As always, presented without comment.

Stats are grabbed from cfbstats.com.

SUPER bad new from Doug Lesmerises:

Every preview and pundit out there was saying the same thing: Ohio State was going to force the Badgers to throw the ball, thinking that Stave wouldn’t be up for the game. In the first half, Stave and Abbrederis were doing everything they could to prove that notion wrong.

Ohio State’s defense was up for the task of stopping the run. Outside of a couple big runs by Gordon, the defense kept the running game in check.

As for Braxton and the possibility of rust, he disavowed that notion early and late in the first half, throwing three beautiful touchdowns to three beautiful receivers.

Ohio State led at half time, 24-14.

The second half wasn’t as pretty as the first but it was just enough.

The offense struggled to click in the second half. On four of Ohio State’s six second-half possessions (not counting the final kneel down) Ohio State was forced to punt. They turned the ball over on downs after Chris Borland stuffed Carlos Hyde on a fourth-and-two attempt. Only after a Bradley Roby interception did the the Buckeyes find the end zone. But that score was all the insurance they would need, propelling them to a 31-14 lead with a little more than two minutes in the third quarter.

Wisconsin would score ten more points but it wasn’t enough to overcome the 17-point deficit.

Jared Abbrederis proved once again that he can play with the best of them, having a career night, hauling in 10 passes for over 200 yards. He has given Bradley Roby fits any time those two go at each other, and tonight was no difference.

Also, hats off the Ohio product Chris Borland. He played a superb game at middle linebacker, shooting gaps, stuffing plays and chasing down Braxton on more than one occasion to prevent a big gain. He played a near flawless game and deserves some major respect for that performance.

Ohio State’s defense also deserves kudos. They held one of the best rushing attacks to less than a third of their previous average. The longest run they gave up was to James White on the final touchdown that Wisconsin scored, which went for 17 yards. Melvin Gordon was averaging 11 yards a carry and the Buckeyes held him under 5. Holding the Badgers to 104 yards when they had been averaging 350 is an accomplishment.

Ryan Shazier and Curtis Grant were everywhere, and the Silver Bullets proved once again they could stop another vaunted rushing attack.

You’ve had a great day of getting things done, watching some football and now it’s time for the Prime Time Showdown of your Ohio State Buckeyes taking on those loathsome Badgers of the University of Wisconsin.

Hit the jump to join the fun in the Live In Game Chat.

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Tried to get this out earlier today, but Real Life™ has conspired against me. But since tomorrow’s game is a prime time kickoff, we can have a later open thread, too, right?

This is Ohio State’s first real (and quite possibly only) test. A Top 25 team, one of the best rushing attacks in the nation with a couple of the best running backs in all of college football. Their defense, especially their front four, isn’t a push-over easy. This should be a slugfest from start to finish (or at least the end of the third quarter). But hey, Ohio State has some pretty nifty running backs themselves and they have quite the defense as well. This should be a great one.

Speaking of great, we had a lot of great Wisconsin content here on the site. Starting off with Andrew’s preview, we get a glimpse of what to expect tomorrow in the ‘Shoe:

Wisconsin is loaded with players such as Melvin Gordon, James White and James Abbrederis. Gordon has already ran for 624 yards and White has ran for 442. Gordon averages 11.8 yards per carry while White averages 7.2. These are two backs that Ohio State’s defense is going to have to contain. The last thing the Buckeyes want to happen is to have Wisconsin control time possession. James Abbrederis has given Ohio State trouble in the future. He seems to make plays when it matters most. If Wisconsin is in a big situation I will be hoping that Abbrederis is covered.

Ronnie gives us a list of who to watch, and just like Andrew said, it’s those pesky running backs and Wisconsin’s MLB, Chris Borland:

Four years later, Borland is an All Big Ten linebacker, and is the cornerstone of the Badger defense. Borland won’t put up amazing stats, but he anchors the Badgers stingy rush defense. He has excellent positioning and will rack up massive amounts of tackles for the Badgers. Look for Borland to be the consistent stronghold of the Wisconsin defense on Saturday.

Looking at the how the numbers match up, Ohio State has the slightest of advantages in the head-to-head match-ups in this week’s By The Numbers.

Shannon had a chat with Wisconsin blogger Andy Coppens of MadTownBadgers, and while I think Andy had a bit of an edge to some of his answers, we appreciate him coming on and being a good sport. Definitely no love lost in this “rivalry”.

Finally, Chip looks to keep his streak of watching the Buckeyes beat the Badgers in the Horseshoe alive tomorrow night and has predicted a Buckeye victory: Ohio State 35, Wisconsin 24.

So let’s hear from you. What do you think the score will be? Will it be close to an upset as some people think? Or is Wisconsin overmatched, like most right-minded folks think?

As always, presented without comment.

Stats are grabbed from cfbstats.com.

We missed posting an Open Thread this week because of scheduling issues, so you can use the comments section of this thread to post your final score predictions as well as participate in the live chat going on during the FAMU game.

Hit the jump for the chat interface and GO BUCKS.

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Because I love a good argument, I’m going to ask it right off the bat: Did Kenny Guiton’s performance cause a quarterback controversy in Columbus? He was 21 for 32 for 276 yards and four touchdowns and had 92 yards on the ground.

Probably not. But it’s fun to think about

Once again Ohio State came out of the gate like barn burners, scoring 21 points in quick succession, including a 90-yard strike from Guiton to Devin Smith.

Kudos to Cal and Cal QB Jared Goff (who my son decided was named “Goof”) who never backed down. Goff had a rough first half, was hurried all over the field and threw two interceptions.

Ohio State led at half 31-20

Guiton started the second half with some shakey throws but got going with a bee-utiful option fake on fourth and one early in the third quarter. That led to another score and at that point it basically became academic.

Guiton and the offense looked like they were a well-oiled machine, hitting on all cylinders. He’s reads on the run game were correct more often than not. He wasn’t as accurate in the second half, but still efficient and made some plays with his legs. Jordan Hall and Dontre Wilson looked great on the ground, too. This was a well balanced attack.

The defense played well, except for a few missed tackles. They did get gashed a few times in the second half on the ground, but that may have been a result more of the defensive scheme on the field than anything else.

One thing we have to keep in mind about the defensive performance is that it’s going to be on the field a lot. When you score 50+ points and have struck quickly on most drives you’re going to give up some yards on defense. That being said, the run defense was strong most of the game, they were able to get pressure with just 3 rushers often and Shazier had a strong first half. Steve Miller had another strong outing as well. And except for one play, Roby was extremely effective.

Also, kudos to Ohio State fans. The stadium looked like a bowl game. Chants of O-H-I-O could be heard, which is just awesome.

Join us at 6:30 for a live in-game chat during the Buckeyes tilt against the Cal Bears.

Hit the jump for the chat window and go Buckeyes!

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