3 Things To Watch As No. 2 Ohio State Plays No. 8 Wisoncson

Three things to watch as the Ohio State Buckeyes play the Wisconsin Badgers this Saturday.

Stop if you’ve heard this before: There’s a prime-time match up between a highly ranked Ohio State team and a surging Wisconsin. In what seems like a never ending cycle of big games against the Badgers, this year’s contest is a meeting of top ten teams with playoff hopes. We’ve got what you need to watch against Wisconsin.

1. New Wisconsin, Same as the Old Wisconsin

Paul Chryst was on campus the last big upset of Ohio State. While serving as their offensive coordinator, he helped craft a game plan that got the Badgers out front with a 21-3 lead at the half. The Badgers comfortably enjoyed the cushion through the final whistle.

Chryst is now the head coach and the game plan from 2010 will be the same one used on Saturday. He’ll employ a ground and pound approach on offense and maybe the best defense the Badgers have fielded in recent years. All of this while playing in one of the most insane environments in college football.

2. Corey Clement is Good, but Not the Back to Watch

Corey Clement is your die-cast Badger running back. At 5-11 and roughly 230 pounds, he is a between the tackles monster. He has a solid track record, but has struggled to stay healthy. He’s a more recognizable name to Buckeye fans and still leads the team in rushing, but he’s not the back to worry about.

Dare Ogunbowale is the back the Badgers need to utilize to be successful. He’s far more athletic and is a factor in the passing game, giving Ogunbowale the versatility to be a three down back. With Clement hurt much of last year, Ogunbowale ran for 819 yards and has averaged over 4 yards per carry in 2016. The Buckeyes front has stepped up in recent weeks, so look for Paul Chryst to find ways to get his backs out in space. Clement isn’t built for that, but Ogunbowale is.

3. Ohio State needs Peak J.T. Barrett

It’s an easy statement to make,, but the J.T. Barrett we saw against Indiana wasn’t the best we’ve seen. J.T. was enough to win, but not against the 11th ranked defense in the country up in Camp Randall. The Badgers give up just over 200 yards a game through the air, while allowing a stingy 90.4 on the ground, good for 6th in the country.

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Those numbers are for real and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Believe it or not, J.T. Barrett has never faced Wisconsin. He was injured in the Big Ten title game his first season and the Badgers weren’t on the conference slate in 2015. That means that while Barrett won’t be familiar with the Wisconsin scheme, the Badgers themselves have not faced the fully operational version of Urban Meyer’s offense.

Cardale Jones ran it well to a 59-0 victory by relying mostly on deep throws and handing it off to Ezekiel Elliott. Now place Barrett, a more accurate passer and a far better runner, into that scheme against a similar Badgers team. It won’t be easy, but Barrett’s bounce back game couldn’t game at a more important time. With Barrett, the jet sweeps and pass option game is a real threat to Wisconsin, giving Barrett ample opportunity to remind Heisman voters why he should be considered.

Next: Wisconsin's Blueprint For Beating OSU Comes From 2010

Prediction: Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 28.

There’s no way this isn’t a close game and prime time at Camp Randall always gives the Buckeyes trouble. It’ll be a win, but not without some suspense.

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3 Things To Watch As Ohio State Plays Wisconsin

By Joe Russo | Oct 14, 2016