As the Wisconsin Badgers prepare to face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game, they should study how the Penn State Nittany Lions’ defense played the Ohio State offense on Nov. 23.
The Badgers played an excellent first half against Ohio State’s offense on Oct. 26, but lost ground in the second half. Wisconsin’s pass coverage was solid in that game. Its run defense deteriorated in the second half, but for a reason which wasn’t the defense’s fault: The Badgers lost strength on their rush defense after halftime in Columbus largely because the UW offense wasn’t able to stay on the field and keep the defense fresh. What can the Badgers do even better on defense this time around?
Look at the cover photo for this story, which provides a starting point for the Wisconsin defense. Penn State’s Trent Gordon rakes the ball away from Ohio State receiver Chris Olave. The Penn State defensive approach against Ohio State was, in many ways, based on raking. In baseball, “raking” means hitting the ball very hard. In basketball, raking refers to hitting the arm, not the ball, when trying to get a steal on defense. In football, raking refers to prying the ball out of the hands of an offensive player. Penn State raked extremely well against Ohio State.
The Nittany Lions raked in one-on-one receiver-cornerback matchups on the perimeter to deny long-ball touchdown passes from Justin Fields. Penn State raked the ball out of Ohio State ball-carriers, causing the multiple fumbles which enabled Penn State to rally from a 21-0 deficit and create a 21-17 score before Ohio State regrouped and won by a 28-17 count.
It is true that Wisconsin didn’t allow Ohio State to do very much in the first half on Oct. 26. Wisconsin is capable of playing another half at that same level, but as was the case in late October, it was really hard to ask Wisconsin’s defense to play 60 complete minutes against an offense as good as Ohio State’s. The Buckeyes are loaded. They will score some points. They will move the ball in some portions of a game. Stopping them is not a reasonable ask. Containing them — holding them to 28 points, as Penn State did — is the goal. Wisconsin can’t win a 49-42 game. It CAN win a 31-28 game.
How can Wisconsin do that? The Badgers might get one or two three-and-outs in this game, but the best path to containing Ohio State’s offense is getting a few turnovers so that the time of possession tally can shift in Wisconsin’s favor. If the Badgers get help from their offense, a raking defense — which collects turnovers and denies long-ball passes from Fields — can win this game.
Remember that in the 2017 Big Ten Championship Game, Wisconsin gave up 449 yards but collected three takeaways against Ohio State. That is pretty much what the Badgers should shoot for: a game in which the Buckeyes gain yards but not nearly as many points as the yardage total might seem to suggest. Raking — on long passes and whenever an Ohio State ball-carrier holds the ball like a jug of milk — is the lesson Penn State offers to Wisconsin. The Badgers should heed the Nittany Lions’ advice.