Badgers lose on the road to Ohio State 52-21
COLUMBUS, OH. (CBS 58) -- The Badgers lose to Ohio State on the road 52-21.
The Buckeyes were without the highly touted Jaxon Smith-Njigba tonight. But Ohio State still has a plethora of receivers to be extremely efficient in the passing game.
First Quarter:
The Buckeyes started in rough field position after a bad opening kickoff. But that didn't matter. They marched down the field within the first three minutes -- with just six plays -- to put the first points on the board. After the PAT, it was 7-0 Ohio State.
To start their first offensive drive, the Badgers offense couldn't get the ball moving. Braelon Allen showing some flashes, but eventually it turned into a Graham Mertz interception. The Buckeyes then marched down the field again and scored on a 13-yard pass to Cade Stover. 14-0 after the PAT. That was on just two offensive plays for the Buckeyes.
That wasn't all. The Buckeyes marched down the field again and Stover scored his second touchdown of the day. 21-0 after the PAT.
After the first quarter, the Badgers' offense ran just nine total offensive plays. The Buckeyes had 210 total offensive yards while the Badgers had just 23. 21-0 Ohio State.
Second Quarter:
To start the second quarter, Ohio State continued to take control of this game. Buckeyes running back Myan Williams had his second touchdown of the night. After the PAT, it was a commanding 28-0 Ohio State lead.
On the Badgers' next offensive drive, they slowly started to move the ball. Mertz was under heavy pressure for almost every play. On that same drive, the Badgers scored on their 10th play with a one-yard run by Mertz. The Badgers had their first points up on the board. After the PAT, it was 28-7 Ohio State.
After that drive, the Buckeyes took over. They have scored on every single offensive drive thus far. This time, the Badgers stopped Ohio State from putting up six. Instead, they kicked a 25-yard field goal to give them a 31-7 lead over the Badgers.
The Buckeyes had their first turnover of the game with just under a minute left in the second quarter after an interception by John Torchio.
Towards the end of the first half, Badgers tight end Clay Cundiff went down with an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the game.
At halftime, Ohio State had a 31-7 lead over the Badgers.
Third Quarter:
To start the third quarter, the Badgers ran just four offensive plays and ended up punting. Once the Buckeyes took over, they scored on their eighth play of the drive after a 12-yard pass to Julian Fleming.
On the Badgers' next offensive drive, they slowly started to move the ball -- but it turned into a punt.
Towards the end of the quarter, Ohio State put up another six points after an eight-yard pass to Emeka Egbuka. After the PAT, it was 45-0 Buckeyes.
After three quarters, Ohio State had a 45-7 lead over the Badgers.
Fourth Quarter:
The Badgers put up six points in the first half of the fourth quarter after a two-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Acker. After the PAT, it was 45-14 Ohio State.
Ohio State scored again with another Emeka Egbuka touchdown. 52-14 after the PAT.
On offense, Braelon Allen ran for a 75-yard touchdown. After the PAT, it was now 52-21 Ohio State.
Ohio State quarterback C.J Stroud finished the day going 17/27 281, five touchdowns and an interception.
Mertz finished the day going 11/20, 94 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
The Badgers head back home next weekend to take on Illinois.