Sep 30, 2008 8:50 PM
Bucks Could Be Badgered In Madison
The scene is all too familiar: a cold, rainy night against a suffocating defense, ending in a disheartening defeat. Ohio State's 2003 title defense ended abruptly on a frigid, windy evening in Camp Randall against Wisconsin with a stingy 17-10 loss. In 2005, a #6 ranked Buckeye squad fell to Penn State in Happy Valley on another chilly, blustery night. These examples are starting to translate into a theme; one that Jim Tressel wants no part in hearing.
As the Buckeyes suit up in the scarlet and gray for Saturday night's showdown, the challenge of a contest under the lights against a Big Ten foe arises once again. While the forecast for Madison shows no indication of a chance of rain for Saturday evening, temperatures will dip towards freezing, and the ice will flow through the veins 80,000 plus Badger faithful.
After, and I understate, disappointments, against top notch opposition in recent "big games," Tressel must come through on another large stage this weekend. The case could be made that Florida, LSU, and USC had much more talent than Ohio State when the programs met, but the difference in skill between OSU and Wisconsin is minimal. The Buckeyes have an unmatched advantage with a healthy Beanie Wells and a starting Terrelle Pryor. If they lay another egg on Saturday, their season, in regards to reaching goals, is virtually over.
At this very moment, the Buckeyes and Badgers fall under the same category of teams with one loss that are more likely to win their conference title than a national title. Unfortunately for Wisconsin, their only loss came in the Big Ten- to a raw Michigan squad- who turned it over five times- in the first half- and trailed 19-0 after 30 minutes. With a win Saturday, the Buckeyes could hold a two game lead over Wisconsin in the conference.
But that will be far from easy, and Coach Tressel knows it. No one from the curretn Buckeye roster played in that game on that dreary night five years ago, but Tressel remembers it fondly.
"The rain was going sideways, and it was a neat atmosphere, it was loud and it was full," Tressel recalled.
Badgers coach Bret Bielema hasn't lost a game at home during his 2.5 years with the program. That stat sums up the difficulty in playing at Camp Randall stadium. Opposing teams enter onto the field, can't stop the dominating Badger run game, and struggle to move the ball against their heralded defense.
If the Buckeyes hope to live up to their talent-laden roster and silence the multitude of critics, the trends must stop Saturday night. Ohio State can kill two birds with one stone by winning a "big game" on the road and in the cold in Madison.
-Zack Meisel
