Ohio State - Wisconsin Preview: Will Wisky Rebound After Crushing Loss?

Ohio State @ Wisconsin
Camp Randall Stadium - Madison, Wisconsin
Saturday, October 4, 2008 - 8:00 (EST)
Ohio State -3.5

Summary
The loser is out of the national title picture...and if Wisky loses this game, they are also out of the Rose Bowl picture...this also marks the first time Ohio State has played at Camp Randall since their 17-10 defeat there in 2003...that loss snapped Ohio State's 19-game winning streak...

To me, Wisconsin is a one dimensional team - they run the ball...P.J. Hill and John Clay are the workhorses...quarterback Allan Evridge was unimpressive last week against Michigan...his poor play led to the Badgers settling for field goals instead of touchdowns which would have put the Wolverines away by half...tight end Travis Beckum is their supposed weapon in the passing game...interestingly, one Cleveland Glenville player who did not head to Columbus is wide receiver Kyle Jefferson...Jefferson is a tall lanky receiver who has a lot of talent...the one player I like a lot on the Badgers defense is will linebacker Jonathan Casillas...this kid makes plays...

Even after getting a beatdown by USC just three weeks ago, the Buckeyes are already talking about the BCS title game again...sure Terrelle Pryor looked good in his first two starts, but that was against Troy and Minnesota...I suspect the OSU defense will load up to stop the run and force Evridge to beat them...

People expect this to be a "muscle" game in which running the ball will dominate...however, I expect Jim Tressel to throw a different wrinkle in the mix and surprise Wisconsin...OSU has nothing to lose since they already have one defeat...

Ohio State Buckeyes
The following is Ohio State's game notes for the Wisconsin game...

Ohio State Game Notes

For more information about the Buckeyes, check out the independent blog Around the Oval...

Around the Oval

Doug Lesmerises of the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer writes about the hostile environment at Camp Randall Stadium... "Scary. Of course, that 27-1 record includes just two games against ranked teams, both wins over Michigan." ...

Doug Lesmerises

Tim May and Ken Gordon of the Columbus Dispatch write about the Buckeyes's new Dynamic Duo... "What happens when you put a sore-footed former Heisman Trophy hopeful together with a fleet-footed freshman quarterback? You get 279 yards rushing and a pretty easy romp over Minnesota in your Big Ten opener." ...

Tim May and Ken Gordon

Ken Gordon of the Columbus Dispatch writes how Jim Tressel has gone away from playing his seniors after the loss to USC... "Coach Jim Tressel and his staff have made it clear that they are willing to demote and promote, that the depth chart isn't worth the paper on which it's printed, and that underperformers have good reason to look over their shoulders." ...

Ken Gordon

Wisconsin Badgers
The following is Wisconsin's game notes for the Ohio State game...

Wisconsin Game Notes

Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes about freshman running back John Clay and how he needs to be making the right decisions when on the field... "He had exhibited a tendency to bounce too many runs to the outside before allowing his blocking to develop. However, on the touchdown run in particular, Clay made the right decision to head to the outside after seeing no room between the tackles." ...

Jeff Potrykus

Jim Polzin of the Madison Capital Times writes about Wisconsin's historic win over Ohio State in 2003 (photo above is the game winning touchdown by Lee Evans)... "Even before the first game," UW radio play-by-play announcer Matt Lepay said, "it was obvious that there was part of that team that had its sights set on that Ohio State game." ...

Jim Polzin

Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes about the Badgers inconsistency on defense in the second half... "Not only has UW’s defense failed to achieve that goal in each of the last two games, the performance of the unit has dropped significantly after halftime." ...

Jeff Potrykus

Tom Mulhern of the Wisconsin State Journal writes how former OSU great Cris Carter has a brother who plays for the Badgers... "Carter had yet to make contact this week with his brother, former Ohio State standout receiver Cris Carter, to talk about Saturday night's game between the Badgers and Buckeyes. "Ultimately, I know he wants to see me have success," Shane Carter said. "But at the same time, his blood, sweat and tears are with the Buckeyes. That's what he always says." ...

Tom Mulhern

Below is a 2:03 video clip of a song about Jim Tressel called "Head Like a Ken Doll"...enjoy...