COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — For the third time in four weeks, No. 1 Ohio State is on the road for a Big Ten matchup. The undefeated Buckeyes are set to travel to Madison to meet a struggling Wisconsin squad that’s lost its last four games, including 37-0 to Iowa at home last weekend.
“The easy thing to do would be to look at their record or look at what happened last week and think otherwise, but that’s not the case,” coach Ryan Day said. “This is a team that has good players and is playing very hard. We have to focus on us and our process.”
OSU is riding a 10-game winning streak after last week’s 34-16 win over Illinois. Saturday marks the first meeting between the programs since 2023, which the Buckeyes won 24-10 at Camp Randall.
Here’s what to know about Saturday’s game, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m.
Ground game needs versatility
While the Fighting Illini produced more total yardage than the Buckeyes last weekend (295-272), OSU handily won the ground game, outrunning Illinois 106-47. Bo Jackson and CJ Donaldson combined for 23 carries and 93 yards, with the West Virginia transfer scoring two touchdowns on the ground and the true freshman catching a 17-yard TD pass.
“There’s been some positive things across the board and then some things that we need to get better at, but I think the guys are playing physical,” Day said.
Halfway through the regular season, Day said he needs his running backs to be versatile so that they don’t become predictable to opposing defenses.
“If you’re just putting people in to do specific jobs, then you know what happens. The defense says, ‘he’s only doing this.’ So we don’t want to do that at any position,” Day said. “We want to maximize their strengths but also have got to build their weaknesses up and limitations so that they can get to that point.”
Buckeyes becoming road warriors
Half of Ohio State’s wins in its 10-game winning streak have been away from the Horseshoe. While last year’s playoff run brought the Buckeyes to big stage venues like the Rose Bowl, AT&T Stadium and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, this season’s road wins have been impressive.
The Buckeyes began Big Ten play in the challenging confines of Husky Stadium in Seattle, where they ended Washington’s 22-game home winning streak. Last weekend’s win over No. 17 Illinois was in front of a sellout crowd at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign.
Now Ohio State gears up for the unique atmosphere at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, which should still draw large crowds despite Wisconsin’s latest struggles. And Day embraces the challenge of being road warriors in October.
“I think there’s a lot of positives when you go on the road. I think our guys enjoy being on the road. There’s a little less distractions,” Day said. “You kind of feel like you’re on your own. And you’ve got to gain your identity when you’re on your own.”
Former Buckeye Luke Fickell at the helm in Madison
Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell played for Ohio State from 1993 to ’96 and served on the Buckeyes coaching staff for 16 seasons from 2001 to ’16, a tenure that included two national title runs. He redshirted in 1992 before making 50 consecutive starts at defensive tackle, which set a school record at the time.
But now the OSU alum, in his fourth season with the Badgers, is on the hot seat in Madison after four straight losses. And Fickell knows this weekend will be the toughest challenge yet this season.
“We’ve got a challenge in front of us, so it’s really hard to dwell upon the things from last week,” Fickell said. “That doesn’t mean we didn’t address them, doesn’t mean we, obviously, haven’t watched and gone about the corrections and the things that we have to be able to do, because we’ve got to continue to move forward. But with what sits in front of us in particular this week, it’s really hard to to spend a whole lot of time dwell upon last week.”
