Ohio State Looking Forward To Playing “Smashmouth” Football Against Wisconsin

“The reason I came to the Big Ten was to play in these types of games.”

Author:
Andrew Lind
Sep 21, 2022 10:36 PM EDT

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Ohio State Buckeyes

One thing that attracted junior offensive tackle Paris Johnson to Ohio State was the Big Ten’s reputation for physical play, and Saturday’s conference opener against Wisconsin will be a prime example of that.

“It definitely means more,” Johnson said during his media availability on Wednesday night.. “Some people go to the SEC to play those SEC opponents, but the reason I came to the Big Ten was to play in these types of games. This is one of those games that I knew when I committed here was going to be a big one because they’re known for bigger, stronger guys.

“This is a game that I’ve looked forward to since I was in high school … When you see their numbers going back, they’re great. But that’s a reason why you’re excited to play an opponent like this. It means a lot.”

The Buckeyes had their way offensively in last weekend’s 77-21 win over Toledo, coming up just 14 yards shy of setting a school record with 763 yards of total offense. But the Badgers are once again among the nation’s best defensively, allowing just 8.0 points and 246.0 yards per game this season.

“They’re a very tough team,” redshirt sophomore running back Miyan Williams said. “We just have to come play tough, too. That’s all three is to it.”

On the other side of the ball, Wisconsin is led by sophomore running back Braelon Allen, who has rushed for 332 yards and five touchdown on 50 carries this season. He presents the type of test that Ohio State failed in last season’s losses to Oregon and Michigan, when the Buckeyes gave up 269 and 297 yards on the ground, respectively.

“They’re just really big, fast, physical and they want to play smashmouth football,” redshirt junior linebacker Steele Chambers said. “It’s going to be a fun game. Night game, blackout. It’s going to be fun as hell.”

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