Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Wisconsin Badgers: Keys to the Game
When the Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Madison, Wisconsin, to face the Badgers in Week 9 of the regular season, they will enter Camp Randall Stadium with hopes of sending a strong message before the initial College Football Playoff rankings.
The last win for the Badgers over the Buckeyes happened in 2010 in Madison, where Ohio State, ranked No. 1 at the time, couldn't overcome Wisconsin.
This season, leading the Badgers will be new head coach Luke Fickell, who both played and coached at Ohio State before moving on to Cincinnati and eventually, Wisconsin.
The former Buckeye graduate is reportedly set to modernize a Badgers offense that had become overdependent on its ground game. Fickell's hiring of former UNC offensive coordinator Phil Longo was a statement of intention, as the former Tarheel coach joined the staff after coaching current Washington Commander starting quarterback Sam Howell and potential first-round pick Drake Maye.
Tanner Mordecai was set to be the starting signal-caller for the Badgers, but after suffering an injury, that burden now falls on Braeden Locke, who got a win last week as the starter against Illinois. And chance of Wisconsin pulling the upset over Ohio State will rest on his shoulders.
So what is the key to victory for both sides?
Ohio State will win if ...
... It gets after Braeden Locke early and often.
Locke is inexperienced and has never seen anything close to the defense he will see on Saturday against the Buckeyes. If Ohio State can get pressure and get in his head early and they can force him into some critical mistakes, that should make the Badgers one-dimensional on offense.
And if you try and be one-dimensional against this Buckeyes defense, you're going to have a bad time.
Wisconsin will win if ...
... It gives Braeden Locke a chance.
The Buckeyes will be doing everything they can to confuse and get in Locke's head early in the game, and in order for him to have a chance on Saturday, the Badgers will need to establish a ground game.
Obviously, that won't be easy, as Ohio State ranks near the top of the country defending the run. But they need to keep the threat of the run viable, in order to keep the defense from pinning their ears back and coming after Locke.
