Wisconsin football came up short in the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis on Saturday night losing 27-21 to the The Ohio State Buckeyes
As a result, Wisconsin football drops to (12-1) on the season while The Ohio State moves to (11-2). The Badgers were their own worst enemy at times with an early red zone turnover taking away points.
Some uncharacteristic poor tackling in the first half set up all three Buckeye touchdowns. Trailing 21-10 at the break, the Badgers simply left themselves too much work to do in the second half.
Per usual, they played brighter football after the intermission. But they could never establish the running game to any degree.
Wisconsin Badgers Football
For the game, Wisconsin ran for merely 60 yards on 32 attempts a paltry 1.9 yards per carry average. Conversely, the Buckeyes managed to wrack up 240 yards on 40 carries good for six yards a carry.
Gifts from the Buckeyes really kept Wisconsin in contact. Andrew Van Ginkely returned an interception for a TD and forced a fumble that set up a Badger field goal. That were the only 10 first half points for Wisconsin.
In the second half, Leon Jacobs snagged a nice interception and Wisconsin scored a touchdown on its next series. A two-point conversion made it just a field goal game. But credit the Buckeyes for answering back. They embarked on a 15-play 72 yards drive taking 7:19 off the clock.
It ended in a field goal but limited the final chances for Wisconsin as time ran short. The defense got one more stop and gave the offense one more chance. But Wisconsin couldn’t muster any late game heroics.
For the game Wisconsin’s Alex Hornibrook was simply too inconsistent missing on throws as his footwork and mechanics betrayed him under pressure. The Badger OL lost too many battles up front to a good The Ohio State front. That trashed the running game.
Next: Wisconsin Football Poor 1st Half Execution
The defense did enough in the 2nd half, but missed tackles in the first half and big plays put the team in a to deep a hole. A bitter way to conclude a fantastic season.
Wisconsin will await its bowl fate which could be settled this evening or likely on Sunday. But a return trip to the Cotton Bowl or the Capital One Bowl looks to be on tap.