lotti’s punt is downed at the 8.
11:10. Ohio State 21, Wisconsin 7. On three occasions in the first 20 minutes, Ohio State has created acres of space for really fast players. First, it was McLaurin. Then, Campbell. And then, Dobbins shakes a tackle at the line of scrimmage and races 77 yards to the Wisconsin 1. Barrett sneaks in on the next play. Guess we’ll find out if I’m right about Wisconsin maybe being able to play from behind.
12:15. No room for Taylor between the tackles and no passing downs magic for Hornibrook just yet. He misfires on third-and-6, and it’s another Wisconsin three-and-out. Punt fair caught at the OSU 17.
13:48. Nice response by the Badger defense. Ohio State goes three-and-out with a two-yard loss on first down and an incomplete Barrett pass to Binjimen Victor on third. Drue Chrisman’s punt is short and out of bounds at the UW 36.
0:00. Shaky response from Wisconsin. After a short run by Taylor, Ohio State devours two screen attempts for ugly incompletions. The quarter ends with a punt that is downed at the Ohio State 29.
0:59. Ohio State 14, Wisconsin 7. Success rate doesn’t matter as much when your successful plays gain a million yards each. After a Barrett pass to Marcus Baugh moves the chains, Barrett and Parris Campbell connect for a short completion, and Campbell bursts up the sideline for 57 yards and a touchdown.
2:08. Wisconsin 7, Ohio State 7. Here’s what a flipped field can do for you: On Ohio State’s second play, Andrew Van Ginkel steps in front of a poorly thrown Barrett out route and scores from nine yards out. Pick six. Easy. Tie game.
Early success rate, by the way: Wisconsin 47%, Ohio State 25%. McLaurin’s TD was huge, but Wisconsin’s been better play for play so far.
2:40. Wisconsin moves the ball pretty well again, thanks mostly to a 25-yard catch and run by Ramesh, but the drive stalls at the OSU 36, and the Badgers punt. If you’re going to punt from inside the 40, you better do it well, and they do: Anthony Lotti’s kick is downed at the 2.
6:31. Ohio State 7, Wisconsin 0. Well that was a dramatic turn. Wisconsin looked like it was going to be the first to strike, but following the pick, J.T. Barrett, playing just a few days after having his injured knee scoped, finds Terry McLaurin wide open for an 84-yard touchdown. Four plays, 96 yards, first blood.
7:46. INTERCEPTION. Wisconsin gets a good drive going, and in a creative, but very Wisconsin way: with passes to running backs. Jonathan Taylor gains 16 yards, Rachid Ibrahim gains 10, and fullback Austin Ramesh gains 20 on a wheel route. The Badgers enter the OSU red zone with a Hornibrook pass to Danny Davis
Then, as Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt are talking about how good Hornibrook has been of late, he makes a huge mistake. He tries to find tight end Troy Fumagalli along the right sideline, but Fumagalli is covered, and the pass isn’t good. Denzel Ward picks it off at the 4.
11:44. We start with two blink-and-you-miss-it three-and-outs. Wisconsin gets the ball first, rushes twice for four yards, and throws incomplete. Ohio State responds with three runs for seven yards. Wisconsin will get the ball at the 27, exactly where it started on the first drive.
On this week's Podcast Ain't Played Nobody with guest host Holly Anderson, I briefly teased what I thought I would be writing about as a preview of Saturday's Big Ten title game between Wisconsin and Ohio State: game control. I wish I hadn’t.
It’s all about game state. What’s the score at the end of the first quarter? Because that’s going to tell you pretty much [what you need to know]. [...]
If Ohio State comes out and plays basically like they did last time they saw Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, where Ohio State was up 14-0 almost immediately and Wisconsin realized real early, “Crap, what’s Plan B? Crap, we don’t have a Plan B,” We could see Ohio State looking really, really good and putting a big number on the board.
But if they can’t find an early advantage, Wisconsin’s more than happy to grind for four quarters and hit J.T. Barrett a lot and force a couple of turnovers and really make them miserable.
Now, part of that was a compliment, and part of it was stating the obvious — few teams are actually good at falling behind early and coming back. Usually when you fall behind early, it means you’re a lesser team. Ohio State has dilly-dallied a few times or spotted its opponent an early advantage and responded, but saying Wisconsin is not good at playing from behind is lazy.
It might also be untrue.
The Badgers are going to play strong, smart defense. They're going to run the football. They're going to make great great defenders and tight ends out of walk-on pieces of clay. And they can lull you into believing things that might have once been true but aren't now. Things like Wisconsin not really being able to fall behind the schedule/scoreboard.
Some quick stats for you from Wisconsin's statistical profile:
- On standard downs, the Badgers have a 48 percent success rate, slightly above the national average of 47 percent. Adjusting for opponent, they are No. 39 in Standard Downs S&P+. Perfectly decent.
- On passing downs, they have a 40 percent success rate, well above the national average of 31 percent. Adjusting for opponent, they are sixth in Passing Downs S&P+. Tremendous. And unexpected.
That Badger offense actually graded out a bit better overall (No. 26 in Off. S&P+), which isn’t an incredible surprise considering the year running back Melvin Gordon had.
The success came on standard downs, however. They were No. 11 in SD S&P+ and No. 63 in PD S&P+. On third-and-4 or more, quarterbacks Joel Stave and Tanner McEvoy combined for a 48 percent completion rate and a passer rating of only 92.7. Current quarterback Alex Hornibrook? 58 percent completion rate, 152.9 rating.
When Ohio State shut down Gordon early in the 2014 conference title game, there was no Plan B.
For this Wisconsin team, Plan B is almost better.
But that’s mostly because of opposing offenses. They have played five opponents that rank in the Def. S&P+ top 30 at the moment, and against those five teams (Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, and Purdue), the Badgers didn’t exactly grind out wins.
- Wisconsin vs. Def. S&P+ top 30: 5.8 yards per play, 31.4 points per game
- Wisconsin vs. everybody else: 6.7 yards per play, 37.3 points per game.
Granted, not all of those 31 points per game come from the offense. Defense and special teams have gotten into the act. But the Badgers’ offense has had moments of true quality this year — not grind-it-out-and-lean-on-you quality, just plain old quality.
The Badgers have been particularly good at catching back up to the chains. There’s not a direct correlation between being behind schedule and being behind on the scoreboard, but if you think about it, they’re pretty close. The whole idea of passing downs is that most teams are rendered one-dimensional, and opponents know they’re going to have to throw more and take more risks.
In many ways, then, that’s the same as being behind. So just because the Badgers haven’t been behind much this year doesn’t mean they wouldn’t respond well to it.
So if we’re not talking about Wisconsin as a team that needs a good first quarter to win ...
The Badgers are strong on offense (No. 40 in Off. S&P+) and have the best defense J.T. Barrett and the Buckeyes have seen all year (first in Def. S&P+).
Hornibrook could be the key. He has thrown some shaky interceptions at times, but he has shown a willingness to attempt big throws, and he’s completed a lot of them. He completed passes of 31 and 27 yards to A.J. Taylor on third-and-long, and most of the Badgers’ scoring drives against the good defenses mentioned above featured big third-down passing, not a road-grader drive from star running back Jonathan Taylor.
Overall, S&P+ says the Badgers are better than both Oklahoma (which romped over Ohio State in Columbus) and Penn State (which the Buckeyes defeated by one point at home).
For all of the pundits jumping ahead and already talking about a potential Alabama vs. Ohio State debate for the last Playoff spot, we should probably step back and remind ourselves that Wisconsin has a tremendous chance of rendering that debate moot.
Read Again https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/12/2/16727526/wisconsin-ohio-state-2017-final-score-results-big-ten-championshipBagikan Berita Ini
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