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Wisconsin Loses To Ohio State In Big 10 Championship

Buckeyes Had To Mount A Second-Half Comeback Against Badgers

By
Jonathan Taylor
Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor (23) runs during the second half of the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game as Ohio State’s Cameron Brown (26) watches Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, in Indianapolis. Michael Conroy/AP Photo

The University of Wisconsin Badgers will hope to learn Sunday that a trip to sunny Southern California is in their future.

The No. 8 Badgers fell to the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes 34-21 in the Big 10 Championship Saturday night in Indianapolis.

By beating the Badgers, Ohio State is virtually assured a spot in college football’s four-team playoff. It’s likely Wisconsin will find out during Sunday’s College Football Playoff selection show that it’s heading to the Rose Bowl. It would be the third time in four years that the Badgers play in a New Year’s Six game.

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For much of Saturday’s contest, it looked like Wisconsin could spoil Ohio State’s undefeated season. The Badgers went up by a touchdown early on a five-play drive capped by a 44-yard run from Jonathan Taylor. Taylor’s 1,761 regular-season rushing yards put him second among college football running backs this year. He had 148 yards on 20 carries on Saturday.

Ohio State trailed for fewer than 10 minutes during the regular season, but Wisconsin hung onto the lead well into the third quarter Saturday, thanks largely to strong quarterback play early from Jack Coan. Coan’s two first-half rushing touchdowns equaled his regular season total. He finished the game with 232 yards passing and 27 yards rushing.

The Buckeyes orchestrated their own five-play touchdown drive to open the third quarter. A special teams mistake by Wisconsin, coupled with halftime adjustments by Ohio State’s defense, turned the tables. The Buckeyes scored 27 unanswered points in the second half.

Wisconsin’s defense had five sacks Saturday on Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, who played with a sprained knee. It was no match in the second half, however, for Ohio State’s offense. Running back J.K. Dobbins, who had 33 rushes for 172 yards Saturday, made his presence felt late in the game.

Though the Badgers didn’t come away with the upset, Wisconsin did manage to keep the score closer than nearly any other team that faced Ohio State this season. Only Penn State, who lost to the Buckeyes 28-17, kept the margin smaller.

“Wisconsin, give them credit, they played their tails off in this game,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day told Fox after the game.

Ohio State has now beaten Wisconsin twice this season. The Buckeyes won 38-7 when the teams first met in October. The Badgers’ only other regular season loss came against the Fighting Illini of Illinois.

There were no big surprises around the Power Five conferences this weekend. No. 2 Louisiana State won convincingly over No. 4 Georgia in the SEC Championship, likely knocking the Bulldogs out of playoff contention. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow showed why he’s the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy and be named college football’s best player.

In the ACC Championship, No. 3 Clemson was dominant over No. 23 Virginia, all but locking up its playoff spot.

In the closest contest of the day, No. 6 Oklahoma topped No. 7 Baylor in overtime to win the Big 12. The Sooners are expected to get the final playoff spot Sunday.

If the Badgers play in the Rose Bowl, they’re likely to face the Oregon Ducks. Oregon won the Pac-12 by beating Utah on Friday.