Ohio State Faced Its First Halftime Deficit, Responded With 27 Unanswered Points in the Second Half

By Kevin Harrish on December 8, 2019 at 12:57 am
KJ Hill celebrates.
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
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The Buckeyes took a punch.

Wisconsin marched down the field late in the second quarter to take a 21-7 into halftime. It was the largest deficit Ohio State faced this season and the first time it had trailed at halftime.

But the Buckeyes punched back.

In the second half, Ohio State looked like the team its been all season. It took the Buckeyes less than two minutes to get on the board in the second half as they marched 75 yards in five plays and 1:39 into the end zone, opening up a second-half scoring barrage.

Ohio State rattled off 27-straight second-half points to climb back from the deficit and bury the No. 8 Badgers in their third-straight win over a top-15 opponent. The Buckeyes absolutely shut down Wisconsin's offense and were unstoppable on the other side of the ball.

At the point of Ohio State's final field goal, the Buckeyes were outgaining Wisconsin 256 to 23, leading to a 27-0 halftime scoring advantage. The Badgers did eventually find success offensively, netting 120 yards in their final two drives, but at that point, the game was effectively out of reach. The damage was done.

It wasn't the prettiest or cleanest game Ohio State has played all season, but the Buckeyes faced adversity and responded. And as a result, they're headed to the College Football Playoff as the undefeated Big Ten Champions, with a chance at the No. 1 overall seed.

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