Badgers stunned after being hit 'like a freight train' by Buckeyes
INDIANAPOLIS -- Any tangible possibility of Saturday's outcome falling in Wisconsin's favor had slipped away long ago. In its place, a feeling Badgers players never could have anticipated began to creep in: embarrassment.
Wisconsin already trailed by 31 points to Ohio State with a handful of ticks remaining in the second quarter, and the sentiment seemed to hint at this basic thought: Just make it to halftime. Except, on a night in which nothing went right, even handing the ball off to a sure-fire Heisman Trophy finalist became something out of a scene from Bad News Bears.
Badgers running back Melvin Gordon darted around the left side of the field, only to see Buckeyes defensive tackle Michael Bennett force a fumble and defensive end Joey Bosa scoop up the ball, walking in for the easiest four-yard touchdown he may ever score.
"That took the momentum away completely," Gordon would say. "I don't think we had any, but if we had any ounce, that right there sealed the deal."
The sequence proved to be the folly of all follies in a game full of such mishaps for UW. And when the carnage officially ended one half later -- forfeiting and running clocks would have been far more merciful -- No. 5 Ohio State had obliterated No. 13 Wisconsin, 59-0, to capture the Big Ten championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in front of 60,229 fans.
Wisconsin players walked slowly to midfield once the game clock hit zero to congratulate Ohio State players as streamers fell from the roof. They turned back into one corner of the stadium to the family and band section and partook in a brief and downtrodden version of the school fight song, then sulked off in silence into the locker room.
It was, in every sense, a beatdown unlike any player had ever experienced.
"You can't see this coming at all," Badgers safety Michael Caputo said. "It hits you like a freight train. It hurts."
Just how bad was Wisconsin's performance?
It marked the first time Wisconsin had been shut out since 1997 and represented the worst program loss since a 59-0 defeat against Ohio State back on Oct. 20, 1979. That Badgers team, however, finished 4-7 overall and didn't quality for a bowl game. This year's team was on the cusp of winning its fourth Big Ten title in five seasons. Instead, UW became the first team to play in a power-five conference championship game and be shut out -- a span of 55 games.
"This is not Wisconsin football," Gordon said. "This is not how we play. I've never been a part of anything like that. It's tough. Since I've been at Wisconsin, we've never lost by this much. It's an embarrassment."
The Badgers had clung to far happier memories at the same venue in years past. Wisconsin came from behind to defeat Michigan State 42-39 in the inaugural conference title game in 2011. A year later, UW annihilated Nebraska 70-31 -- a margin some thought would require several years to top.
Instead, Ohio State required all of two years.
The Buckeyes had been 24-1 in Big Ten games under coach Urban Meyer, the lone loss coming during last year's conference title game against Michigan State. And motivation certainly wasn't an issue for Ohio State, which was fighting to impress a 12-person committee set to decide the top-four in the inaugural College Football Playoff.
Ohio State (12-1) could not have done more to sway the committee. And Wisconsin (10-3) could not have done less to dazzle anybody.
"You've got to understand where you're at and where you sit and what it's going to take to get back into this game," Badgers coach Gary Andersen said. "Right now, we're chasing Ohio State, and that's pretty obvious."
OSU needed all of six plays and 1 minute, 59 seconds to score first, when Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones -- making his first college start in place of conference freshman of the year J.T. Barrett -- connected for a 39-yard touchdown pass with receiver Devin Smith, who outjumped Badgers cornerback Sojourn Shelton.
Buckeyes tailback Ezekiel Elliott then broke an 81-yard touchdown, Smith caught another 44-yard touchdown pass and Elliott scored from 14 yards out for a 31-0 lead. All that before Gordon's fumble giftwrapped the Buckeyes a 38-0 bulge at halftime.
"We were at a point where I wanted to make a play," Gordon said. "I was so desperate to make a play for my team, just trying to get those guys going, I lost focus of the ball, got loose with it. Before I could even get it up really, the guys knocked it out."
Ohio State racked up 292 yards on just 20 plays in the first 19 minutes of the game -- an average of 14.6 yards per play. That total represented more yardage than Wisconsin's defense had allowed, on average, all season (260.3). By game's end, Ohio State had amassed 558 yards of offense against the Badgers' No. 2-ranked defense.
"I felt like the defense today was in some parts playing a little timid," Badgers linebacker Marcus Trotter said. "We're a bunch of guys who are blue-collar workers with a chip on our shoulder. Something about today, we didn't have that attitude."
The offense certainly wasn't much better. Wisconsin finished with 258 yards of total offense, or 300 less than Ohio State. Gordon carried 26 times for 76 yards and was held below 100 yards for the first time since Week 2 against Western Illinois. Badgers quarterback Joel Stave, meanwhile, completed only 17 of 43 passes (39.5 percent) for 187 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
"They did a great job putting pressure on me, doing what they could to stop the run game," said Stave, who lost his first game as a starting quarterback this season in eight tries. "They've got a very good front four. Those guys are tough to block. It wasn't our night."
Wisconsin entered the weekend having won seven consecutive games to put itself in position for a spot in one of the "New Year's Six" bowl games, which included the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl. Instead, the Holiday Bowl or the Outback Bowl appears a likely destination, which felt of little consolation to players late in the night.
Making matters worse, three of Wisconsin's starters were bullied and bruised and couldn't even finish the game. Tight end Sam Arneson sustained a head injury, defensive end Konrad Zagzebski suffered a knee injury and is doubtful for the team's bowl game, and center Dan Voltz reinjured his left ankle early in the first quarter and did not return. All three stood on the sideline in black Wisconsin warmups at the end of the game.
When players and coaches finally left the stadium early Sunday morning, several acknowledged they hadn't simply been humbled -- they also had been humiliated.
"It's unacceptable," Badgers left tackle Tyler Marz said. "When you're a player, it's embarrassing to be in a game like that. . . . As a player, you always look back at the losses, and that sticks with you forever."
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