Wisconsin was 'embarrassed' by Ohio State last year, but Braelon Allen says Buckeyes are 'beatable' in 2023
MADISON – Jack Nelson and Riley Mahlman felt helpless on the night of Sept. 24, 2022.
Mahlman, Wisconsin’s No. 1 right tackle, was out because of a left-knee injury suffered in the opener.
Nelson, UW’s No. 1 left tackle, was out because of an illness.
Both players were home in Madison and could only watch on TV as Ohio State manhandled UW, 52-21, in Columbus.
“It was pretty embarrassing, to say the least,” Nelson said. “It made me sick to my stomach.”
Did you watch the whole game?
“No,” Nelson said.
Do you remember when you turned it off?
“When it started getting really bad,” Nelson said.
How long did that take?
Ohio State had its win over Wisconsin in 2022 wrapped up before halftime
The contest lasted 3 hours 59 minutes. The outcome was decided when Miyan Williams scored on a 3-yard run to help the Buckeyes build their lead to 28-0 with 1:27 left in the second quarter.
To that point:
Ohio State had run 23 plays for 241 yards. The Buckeyes had 13 plays of 10 yards or more.
UW had run 11 plays for 23 yards.
“I watched it all the way through, but it was painful,” Mahlman said. “It sucks because those guys worked hard and the game didn’t go the way people wanted it to. I felt bad for the guys.”
Nelson and Mahlman should be good to go when UW (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) hosts the third-ranked Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
“I think it left a bad taste in our mouths for a while,” cornerback Ricardo Hallman said. “We kind of got embarrassed on national television. …
“Going into this week I think that is something this team has never forgotten, that they embarrassed us.
“We just have to play way better than we did last year.”
Ohio State isn’t as explosive offensively but is stingier defensively.
The Buckeyes are No. 3 in the Big Ten in points allowed (10.0 per game), No. 3 in total yards allowed (260.1), No. 4 in rushing yards allowed (100.6) and No. 4 in passing yards allowed (159.6).
“I think the multiplicity that they bring to the table, the athletes that they bring,” quarterback Braedyn Locke noted when asked about the Buckeyes’ defense. “They obviously have very good personnel. They play really well as a unit. … They do a great job and it is going to be a challenge for us.”
Tailback Braelon Allen got free for a 75-yard touchdown run with 7:11 left in the game and finished with 165 yards on 23 carries.
Nice numbers, but hollow because UW never was in the game.
"I don’t really remember much," Allen said. "Obviously, very disappointing. Not a feeling that you want to have, personally or as a team."
Wisconsin vs. Ohio State: The Badgers' best football games against the Buckeyes
Are the Badgers a better team than they were last season? That is to be determined.
Whether UW is a better team than last season remains unsettled.
The Badgers lost two games they could have won this season – at Washington State and against Iowa. Both games were decided in the final quarter. They did stage an impressive fourth-quarter rally last week to stun Illinois, 25-21, but Ohio State has more talent and more depth than the Illini.
"They’re a team that is beatable," Allen said. "We just have to do our jobs to the best of our ability."
Inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta, who returned to the starting lineup at Illinois and recorded 12 tackles, acknowledged he has thought of the 31-point loss to the Buckeyes.
He quickly pivoted, however.
“We’re a different team,” Njongmeta said. “It’s a clean break. Going into this week you only think about the positive things. You imagine yourself doing your job well. You imagine walking off that field with the ‘W.’
“I’m a big visualization guy so that is what I’m going to think about. I’m excited about this team because we’re talented. And I think, especially after last week, we’re starting to believe even more in what we’re doing. The guys we have. The scheme we have and the things we’re able to do.
“I think that’s going to show up this Saturday.”
Nelson is relieved he won't have to watch the game on TV this time.
"There is no other game that is on my mind," he said. "There is nothing else that is on my mind. I think today in the world of college football anything can happen.
"The best way to prepare for that is just to prepare all week and do the best you can, leave it all out there and try to get the ‘W.’"
Remember this?: David Gilreath returns it to the house as Badgers topple No. 1 Ohio State in 2010
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin star running back Braelon Allen says Ohio State is beatable
