Ohio State, Wisconsin: Blueprint For Beating Buckeyes Comes from 2010

Ohio State, Wisconsin promises to be THE matchup of the college football weekend. The blueprint for beating the Buckeyes comes from 2010.

Ohio, State, Wisconsin. 2010. I remember this game for all of the wrong reasons. I lived in Toledo at the time and was at the Rockets game instead of watching the Buckeyes in 2010. They were the top ranked team in the country and were heavily favored against the Badgers. It was a prime time game. We were almost 100 percent assured the Buckeyes would cruise into the BCS title game. But then, disaster at Camp Randall.

The Badgers jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead with a touchdown on the opening kickoff and a John Clay touchdown. They never looked back and beat the Jim Tressel coached Ohio State squad 31-18. It was a let down to say the least. But guess who was the offensive coordinator for that Wisconsin team? None other than current head coach Paul Chryst.

It won’t be a surprise if Chryst uses the same approach to try to beat Ohio State in 2016. The profile of Ohio State is roughly the same. Powerful offense and a stout defense, elite level head coach, plenty of hype. Sound familiar? Chryst and the Badgers will look at 2010 as not just inspiration, but a guide. How will they do it?

First, get after the quarterback. Terrelle Pryor got to know J.J. Watt pretty well in that game, as the Buckeye quarterback went only 14-28 for 156 yards and an interception. It also limited him to 56 yards on 18 carries and effectively killed off his Heisman hopes.

For Wisconsin to be successful, they will need to keep J.T. Barrett in check. Even after last week’s struggles throwing the ball, Barrett is still the center of the Buckeye offense. If Barrett can be a factor, the Buckeyes should remain unbeaten. But if Barrett can’t get going? The Badger defense is too good to not be firing on all cylinders.

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Second, start fast. The Badgers jumped Ohio State early and lead 21-3 at the half in 2010. They effectively sucked all of the momentum away from the Buckeyes and got the home crowd at Camp Randall fired up. With the lead, Wisconsin kept it on the ground and let James White and John Clay drive up and down the field, eating up valuable time on the clock and avoiding having to rely on Scott Tolzein.

This year’s Badgers resemble that team quite a bit, led by Corey Clement at running back. With a freshman quarterback, Chryst will rely heavily on a very good offensive line and the ground game to win in the trenches. While Ohio State has played spectacular defense all year, it’s still a trip to Madison. No rules or tendencies hold true up there.

Last, the Badgers will own the underdog mentality. Even as a top ten team, there are few folks outside of the state of Wisconsin that will pick the Badgers over Ohio State. The Buckeyes are roughly ten point favorites and lead Wisconsin in every major statistical category. Sounds an awful lot like 2010.

Next: 3 Lessons Ohio State Learned From Indiana

Paul Chryst will undoubtedly look back at his 2010 season with Wisconsin as inspiration for this year’s team. If they win, it will be major news. If Ohio State wins, well, they were favored anyway. Wisconsin has less to lose than Ohio State does, as voters and the media will judge the Buckeyes far more harshly in a tight loss than they will Wisconsin, even in a blow out.