A few words to sum up the game.
Wisconsin had no shot to beat the Buckeyes on Saturday. A stark talent difference, a better coached team and Ohio State wearing their all-black uniforms signaled trouble for the Badgers. But the start of the game was promising.
Ohio State fumbled the opening kickoff and had to start from their own 12-yard line but that didn’t matter as the Buckeyes marched down the field in a six-play 88 yard drive that only took 2:47 off the clock. It was officially over when Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz threw an interception to Ohio State safety Tanner McCalister which he returned 30 yards to the Wisconsin 16. The Buckeyes scored two plays later on a CJ Stroud to tight end Cade Stover 13-yard touchdown pass.
Missed tackles ultimately did Wisconsin in but defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard implemented a soft-zone to stop the deep-passing game of Ohio State but receivers such as Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming and Marvin Harrison Jr. found soft spots in the zone and picked up chunk plays for the Buckeyes.
Offensive strategy:
I’m done complaining about the offensive strategy, because it’s the same thing every week force-feed Braelon Allen 25-30 times a game and have Graham Mertz throw on third and long situations. Every team who plays Wisconsin knows exactly what they are going to do, and yet they never change. Wisconsin has been running the same stale offense since 1992 and they aren’t expected to change anytime soon.
Paul Chryst:
I’m not a Paul Chryst guy. He’s a great coach when he plays Illinois, Rutgers Iowa Maryland and Purdue but bad against Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. He’s the college version of Mike McCarthy; I’ve accepted that Paul Chryst’s ceiling for Wisconsin is the Outback Bowl, Vegas Bowl and New Era Pinstripe Bowl. He’ll win just enough to keep his job, but he won’t win Wisconsin anything of substance. In his eight years at Wisconsin, he doesn’t have a signature win and lost every big game he’s coached in.
Imagine this: If Wisconsin fires Paul Chryst in the next season or two, is there any power five program who would hire him? The answer is no because Paul Chryst is better suited to be an offensive coordinator where doesn’t have to talk in front of the media or try to be a motivator because he’s not good at either.
Every single Wisconsin fan and media member woke up on Saturday and knew the Badgers would get hammered by Ohio State and what happened? Exactly that and it comes down to Paul Chryst and Wisconsin not having a sense of urgency to win the game and try to beat Ohio State by any means possible.
The good news is Chryst is matched up against Illinois next week, and former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema so he’ll fall back into the good coach category next week.
OTHER NEWS:
Tight end Clay Cundiff was carted off the field in the second quarter after taking a hit to his lower leg. Paul Chryst said after the game he got word it is a broken leg. Another tough setback for Cundiff who rehabbed and worked his way back from a gruesome leg injury suffered last season against Iowa.
Marvin Harrison Jr’s drip level is 1000:
