Earlier we gave you the lowdown on perhaps the most surprising defense in the country — Ohio State’s statistically spectacular group of inexperienced and ultra-talented players. It’s a group that has stood up against some good offenses so far.

However, now it is time to deep-dive in to the look of the Buckeyes high-powered offense. Can Wisconsin’s own high-powered defense keep pace or will JT Barrett and Co. be too much to handle. Let’s take a look at OSU’s offense.

Starters:

*2016 season stats included

WR (X): Noah Brown – So. (6-2, 218) — 12 receptions, 165 yards, 5 TD’s

WR: Johnnie Dixon – So. (5-11, 198) — 5 receptions, 24 yards; 1 carry, 5 yards

WR (Z): Terry McLaurin – So. (6-0, 204) — 6 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD

TE: Marcus Baugh – Jr. (6-5, 258) — 6 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD

LT: Jamarco Jones – Jr. (6-5, 310) — 28 career games played, 5 starts (all in 2016)

LG: Michael Jordan – Fr. (6-7, 310) – 5 career games played, 5 starts (1st true freshman to start OL since Orlando Pace)

C: Pat Elflein – Sr. (6-3, 300) — 47 career games played; 33 starts (

RG: Billy Price – Jr. (6-4, 315) — 33 career games, 33 career starts (3rd team All-Big Ten last year)

RT: Isaiah Prince – So. (6-7, 310) — 23 career games (13 last year on special teams); 5 career starts

QB: J.T. Barrett – Jr. (6-2, 222) — 79-123, 64.2 comp. rate, 981 yards, 15 TD’s, 3 INT’s; 70 carries, 342 yards, 4 TD’s

RB: Mike Weber – Fr. (5-10, 212) — 83 carries, 566 yards, 4 TD’s; 6 receptions, 19 yards

H-Back: Curtis Samuel – Jr. (5-11, 197) — 50 carries, 410 yards, 3 TD’s; 23 receptions, 345 yards, 3 TD’s

Team Rankings:

Ohio State Offense Rankings: (Stat/B1G/National)
*according to CFBstats.com

Scoring Offense: 53.2 ppg — 1st — 3rd
Rushing Offense: 323.6 ypg — 1st — 3rd
Passing Offense: 214.0 ypg — 7th — 84th
Total Offense: 537.6 ypg — 1st — 5th

Badgers Defense Rankings: (Stat/B1G/National)

Scoring Defense: 12.2 ppg —3rd — 4th
Rushing Defense: 90.4 ypg — 1st — 7th
Passing Defense: 201.0 ypg — 9th — 35th
Total Defense: 291.4 ypg — 3rd — 11th

Advanced Stats Look:

*via Football Outsiders and Football Study Hall (stat/national rank)

Ohio State Offense:

S&P+ offensive rating: 40.3 (11th)
F/+ ranking: 55.4% (4th)
Points Per Scoring Opp.: 5.76
Offensive Success Rate: 52%

Wisconsin Defense:

S&P+ defensive rating: 16.0 (7th)
Def. Points Per Scoring Opp: 3.64 (4.2 opportunities per game)
Opp. Success Rate: 32.6%

(if you don’t know what these are, please see the link above as they tell you a lot about what to really expect out of an opponent in the early part of the season)

What to Take Away From the Stats:

As if anyone needed telling that the matchup between OSU’s offense and Wisconsin’s defense was going to hold the key to this game? The reality is, the Buckeyes offense has feasted on some of the worst defenses in college football. More specifically, this offense has seen three defenses ranked in the 100’s in scoring defense and four of the five defenses are currently ranked 57th or worse (two in the 100’s) in total defense.

Wisconsin is a step up in a big way, and has been tested by Michigan’s high-powered offense already. No doubt, OSU provides a different look, but the Badgers defense has seen just about every look possible in the last few years and been successful. Look for Wisconsin to really exploit its ability to stop the run.

3 Keys to Badgers Success:

Limit Curtis Samuel: If there is one player Wisconsin must take out of the game it is Curtis Samuel. He’s a dangerous weapon in the H-Back spot, equally adept at killing opponents in the run and pass game. There’s a reason he is the No. 1 pass catcher on the team and second in carries too. UW has done a good job against rushing attacks all season long, but this is a different looking rushing attack with plenty of options to key on. Stop Samuel first and Barrett becomes much more of a pass-first quarterback.

Keep J.T. Barrett in the Pocket: It is simple, Barrett likes to play with some improvisation to his game. Teh more you make him a straight up pocket passer, the less he can hurt you. Barrett will also want to prove something thanks to his horrendous 9-23 passing day against Indiana last weekend. Keep him in the pocket and having to make quick decisions before he gets hit likely means UW’s aggressive secondary will see passes coming their way for interceptions. It will still be a challenge, as Barrett has thrown just three INT’s all season, but he has been prone to throwing them throughout his career.

Attack the Zone-Read: A lot of teams make the mistake of sitting back and watching what Ohio State does with its zone-read attack. One of Wisconsin’s biggest assets defensively is its ability to allow its linebackers to be ultra-aggressive. They can’t loose that aggressiveness, and in fact it could be a major asset against the things OSU likes to do in the run game. UW has to live in the Ohio State backfield, and as long as the edges are held well by the linemen, look for names like Jack Cichy and T.J. Watt to be on the lips of the announcers all night long.