Entering Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer possessed a 19-0 road record during his tenure with the Buckeyes. Win number 20 didn’t come easy.
Down 16-6 at halftime, the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0) Â mounted a gritty second-half comeback and needed overtime to knock off the #8 Wisconsin Badgers (4-2) by a score of 30-23. Ohio State quarterback J.T Barrett was instrumental in the Buckeyes second-half comeback and finished the game with 318 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, two of them rushing. His only touchdown pass came in overtime as he connected with wide receiver Noah Brown from seven yards out and the eventual game-winning score.
The Badgers took that 16-6 halftime lead thanks in large part to kicker Andrew Endicott hitting three field goals and Badgers quarterback Alex Hornibrook hooking up with receiver Jazz Peavy for a 24-yard touchdown with six minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The true freshman Hornibrook was as steady as the Badgers needed him to be as he passed for 214 yards, a touchdown, and one interception. Wisconsin running back Corey Clement also had himself a night behind a burly Wisconsin offensive line by rushing for 164 yards while averaging 6.6 yards per carry.
An expected defensive tussle wound up being full of offense with the Buckeyes totaling 411 yards and the Badgers equaling 450 yards of total offense. The Buckeyes defense turned it up however in the second half by limiting the Wisconsin offense to just seven points while also picking up two turnovers as well as the game-sealing sack of Hornibrook in overtime after a sequence of plays that put Wisconsin on the doorstep of a game-tying score.
Sitting at the Buckeyes 4-yard line, a 3rd down run by Clement ended in no gain after a critical stop by linebacker Jerome Baker. With the game on the line, Hornibrook dropped back to pass and faced heavy pressure from an Ohio State defense that only rushed four linemen. A collapsed pocket forced Hornibrook to attempt to retreat but was swallowed by Buckeyes lineman Tyquan Lewis and a host of Ohio State defenders to persevere the huge conference win for the Buckeyes.
