This was billed as a check of manhood for Ohio State.
As a substitute, it was males versus boys.
The No. 3 Buckeyes scored touchdowns on their first 4 drives whereas stifling Wisconsin’s offense and rolled to a 52-21 victory Saturday evening in entrance of 105,473 at Ohio Stadium.
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For a Buckeye group desirous to show its toughness, it was near an ideal Huge Ten opener. The Badgers’ DNA is to play energy soccer, however this was a mismatch from the beginning.
In taking a 28-0 lead, Ohio State (4-0) outgained Wisconsin 241-23. The Buckeyes performed with out injured beginning cornerbacks Denzel Burke and Cam Brown on protection, however the Badgers (2-2) will not be constructed to win by means of the air. Wisconsin didn’t attempt to exploit true freshman Jyaire Brown and redshirt freshman JK Johnson, who crammed in.
In the meantime, the absence of star vast receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba due to a lingering hamstring concern affected the Buckeyes’ offense under no circumstances.
Quarterback CJ Stroud was sharp at the beginning, and the offensive line frequently opened gaping holes for working backs Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson. Each working backs ran for greater than 100 yards, with Henderson working for 121 yards in 21 carries and Williams 101 with two touchdowns in solely 11 carries.
“This was a big-time sport, and we needed to begin early and have enjoyable,” Stroud mentioned. “We did that.”
Wisconsin’s star runner, Braelon Allen, gained a extremely deceptive 165 yards in 23 carries. He had solely 36 yards at halftime, and 75 of his whole got here on a landing run towards Buckeye backups within the fourth quarter.
Stroud completed 17 of 27 for 281 yards and 5 touchdowns.
The tone was set on the sport’s opening drive. Stroud accomplished passes to Marvin Harrison Jr. for 18 yards, Cade Stover for 22 and Emeka Egbuka for 33 to arrange Williams’ 2-yard landing run.
Ohio State security Tanner McAlister intercepted Graham Mertz’s first throw on Wisconsin’s first possession and returned it 29 yards to the Badgers’ 16.
Two performs later, Stover caught his first profession landing go, a 13-yarder on a properly designed play wherein Stroud rolled left after which threw to his proper to the open tight finish.
Stover scored his second landing on the following possession, following a three-and-out by OSU’s protection. Henderson arrange the rating by gaining 26 yards on two carries to the Wisconsin 2.
To that time, Stroud was 8 for 8 for 126 yards.
Stroud lastly threw an incompletion on the primary play of Ohio State’s subsequent drive, which went 67 yards for one more landing to make it 28-0. Williams did a lot of the heavy lifting, together with a 21-yard run wherein he bounced off a number of Badgers to arrange his 3-yard scoring run.
At that time, the sport resembled OSU’s 59-0 bludgeoning of Wisconsin within the 2014 Huge Ten championship.
However Wisconsin lastly obtained its offense untracked for a 10-play, 72-yard landing drive, the one certainly one of its first eight possessions to final greater than 5 performs.
The Badgers then held Ohio State to a subject objective on its subsequent drive, and Stroud threw his first interception of the season on the next one when he overthrew Harrison and John Torchio picked it off.
Main 31-7 at halftime, Ohio State went 72 yards for one more landing, with Stroud and Julian Fleming connecting for a 31-yard achieve and a 12-yard completion for the rating.
Stroud’s ultimate two touchdowns to Egbuka, an 8-yard dart between two Badgers to make it 45-7 after which a 32-yarder.
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This text initially appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State Buckeyes beat Wisconsin Badgers in Huge Ten opener
