A few quick thoughts....
1. The player of the game? How about punter Cameron Johnston. He had six punts, all within the 20-yard line, and five within the 10-yard line. On those six punts, Wisconsin managed a grand total of three return yards. That's an average of half a yard per return. Ohio State won the battle of field position, and that was a big factor in winning the game.
2. On the other hand, part of the reason that Johnston was able to have such nice placement on his punts was that Ohio State punted three times in Wisconsin territory, including once from the 38-yard line, and two other times near midfield (their own 45- and 46-yard lines).
3. Ohio State was a respectable 7 of 17 (.412) on third and fourth downs, but was only 3 of 7 (.429) on third- and fourth-and-short. It's clear that the Meyer-Herman offense is able to make the big plays (12 touchdowns over 20 yards this season, including three yesterday), but sometimes it struggles to make the little plays.
4. Speaking of big plays, through five games, the Buckeyes do not have a single touchdown from their defense or special teams. Last year, they had six for the twelve-game season.
5. Linebacker Curtis Grant has seven tackles, but the only impactful one was his sack of Joel Stave in the third quarter. On a crucial fourth-and-two play early in the fourth quarter, Grant made contact with Wisconsin running back James White near the line of scrimmage, but White was able to drag him past the first-down marker. If the Buckeyes hold on that play, it's game over. Instead, Wisconsin went on to score a touchdown and made the game a lot closer than it needed to be.
6. On the other side, Wisconsin LB Chris Borland had 16 tackles.
7. Ryan Shazier is the one big play defender on this Buckeye squad, and the coaching staff needs to unleash him more on obvious passing downs. Shazier led the team with 9 tackles, including 2.5 for loss; he also had a forced fumble.
8. Bradley Roby made a lights out tackle on Wisconsin's fourth offensive play of the game (a four-yard loss on a jet sweep to Melvin Gordon). Roby was injured on the play, and came out of the game briefly. When he returned, he didn't seem to be the same player, and Wisconsin WR Jared Abbrederis proceeded to light him up for 207 yards on 10 receptions.
9. Defensive tackle Chris Carter saw limited action last night, mostly on short yardage plays. With about 2:30 left in the game, and Ohio State clinging to a ten point lead, Wisconsin faced a third-and-two from its own 16-yard line. Wisconsin ran James White up the middle, but Carter was able to blow up the play, holding White to a one-yard gain and forcing the Badgers to punt. Its little plays like those that sometimes make a big difference in the final outcome.
10. Wisconsin has often been a thorn in Ohio State's side. In 2003, Wisconsin ended the Buckeye's 19-game winning streak. In 2010, Wisconsin handed Ohio State its only loss of the year, and they also did the same thing in 1942. Even though last night's win wasn't a thing of beauty, it's certainly better than the alternative.
11. However, beating a sub-par Wisconsin team by seven points at home won't earn the Buckeyes any style points. Ohio State definitely won't move up in the polls, and they might even move down.
