THE RUNNING START
When: Saturday, October 15, 2016
Where: Madison, Wisconsin, Camp Randall Stadium
TV: 8:00, ABC
Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Sam Ponder
This is the 81st game between Ohio State and Wisconsin in football and the Buckeyes lead the series 57–18–5.
Below you will find some interesting facts about the teams, key offensive player stats, coach information, and team stats.
THE LAST TIME...
- Ohio State played Wisconsin was in the 2014 Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis, the Buckeyes won 59-0.
- Wisconsin defeated Ohio State was 2010. Bert Beilema's team beat Tressel's top-ranked squad 31-18.
- The Buckeyes played the Badgers in Madison was 2012, OSU won 21-14 in OT.
- Ohio State won on October 15th was 2011 when the Buckeyes defeated No. 16 Illinois 17-7 in Champaign.
- A Buckeye recorded 4.0 sacks in a game was 2012. John Simon recorded 4 sacks in the 21-14 win over Wisconsin in Madison.
- An opponent scored a rushing touchdown against OSU's defense was Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
ON THE HORIZON
- J.T. Barrett (86) is second on Ohio State's all-time touchdowns responsible for list. Barrett is two touchdowns behind Braxton Miller for the all-time lead.
- The Buckeyes have won 19 straight "true" road games.
- This will be the first time Urban Meyer and Paul Chryst face each other as head coaches. Meyer is 3–0 against Wisconsin and 91–15 against coaches he has never played before.
- Ohio State currently has a seven-game winning streak in night games on the road.
- Urban Meyer has had three winning streaks of at least 12 games during his time in Columbus. The Buckeyes have currently won seven consecutive games.
- Cameron Johnston has downed an Ohio State record 94 punts inside the opponent's 20 yard line.
- This is the first of four consecutive night games for the Buckeyes.
Madison, Wisconsin
GET TO KNOW WISCONSIN
- The University of Wisconsin is located in Madison, WI.
- The university was established in 1848.
- The Badgers are 4–1 this season.
- Wisconsin is 42–17 (.710) since 2012.
- Paul Chryst's team lost to Michigan 14-7 in their last game on October 1st.
- The Badgers are 11–26–2 (.308) against Ohio State in Camp Randall Stadium.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTIONS:
- Malik Hooker has four interceptions through five games. The Ohio State record for interceptions in a season is 9. Two players hold this record, can you name one of the two?
- Parris Campbell almost returned a kickoff for a touchdown last week. Who was the last Buckeye to return a kickoff for a touchdown?
- Through five games, Curtis Samuel has 755 all-purpose yards. Who owns the Ohio State record with 2,441 all-purpose yards in a season?
Answers at the bottom of today's article.
WISCONSIN'S INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
PASSING
| STATS | PASSING | % | YARDS | TDS | INTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 9/25 | .360 | 88 | 1 | 3 |
| 2016 | 38/68 | .559 | 466 | 4 | 5 |
| CAREER | 38/68 | .559 | 466 | 4 | 5 |
RUSHING
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 68 | 4.0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 319 | 3.9 | 5 |
| CAREER | 2,036 | 5.9 | 26 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 3 | 1.5 | 0 |
| 2016 | 185 | 4.2 | 1 |
| CAREER | 1,197 | 4.4 | 9 |
RECEIVING
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 46 | 15.3 | 0 |
| 2016 | 274 | 15.2 | 0 |
| CAREER | 716 | 13.5 | 5 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 23 | 7.7 | 1 |
| 2016 | 36 | 6.0 | 1 |
| CAREER | 335 | 8.0 | 2 |
OHIO STATE'S INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
PASSING
| STATS | PASSING | % | YARDS | TDS | INTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 9/21 | .429 | 93 | 1 | 1 |
| 2016 | 79/123 | .642 | 981 | 15 | 3 |
| CAREER | 375/584 | .642 | 4,807 | 60 | 17 |
RUSHING
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 71 | 4.7 | 2 |
| 2016 | 566 | 6.8 | 4 |
| CAREER | 566 | 6.8 | 4 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 82 | 9.1 | 1 |
| 2016 | 410 | 8.2 | 3 |
| CAREER | 925 | 7.4 | 10 |
RECEIVING
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 345 | 15.0 | 3 |
| CAREER | 729 | 13.0 | 5 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 16 | 8.0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 165 | 13.8 | 5 |
| CAREER | 174 | 13.4 | 5 |
THE RUNOFF
Urban Meyer
55–4 (.930) at Ohio State (5th year)
159–27 (.850) overall (15th year)
Meyer is 3–0 against Wisconsin, but has never faced Paul Chryst.
Paul Chryst
14–4 (.778) at Wisconsin (2nd year)
33–23 (.589 ) overall as a college coach (5th year)
Chryst has never faced Ohio State as a head coach.
CLIFF CLAVEN'S LITTLE KNOWN FACTS CORNER
- The 228 points Ohio State has scored in 2016 is the most the Buckeyes have ever scored in the first four games of a season.
- The Buckeyes are averaging 6.7 yards per play over the past seven games.
- Mike Weber leads the Big Ten averaging 113.2 yards per game.
- As head coach of Ohio State, Urban Meyer is 16–0 during the month of October.
- The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in 18 different statistical categories.
- Malik Hooker leads the nation averaging 0.8 interceptions per game.
- In 2016, OSU's defense has not allowed a rushing touchdown, but it has recorded four pick-sixes.
- Ohio State's defense had a season high nine tackles for loss against Indiana.
- Since 2012, the Buckeyes (.933) have the highest winning percentage in the FBS. Alabama is second at .903.
- The Ohio State single season record for interception returns for touchdowns is four, set in 1996 and 1987.
- 2016 Buckeyes from Wisconsin: None.
- Archie Griffin rushed for at least 100 yards in 34 games. Mike Weber has three games of at least 100 yards rushing.
- Mike Weber is averaging 113.2 rushing yards per game for his short career. Archie Griffin averaged 121.5 yards per game over his 46 game career.
- The Ohio State record for team sacks is 12. The mark was set against Michigan State in 2005. The Buckeyes won 35-24.
- Ohio State is 93–30–1 in the sixth game of the season and is 32–12 as the away team.
- The Buckeyes' last game on October 15th was a 17-7 victory over No. 16 Illinois at Champaign in 2011.
- Ohio State is 7–10–1 on this date and 2–2 when the sixth game of the season is played on October 15th.
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| OFFENSE | ||||
| 53.2 | 3rd | POINTS FOR | 26.0 | 88th |
| 323.6 | 3rd | RUSHING OFFENSE | 161.6 | 78th |
| 214.0 | 86th | PASSING OFFENSE | 198.6 | 97th |
| 537.6 | 5th | TOTAL OFFENSE | 360.2 | 106th |
| .529 | 5th | 3rd DOWNS | .416 | 56th |
| .897 | 38th | RED ZONE | .789 | 97th |
| DEFENSE | ||||
| 10.8 | 2nd | POINTS ALLOWED | 12.2 | 4th |
| 97.8 | 9th | RUSH DEFENSE | 90.4 | 6th |
| 148.6 | 5th | PASS DEFENSE | 201.0 | 34th |
| 82.6 | 2nd | PASS EFFICIENCY DEFENSE | 110.2 | 21st |
| 246.4 | 4th | TOTAL DEFENSE | 291.4 | 11th |
| .289 | 15th | 3rd DOWNS | .230 | 5th |
| .583 | 1st | RED ZONE | .600 | 2nd |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | ||||
| 7.2 | 72nd | PUNT RETURN | 6.9 | 75th |
| 30.0 | 3rd | KICKOFF RETURN | 21.1 | 68th |
| 46.7 | 2nd | NET PUNTING | 33.9 | 116th |
| MISCELLANEOUS | ||||
| + 1.6 | 4th | TURNOVER MARGIN | 0.0 | 57th |
| 8.8 | 116th | PENALTIES | 3.6 | 6th |
| 15 | EDGE | 3 | ||
TODAY'S TRIVIA ANSWERS
Malik Hooker has four interceptions through five games. The Ohio State record for interceptions in a season is 9. Two players hold this record, can you name one of the two?
Answer: Mike Sensibaugh and Craig Cassady. Sensibaugh had nine in 1969 and Cassady did the same in 1975. Hooker is currently on pace to tie the record.
Parris Campbell almost returned a kickoff for a touchdown last week. Who was the last Buckeye to return a kickoff for a touchdown?
Answer: Jordan Hall returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown against Michigan in 2010. Ohio State won 37-7 in what would be Jim Tressel's last victory in the rivalry.
Through five games, Curtis Samuel has 755 all-purpose yards. Who owns the Ohio State record with 2,441 all-purpose yards in a season?
Answer: Keith Byars tallied 2,441 all-purpose yards over 12 games. To put that in perspective, Ezekiel Elliott is third on the list with 2,114 all-purpose yards that were accumulated over 15 games in 2014. Samuel is on pace for 1,812 all-purpose yards over 12 games.
If you missed it:
2017 Big Ten Recruiting Rankings
2017 Power Five Recruiting Rankings
