Ohio State routs Northwestern, Turns Attention to Wisconsin
Now, the steak, please.
After seven games feasting on appetizers, unbeaten and fourth-ranked Ohio State is ready for something meaty and more substantial.
That's a good thing, because after a 52-3 feast on Northwestern Friday night in Evanston, unbeaten and No. 6 Wisconsin is next on the Buckeyes' menu.
Sure, the Badgers have to play Saturday at noon at Illinois, but the Illini have only slightly more chance to make that game interesting than Northwestern had at Ryan Field.
OSU unleashed a 24-point second quarter that padded a 7-3 lead to let's-get-out-of-here-before-someone-gets-hurt territory.
So, the game of the year in the Big Ten will happen at high noon Oct. 26, and while Wisconsin has the resume of a worthy opponent, it will be a significant underdog when the point spreads leak on Monday.
Why?
Well, for one reason, the same Northwestern defense that OSU eviscerated held Wisconsin tailback Jonathan Taylor to 119 rushing yards on 26 carries and the Badgers' offense to one touchdown.
J.K. Dobbins -- who entered last night with one more rushing yards than Taylor -- had 121 yards on 18 carries against the Wildcats.
Dobbins accounted for all of a two-play, 73-yard TD drive in that second-quarter OSU getaway, starting it off with a 68-yard rumble.
Backup tailback Master Teague punctuated the rout in the fourth quarter with a 73-yard touchdown run.
Ohio State came in averaging 288 yards on the ground and pounded out 285, so Wisconsin will have to find a way to stop that.
Oh, by the way, quarterback Justin Fields threw for four touchdowns before taking a seat, orchestrating that high-scoring second quarter by converting third-down predicaments where his team needed 7 yards twice, 8 yards once and 11 yards and 15 yards other times.
Fields threw two touchdown passes to Chris Olave, one to Dobbins and another to Austin Mack.
The first two appeared to come on new wrinkles Day installed this week to give Wisconsin something else to think about in advance of next Saturday.
As if there wasn't enough already.
OSU has now won two games by 24 points apiece and its other five by 40 points or more.
