They say the numbers don't lie, however, in the case of Saturday's Wisconsin-Ohio State matchup, the numbers couldn't have been further from the truth.
The Badgers racked up 368 total yards, the most the Buckeyes allowed all season. Meanwhile, Ohio State compiled just 184 yards of total offense and went 3 for 11 on third down conversions.
Additionally, junior quarterback Scott Tolzien completed 27 passes for 250 yards, as he kept the Wisconsin offense out on the field for 25 minutes more than the Buckeyes' offense.
Yet, the only numbers that mattered in the end were the 31 points for Ohio State and the 13 for Wisconsin. Despite the otherwise impressive statistics, head coach Bret Bielema was clearly troubled with the way his team performed Saturday.
""It was very painful film to watch,"" Bielema said.
Bielema refused to place blame on any single player, but said multiple improvements need to be made on all sides of the ball. He also emphasized the fact that Ohio State was able to score three touchdowns on defense and special teams.
""The biggest story Saturday was to give up 21 points without our defense on the field,"" Bielema said. ""We can't allow that to happen.""
Bielema has certainly not forgotten his team's performance after its loss at home against Ohio State last year. After the defeat, Penn State marched into Camp Randall the next week and crushed the Badgers, 48-7. Following that was a 38-16 defeat at the hands of Iowa the week after.
However, Bielema feels confident that this year's team will not make the same mistakes that last year's did.
""Everything I've learned about this team, from the first day of camp to where we are today, is that they are a very resilient group,"" Bielema said.
Although there are no team MVPs handed out following a loss, Bielema did make sure to mention who the defensive award would have gone to.
After being benched during the spring game, a punishment for showing up late to a meeting, senior defensive end O'Brien Schofield has become a leader on and off the field.
Bielema said that Schofield has often been quick to correct the mistakes of fellow players and call out his teammates before the coaching staff can even get a word in.
Ever since his spring benching, Bielema could only characterize Schofield's performance this season as ""unbelievable.""
On the field against Ohio State, he collected 3.5 more tackles for loss and two sacks against Ohio State. His 14.5 tackles for a loss leads the nation, and Schofield is tied for sixth in the nation with 6.5 sacks. Bielema predicts an All Big Ten selection for Schofield if he continues his performance for the remainder of the season.
""He really jumped out on film Saturday as a guy who looked like he belonged,"" Bielema said.
