FOUR THINGS TO WATCH
POUND THE ROCK: Despite fielding a makeshift offensive line when the teams met last season in Madison, UW rushed for 236 yards in a 30-23 overtime loss. UW’s line is better overall this season, and the Buckeyes’ linebackers struggled against Iowa’s scheme, which is similar to UW’s. The Hawkeyes rushed 38 times for 243 yards in a 55-24 victory, Ohio State’s worst performance of the season. If UW can establish the run early, stay out of third-and-long situations and mix in timely play-action passes, it should be able to negate Ohio State’s pass rush. Ohio State sacked UW quarterback Alex Hornibrook four times last season and has 34 sacks this season, the No. 4 total in the Big Ten. UW has allowed just 17 sacks, the fewest in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes have struggled against play-action passes and pass-catching tight ends. UW has both.
MAKE BARRETT PASS: Ohio State’s offense is at its best when tailbacks J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber are getting the football consistently. Ohio State rushed for 335 yards against Michigan State, 325 against Illinois and 226 last week against Michigan. Weber rushed 32 times for 327 yards in those games and Dobbins added 276 yards on 45 carries. Quarterback J.T. Barrett is the No. 2 rusher on the team with 672 yards and nine touchdowns. He underwent arthroscopic surgery Sunday on his gimpy right knee. UW’s front must control the line of scrimmage to help slow Dobbins and Weber and make Barrett throw to win. He looked unsettled in losses to Oklahoma and Iowa and UW’s defense has the potential to do the same to the senior. Redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins replaced Barrett in the victory over Michigan and is a more accurate passer and an adequate runner. “To me, a credit to the backup quarterback is when the offense doesn’t change,” UW defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said of Haskins. “He is a dual-threat guy who can throw it and run it. When he went in the game I didn’t see much of a change.”
MAXIMIZE SCORING CHANCES: UW is eighth in the Big Ten in red-zone scoring with a success rate of 85.2% (46 of 54). UW has scored 36 touchdowns, the No. 4 mark in the league. If the Badgers move the ball deep into Ohio State territory they must get touchdowns instead of settling for field goals. UW moved the ball inside the Ohio State 25-yard line six times in the teams’ meeting last season but came away with only two touchdowns and three field goals. The Badgers’ last chance came in overtime, when Hornibrook was sacked on fourth down.
TAKE YOUR SHOTS: The receiving trio of Danny Davis, A.J. Taylor and Kendric Pryor has been magnificent since Quintez Cephus suffered a season-ending leg injury at Indiana. In the three games without Cephus, that trio has combined for 400 yards and three touchdowns on 25 touches. They combined for 11 catches for 131 yards and a touchdown in the victory over Minnesota and they’re good enough to give Ohio State’s revamped secondary problems. If UW can protect Hornibrook, the Badgers should be able to get some big hits down the field.