Big Ten championship: 5 reasons Ohio State will crush Northwestern
By Alec Hartman
![Ohio State football Dwayne Haskins (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) Ohio State football Dwayne Haskins (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/632a89fdf7858d3cb8feee8a13cab1b8ffd0ba98d4979e0aff8e914e75c407cc.jpg)
3. Northwestern’s turnovers will be their demise
Winning the turnover battle was one of the major keys to coming out with the win against TTUN and they did just that. The Buckeyes got to the quarterback coming up with three sacks and five tackles for loss. It was this that caused the interceptions to come as the secondary picked off the Wolverines twice.
The Buckeyes’ special teams was also a major factor is last weekend’s victory. Chris Olave not only caught two touchdowns but he also blocked a punt which was returned for a touchdown.
It’s not every day that you see a freshman account for three touchdowns against TTUN.
Wildcats quarterback Clayton Thorson has the fourth most passing yards in the Big Ten but has thrown nearly as many interceptions as he has touchdowns.
This is similar to Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramsey who gave the Buckeyes a little bit of trouble earlier in the season. Except, Ramsey has more touchdowns and passing yards than Thorson.
Thorson has been sacked more than any quarterback in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes’ defense clearly showed last week that they could get to the quarterback as they sacked the Wolverines three times adding two hurries.
This area gets much easier as the Wildcats have struggled to protect their quarterback all season.
Northwestern is in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten in turnover margin. Their 15 turnovers lost isn’t the worst in the conference but it still puts them in a tough spot.
The Wolverines had thrown just two interceptions all season before facing the Buckeyes who forced two interceptions on them in one game. Expect the Buckeyes to benefit from turnovers once again in this match up.