BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin football team has had minimal success playing at Ohio Stadium over the years.
Going back to 1914, the Badgers are 7-30-3 playing Ohio State on its home turf in the Big Ten Conference. All losses sting, but some of those setbacks have been particularly painful.
Like 1952. Wisconsin was ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for the first time in its history, but the Buckeyes carved out a 23-14 victory and UW has never returned to that lofty spot.
Like 1962. The Badgers were ranked fifth and would reign as the Big Ten champion, but their only regular-season loss came at unranked Ohio State, 14-7.
Like 2009. Unranked Wisconsin allowed just eight first downs, 97 rushing yards, 87 passing yards, ran 89 plays from scrimmage and held the ball for nearly 43 minutes, but the ninth-rated Buckeyes returned two interceptions and a kickoff for touchdowns during a 31-13 win.
Like 2011. Fresh off a last-second loss at Michigan State, the 12th-rated Badgers rallied to take a three-point lead with 78 seconds left only to allow a long TD pass with 20 seconds left and endure a 33-29 defeat.
When No. 13 Wisconsin (6-1 overall, 3-1 in league play) ventures to Ohio Stadium on Saturday for an 11 a.m. duel with the No. 3 Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0) it will be their first meeting in Columbus, Ohio, since 2013 and the eighth overall when both teams have been ranked.
The Badgers have one victory in Columbus when both teams are ranked. Curiously, they have won more games at Ohio Stadium as an unranked club (1982, '85, '99) than they have while situated in the top 25 (2004).
For what it's worth, four members of the Wisconsin coaching staff experienced a victory in Ohio Stadium as players. Head coach Paul Chryst was a freshman on special teams in 1985 when the unranked Badgers toppled No. 3 Ohio State 12-7. Ross Kolodziej, the strength and conditioning coach, was a junior defensive end in 1999 when Wisconsin rallied from a 17-0 deficit to win 42-17. Jim Leonhard, the defensive coordinator, was a freshman on special teams in 2001 when the Badgers won 20-17 and was a senior All-America safety in 2004 when Wisconsin prevailed 24-13. Taylor Mehlhaff, a special teams analyst, was a freshman kicker in 2004.
Here are five more things to know:
Remarkable Anniversary
Twenty Octobers ago the Badgers drew a memorable line in the sand during a visit to Ohio Stadium. They came in having lost two straight — including a massive upset at the hands of Cincinnati — and promptly fell behind the Buckeyes 17-0. But redshirt freshman quarterback Brooks Bollinger, making his first career start, and senior tailback Ron Dayne fueled a shocking 42-0 run that put Wisconsin back in the Big Ten title chase. It was a defining moment for the Badgers, who went on to claim a second straight conference crown and second consecutive Rose Bowl win. It was a watershed moment for Dayne, who went on to secure the Heisman Trophy and become the all-time NCAA career rushing leader. But the most remarkable aspect of that season might be this: Wisconsin began the year ranked ninth, fell completely out of the top 25 after its losses to Cincinnati and Michigan, then won eight straight to finish the season ranked fourth. That's one crazy, incredible ride.
Fast Forward
Four running backs in Football Bowl Subdivision history have reached 5,000 career rushing yards before the end of their junior seasons. Jonathan Taylor of the Badgers is the latest to join the club, but he got there faster than any of his predecessors. He needed 736 carries to reached that milestone last week at Illinois, fewer than LaMichael James of Oregon (755), Dayne (843) and Herschel Walker of Georgia (973).
6K Run
Taylor now has 5,128 career rushing yards and at least six games remaining, so it's quite possible he could be the first to get to 6,000 before the season is over. He already holds the FBS standard for most yards as a freshman (1,977) and as a sophomore (4,171). He needs 43 yards to get to 1,000 and join Dayne and P.J. Hill as the only ones in school history to top 1,000 in each of their first three seasons. Taylor needs 469 yards to surpass Walker's three-season total of 5,596 as a junior. Taylor needs 872 yards to get to 6,000. He's currently averaging 150.8 yards per game for his career. If he maintains that through the end of the regular season and a bowl assignment, he'll have 905. Along the way, though, Taylor will have to deal with two top-10 rush defenses — Iowa is eighth and Ohio State is ninth — as well as Minnesota (No. 32), Purdue (No. 68) and Nebraska (No. 96).
Good On Good, Part I
Ohio State has the best third-down conversion rate in the nation at 56.1 percent. The Badgers, meanwhile, have the best third-down defense, limiting opponents to a success ratio of 16.1 percent.
Good On Good, Part II
The Buckeyes have limited opponents to 0.53 points per possession, which ranks first nationally. Wisconsin has held foes to 0.55 per possession, which ranks second.
