Betting Line: Ohio State -28.5 | O/U 41.5
Following a three-score win over Illinois, Ohio State continues its two-game road trip with a 3:30 p.m. kick against Wisconsin next Saturday in Madison. Meanwhile, Wisconsin is in a free fall, dropping
a 37-0 game to Iowa for its fourth-straight loss.
The Buckeyes played probably their worst game of the season thus far against the Illini, and yet the result was still an 18-point win over a ranked conference opponent on the road.
Ohio State’s offense was clunky against Illinois, never really finding a rhythm and struggling to get anything going on the ground, averaging 3.1 yards per carry as a team. However, they made the most of three Illini turnovers, turning those short fields into three touchdowns to help buoy an otherwise sloppy performance.
Julian Sayin was once again accurate and efficient, completing 19 of his 27 pass attempts for 166 yards and two touchdowns, while Bo Jackson was once again the team’s best runner with 10 carries for 47 yards as well as a 20-yard touchdown catch coming on a screen pass. On a day where attacking through the air was clearly not the focus, Jeremiah Smith led the way with five catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.
Of course, it was this stellar Ohio State defense that was forcing those three turnovers.
Kayden McDonald and Jermaine Mathews Jr. both forced a fumble, while it was also Mathews Jr. that helped create Payton Pierce’s interception by knocking the ball into the air and into the linebacker’s hands. It was also another impressive game for Arvell Reese, who is continuing to shoot up NFL Draft boards with nine tackles, 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss in Champaign.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, went to its third quarterback of the year on Saturday with starting QB Billy Edwards Jr. still on the shelf with an injury. The results were not great, as the Badgers scored zero points against Iowa with quarterback Hunter Simmons completing only eight of his 21 passes for 82 yards with two interceptions. Dilin Jones was solid on the ground with 16 carries for 69 yards, but that was about the only positive for the Wisconsin offense in a shutout.
Things weren’t much better defensively for the Badgers, as they allowed 37 points and over 200 yards rushing to an Iowa team that 53rd nationally in scoring offense and 43rd in rushing — and that’s after this big performance. Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski only threw for 107 yards, but it didn’t really matter given the short fields provided by three Wisconsin turnovers.
Wisconsin is now staring down the barrel of a brutal stretch to finish the season, hosting No. 1 Ohio State this week followed by Oregon, Washington, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota to close it out.
Life isn’t going to get an easier for Luke Fickell and company anytime soon, but they’ll have to figure out how to get off the mat for a home contest against Fickell’s former team next weekend. Ohio State, meanwhile, will look to take advantage of a Wisconsin program that is reeling, and hopes to correct some of the offensive issues that cropped up against Illinois.
All lines and odds are presented by FanDuel Sportsbook.
