Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 10: Badgers offense struggles and loses two key players
MADISON – Wisconsin’s one-game lead in the Big Ten West Division is gone.
Poof.
Vanished Saturday night at Camp Randall Stadium when the Badgers suffered a 24-10 loss to No. 3 Ohio State.
The loss left UW at 3-2 in the league and 5-3 overall. The Badgers are now in a four-way tie for first.
Iowa (6-2, 3-2) was off Saturday. Minnesota (5-3, 3-2) recorded a 27-12 victory over visiting Michigan State. Nebraska (5-3, 3-2) joined the party with a 31-14 victory over Purdue.
BOX SCORE: Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 10
"I don't even really know where to start," UW coach Luke Fickell said. "That's a tough one. It's a tough one in that locker room. It wasn't from a lack of effort...
"I thought we came out doing what we needed to do, to be honest with you. I thought we had to weather a storm, make sure that first quarter we were in a good position.
"Just because of last year, because of some of those things that can creep into your head mentally about what has happened in the past, I thought it was really important for us to come out and play well, especially in the first quarter. I thought we did.
"We go in at halftime, really kind of stress to them: Hey, get this thing to the fourth quarter, give ourselves a chance. We're in a good position. ... But we got to make this thing a war. We got to get it to the fourth quarter and see what we're made of.
"I give those guys credit. I'm proud of them for following the plan and doing that, getting to the fourth quarter. Then the fourth quarter comes and we can't execute. We can't make the plays we need to make, the stops we need to stop. That's what it comes down to."
The Badgers were much more competitive against the Buckeyes (8-0, 5-0) than last season, when they suffered a 52-21 loss in Columbus.
But Ohio State’s defense suffocated UW’s offense for much of the night and the Badgers played the second half without wide receiver/return specialist Chimere Dike (right leg) and tailback Braelon Allen (left leg).
Allen was on the sideline after halftime wearing a protective walking boot.
Fickell after the game did not have updates on Allen or Dike.
The Badgers were held to 259 total yards. They averaged just 4.0 yards per play.
Braedyn Locke completed 18 of 39 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown.
After Saturday night, UW is averaging just 20.6 points per game in Big Ten play.
UW also lost the special-teams battle. The Buckeyes had one 75-yard touchdown drive but also had drives of 52 and 45 yards after punts of 29 and 34 yards, respectively, by Atticus Bertrams.
Kyle McCord threw two interceptions but also had two touchdown passes and finished with 226 passing yards for the Buckeyes. Tailback TreVeyon Henderson rushed 24 times for 162 yards. His 33-yard touchdown run with 5 minutes 15 seconds left secured the victory.
Braelon Allen endures painful night against OSU
One week after rushing 29 times for 145 yards and a touchdown in UW’s stirring victory at Illinois, Allen found the going much tougher against the Buckeyes.
Allen got off to a rough start against the Buckeyes, with two fumbles on his first four carries.
Ohio State recovered the first fumble and drove 47 yards for a field goal. Left tackle Jack Nelson recovered the second miscue but UW eventually punted.
Allen then appeared to suffer a leg/ankle injury on the penultimate play of the first half when he gained nothing on a shovel pass on third and goal at the 1.
Trainers attended to Allen, who limped slowly off the field. Allen finished the half with 50 yards on 10 carries and did not return in the second half.
Who is after Braelon Allen?: Here is Wisconsin's running back depth chart
Cornerback Ricardo Hallman does all he can to give the Badgers a shot at the upset
Redshirt sophomore cornerback Ricardo Hallman entered the night with four of UW’s eight interceptions.
With the Buckeyes driving and looking to build on their 10-0 lead, Hallman made a beautiful read for his fifth interception. His 19-yard return put the ball at the UW 48 and the Badgers drove for a field goal to pull within 10-3.
5:09 left in Q2: Ohio State 10, Wisconsin 0.#Buckeyes QB Kyle McCord had one interception in the first seven games. He has two in the first half tonight vs. Wisconsin.
He was looking for WR Marvin Harrison Jr., but Badgers standout CB Ricardo Hallman was there for the pick. pic.twitter.com/7X9fTQTs5s— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) October 29, 2023
Hallman was matched up against Marvin Harrison Jr. in the opening quarter and made a terrific play to break up a pass in the end zone.
That forced Ohio State to settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead.
Harrison finished with six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns but did none of his damage against Hallman.
UW's sputtering offense goes nowhere after reaching the Ohio State 1
Trailing, 10-0, late in the first half, the Badgers moved from their 48 to first and goal at the 1 after Hallman’s interception.
On the first play, Locke went under center and it appeared he might try to sneak.
Instead, he rose up and fired a quick pass to slot receiver Skyler Bell for an apparent touchdown. The ball was off the mark, however, and Bell’s knee was down when he caught the ball. The replay official overturned play and UW faced second and goal.
Allen gained nothing on a second-down run and then gained nothing on a third-down shovel pass. He limped off the field and UW settled for a 19-yard field goal by Nathanial Vakos on the final play of the half.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 10: Badgers fall to 3-2 in Big Ten football
