Wisconsin Badgers
3-2 , 1-1
Ohio State
5-0 , 1-0
Horseshoe heartache: Badgers' rally falls short at OSU
September 28, 2013 | Football
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Sept. 28, 2013
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Trailing by 16 points entering the fourth quarter, No. 23 Wisconsin (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) fought back to draw within one touchdown of No. 4 Ohio State (5-0, 0-1) in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, but wasn't able to finish the deal against the Buckeyes.
Ten points in the fourth quarter kept the Badgers in the game until the final minute, but Ohio State's defense forced a four-and-out as Wisconsin sought a late game-tying drive to preserve the 31-24 win for the Buckeyes.
WR Jared Abbrederis did all he could for the Badgers, hauling in 10 passes for 207 yards, both career-highs, and a touchdown, but it wasn't enough to overcome Braxton Miller's four touchdown tosses for Ohio State.
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The Buckeyes rattled off 14 unanswered points to build a 31-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Wisconsin wasn't ready to throw in the towel. In the final quarter, RB James White ran in a 17-yard score and Kyle French knocked through a 42-yard field goal to pull the Badgers within a score.
Wisconsin got the ball back with 1:29 left looking to tie the game, but the Buckeye's defense stood strong to lock down the win.
The Ohio State defense bottled up the high-powered Badgers' running game all night, limiting White and Melvin Gordon to a season team-low 104 total rushing yards. But QB Joel Stave gave UW a chance through the air, throwing for a career-high 295 yards and two scores.
In the end, though, it was Wisconsin's miscues that helped the Buckeyes to the win.
Right before half, when it looked like the Badgers would head into the locker room down only three after two Stave TD passes, Miller found WR Philly Brown with a 40-yard touchdown strike to stake OSU to a 24-14 halftime lead. The TD pass came one play after UW CB Sojourn Shelton dropped a would-be interception.
Then, in the third-quarter, Ohio State CB Bradley Roby's interception of Stave set the Buckeyes up with a short field which Miller converted into a one-yard touchdown pass to Brown for a 31-14 lead that, in the end, the Badgers weren't able to overcome.
LB Chris Borland was all over the field for the Badgers in his home state of Ohio, tying a career-high and leading all defenders with 16 tackles.
Wisconsin has a bye week next weekend before returning home to Camp Randall Stadium on Oct. 12 against Big Ten foe, Northwestern (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Team Stats
WIS 0, OSU 7
OSU - Spencer, Evan 25 yd pass from Miller, Braxton (Basil, Drew kick) 4 plays, 55 yards, TOP 1:07
WIS 7, OSU 7
WIS - Abbrederis, Jar 36 yd pass from Stave, Joel (French, Kyle kick) 8 plays, 90 yards, TOP 4:54
WIS 7, OSU 14
OSU - Smith, Devin 26 yd pass from Miller, Braxton (Basil, Drew kick) 6 plays, 73 yards, TOP 2:57
WIS 7, OSU 17
OSU - Basil, Drew 45 yd field goal 6 plays, 20 yards, TOP 2:45
WIS 14, OSU 17
WIS - Arneson, Sam 11 yd pass from Stave, Joel (French, Kyle kick) 7 plays, 76 yards, TOP 2:57
WIS 14, OSU 24
OSU - Brown, Corey 40 yd pass from Miller, Braxton (Basil, Drew kick) 8 plays, 71 yards, TOP 1:30
WIS 14, OSU 31
OSU - Brown, Corey 1 yd pass from Miller, Braxton (Basil, Drew kick) 7 plays, 32 yards, TOP 3:05
WIS 21, OSU 31
WIS - White, James 17 yd run (French, Kyle kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:31
WIS 24, OSU 31
WIS - French, Kyle 42 yd field goal 11 plays, 60 yards, TOP 2:33
