Pressuring Barrett key for UW in prime-time matchup against OSU

Wisconsin:

Keep Barrett contained

With the sixth-best rushing defense in college football, even after facing the potent LSU, Michigan State and Michigan ground games, Wisconsin has proven that it has the ability to match up with any running back in the country. But Ohio State’s third-ranked rushing offense gives the Badgers yet another ground game to try and contain. This time though, the rushing attack comes in the form of quarterback J.T. Barrett. The junior’s 26 career touchdowns on the ground are a testament to his ability to exploit defenses in multiple ways.

While the Wisconsin defensive line will likely have its hands full dealing with OSU’s potent offensive front, the responsibility of keeping Barrett in the pocket will fall to Wisconsin’s stellar linebacking corps. Wrapping up and gang-tackling will be especially important, as the missed sack opportunities could be costly for the Badgers.

Embrace the Moment

Saturday night’s game against the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes will likely be the biggest game of the Badgers’ season. 80,000 screaming fans will surely be rooting for the cardinal and white in what will a true Madison spectacle.

Despite all of that, the pressure will be squarely on Ohio State’s shoulders on Saturday. The Buckeyes have their eyes set on a national title, and with each passing week a date against Michigan in “The Game” looms larger.

Against the Wolverines, the Badgers showed that they have the ability to stay close with just about any team in the country, so expect them to try to use that to frustrate an Ohio State team that has become accustomed to putting teams away early. And if the Buckeyes falter late in the game, the Badgers will need to show their killer instinct that helped them put away LSU and Michigan State.

Connect on the play action

If there’s been one constant in the way opposing defenses have approached Wisconsin this season, it’s that they have committed to loading the box with eight or nine defenders and stopping the run at almost all cost. Against the stout defensive front of Ohio State, this means the pressure falls on quarterback Alex Hornibrook to hit receivers in single coverage down the field.

Hornibrook has shown the ability to connect on these passes, as he did several times in crucial situations against Michigan State. But against Michigan the following week, Hornibrook struggled in the same situations, with a would-be touchdown pass to Jazz Peavy on a post-corner as only one of several misses.

In what will be yet again the biggest game of his career, Hornibrook will have to prove that he is the player who electrified the offense against Michigan State, and not the one who succumbed to the pressure versus Michigan, for the Badgers to have a chance at pulling the upset on Saturday.

Ohio State:

Protect the QB

J.T. Barrett is one of the top quarterbacks in the country, and has proven that he has the ability to move the ball and make plays even against a defense as tough as Wisconsin’s. But even the best quarterbacks will struggle if he’s constantly on the run from defenders. So far this season, the Ohio State offensive line has been phenomenal in pass protection, allowing only three sacks through five games. Wisconsin, though, presents an entirely new level of competition, with a strong defensive front adept at occupying the linemen and allowing a talented group of linebackers to wreak havoc in the backfield. Everyone involved in protection, from the linemen to the tight ends and running backs, will need to play their best to protect their star quarterback.

Staying upright is especially important for Barrett, who has a history of injuries dating back to an ACL surgery in high school. Last time Barrett went down in the middle of a season, OSU was able to capture a national championship, but even the most optimistic Buckeyes fan would be hard pressed to expect a repeat of that performance.

Start Fast

If there's been one weakness for Ohio State so far this season, it's been a propensity to let their opponents put free points on the board early. The Buckeyes allowed an interception return for a touchdown against Bowling Green in their season opener and let Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon take a kickoff to the house in the first quarter.

A mistake like that might not hurt much when you score 77 points, but in a tight defensive battle, allowing an early touchdown could swing the balance of the entire game in Wisconsin’s favor.

If the Buckeyes can get out to an early lead and force freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook to throw the ball repeatedly, they should be able to force incompletions and turnovers and turn the game into yet another blowout win. But if they fall behind early, the Buckeyes risk becoming the third top-10 team to fall prey to the Badgers.

Handle the Pressure

It’s an age-old cliche to say that a team’s toughest opponent is itself, but in the case of a team that is simultaneously as talented and inexperienced as Ohio State, it holds true. Of OSU’s 85 scholarship players, 44 of them had never played a Division 1 football game before this season. After five straight wins of twenty points or more to open the season, it remains to be seen how those players, and the team as a whole, will perform in crunch time.

The Buckeyes got a taste of that situation last Saturday against Indiana, and they kept their composure well enough to pull away in the final quarter. But a home game against a plucky underdog is worlds apart from facing the No. 11 team in the country in front of hostile Madison fans.

Urban Meyer and his staff will do everything they can to prepare their team for such an atmosphere, but until they line up with the game in the balance, not even the players themselves know how they will react.