Wells romps, defense sacks Wisconsin

Chris Wells put the Buckeyes on his back and carried them to a 38-17 win over the Badgers. Wells ran for three scores and 169 yards on 21 carries. This game was much closer than the final score indicates, as Wisconsin had a 17-10 lead in the third quarter. That was when Wells took over. He had 90+ yards in the third quarter. His first TD covered 31 yards, his second a mere 30. He showed a great burst of speed, as well as the trademark power that we have come to expect from Wells.

On the defensive side of the ball Ohio State recorded 10 sacks, including 4 from Vernon Gholston. Officially the Badgers had 12 yards rushing on 37 carries. However, freshman Zach Brown was effective running for 63 yards. (Yards lost on sacks count against the rushing totals, and they lost nearly 50 yards on sacks.) Tight End Travis Beckum killed the Buckeyes today, catching 9 passes for 140 yards and a score.

There will be plenty for the team to work on this week. Pass protection for one, as the Buckeyes did a poor job of keeping rushers off Todd Boeckman. The field goal unit will be called to the carpet for another blocked kick as well.

Wisconsin fans will surely feel like they had a shot in this one, and certainly had they been at full strength (RB PJ Hill was a scratch) they would have fared better in this one. But in the end the Buckeyes had the better team on the field today. Wells provided a spark when Wisconsin had seized momentum. Lauriniatis had 19 tackles. He bounced back from a sub par Penn State game. The secondary gave up more plays than usual, but in the 4th quarter stepped up and provided time for the rushers to get to Donovan.

It seems there will be a guest post on Beers and Brats this week. Congrats Buckeyes on a Big Ten record 20 consecutive Big Ten victories.