MADISON, Wis. — Rarely has Ohio State found winning easy at Camp Randall Stadium, and Saturday night was no different as the No. 3 Buckeyes got all they could handle from the Wisconsin Badgers before pulling away late for a 24-10 win.
Marvin Harrison Jr. continued his march toward a Heisman Trophy finalist invite, catching six passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns on a day in which quarterback Kyle McCord struggled mightily to find consistency.
McCord completed 17 of his 26 attempts for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. The two interceptions were McCord’s first multi-interception game this season.
Despite the uneven play from its passing game, Ohio State dominated Wisconsin on the ground led by TreVeyon Henderson, who returned after missing the last three games due to injury. Henderson rushed for 162 yards on 24 carries, and his lone touchdown represented a fourth-quarter knockout blow for Ohio State.
“When you get a guy like Trey back, and then you have Marv on the outside, you can see the difference it makes,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said following the win.
The Ohio State defense continued its run of dominance this season, holding Wisconsin to 259 total yards of offense, including just 94 yards rushing. Braelon Allen rushed for 50 yards on 10 carries but was forced out of the game early in the third quarter and never returned.
Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke, making just his second start in place of the injured Tanner Mordecai, threw for 165 yards and a touchdown.
Ohio State opened the scoring with a 27-yard field goal midway through the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead. The drive was set up by Allen’s fumble, which abruptly ended Wisconsin’s opening drive and gave Ohio State great field position to begin its second drive.
Harrison’s 16-yard touchdown catch and run increased the lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter as Ohio State threatened to seize full control of the game early.
A Wisconsin three-and-out on the ensuing drive quickly gave the ball back to Ohio State, but McCord was intercepted by Ricardo Hallman, who returned the ball to the Wisconsin 48. The interception was the second of the half for McCord and breathed new life into the Wisconsin sideline.
With its best starting field position of the night, Wisconsin moved into the red zone for the first time. Allen’s 9-yard carry to the Ohio State 2-yard line had Wisconsin knocking on the door, but the Ohio State defense turned away three consecutive plays to force a field goal.
Nathanial Vakos’ 19-yard field goal was good, cutting Ohio State’s lead to 10-3 entering halftime.
Ohio State outgained Wisconsin 209-83 in the half, but the three turnovers prevented Ohio State from building a lead.
After receiving the second-half kickoff, Wisconsin wasted no time tying the game. Locke found Will Pauling for a 13-yard touchdown to cap off a seven-play, 75-yard drive and level the score at 10-10.
In need of a response, McCord, Harrison, and the Ohio State offense answered in a big way on the ensuing drive to quickly silence an increasingly energetic crowd inside Camp Randall. The duo connected for 16 yards to begin the drive, and a 25-yard run by Henderson later pushed the ball inside the Wisconsin 20.
Harrison made a spectacular catch in the end zone for his second touchdown of the game on a 19-yard pass from McCord to finish the drive, giving Ohio State a lead once more at 17-10 midway through the third quarter.
The game remained tied deep into the fourth quarter before Henderson put the game away for good on a 33-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 24-10 and ultimately send Ohio State to 8-0.
Following the game, Henderson said a “cheap shot” against Notre Dame has lingered, forcing him to sit out the last three games. However, Henderson said he is “very healthy” now but credited his offensive line, receivers, and tight ends for paving the way.
“When they take care of business like that, we’re dangerous,” Henderson said.
Day said he’s been proud of the way his team has played in the second half of games, and Saturday was no different.
“I think our team at halftime has had a good look in their eye all year, knowing they want to come out and play really well in the fourth quarter,” he said. “You’re seeing us do that. I’d like to play better in the first half, but we’re finishing games. There are ways we can finish them better, but at the end of the day, the goal is to keep winning. We know the challenges are going to get bigger and bigger.”
Ohio State will hit the road once again next Saturday when it travels to Rutgers (6-2) for a noon kickoff.
Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.
