MY THOUGHTS.....Wisconsin

 

The Ohio State Buckeyes dominated a rather deflated Wisconsin squad in obtaining their second shutout of the season and their first shut out of a B1G foe since September 30, 2017 when they went on the road and defeated Rutgers 56-0.  This season is also the first with multiple shutouts since 2014. 

                In pitching their second shutout of the year, the Ohio State defense limited Wisconsin to nine first downs and 144 total yards.  The Badgers didn’t even come close to scoring until their final drive of the game, in which they turned the ball over on downs inside the 20-yard line.  Caleb Downs led the way with six tackles, but it could be argued Arvell Reese was the most dominant defender, as two of his four stops were for a loss, including a sack.  Caden Curry also had a sack for an eleven-yard loss and a couple of newcomers, Faheem Delane and Tywone Malone also played well.  Arvell Reese and his linebacker teammate, Sonny Styles, have shown themselves to be the best linebacker duo in the conference if not the nation.  Styles’ 39 tackles only trail Reese for the team lead and he also had an interception that led to a field goal. 

                Julian Sayin had his best game, by far, and has earned a mention as a Heisman candidate, going 36-for-42 for 393 yards and four touchdowns.  Of course, Jeremiah Smith led the way with nine receptions for 87 yards, but Carnell Tate stole the show with two touchdown catches that he managed to grab while in tight coverage on passes Julian Sayin threw perfectly.  Bo Jackson saw a lot of action as a receiver with five catches and Max Klare contributed five catches, a couple of which got first downs on third-and-long situations.  The Ohio State running game seemed to be the only negative; netting only 98 yards and 3.5 yards per carry.  Backup Isaiah West led the run game with a mere 56 yards and Bo Jackson was held to 26 yards, averaging only 2.6 yards per carry.  James Peoples hardly saw the field, not getting any carries and only catching one pass for five yards.  Even though the game plan obviously focused on Sayin and the receivers, it was somewhat disappointing the Ohio State offense didn’t pick up more on the ground. 

                The Buckeyes have their second idle week coming up before a reeling Penn State squad comes to town November 1.