Ohio State football: Three keys to beating Wisconsin

3. The Ohio State football team needs to keep penalties down.

Perhaps the one thing that has grated at Ryan Day the most over the first three weeks of the season is the number of penalties the Buckeyes have committed. A lot of those penalties are mental mistakes that they shouldn’t be making.

Ohio State has committed 17 penalties for 165 yards. That’s 33rd in the country. While that’s not terrible, that’s not very good either. Day knows that his team is talented enough that they shouldn’t have as many stupid penalties, such as false starts, that they have had to deal with.

Denzel Burke has gotten called for pass interference several times this season. He needs to play a cleaner and better game this week. Fans have been concerned about Burke’s play so far this season because he has gotten beaten several times deep for touchdowns.

I’m not as worried about Burke getting beaten for completed passes in this game as I am about him committing more pass interference penalties. Those extend drives. I’m sure this is something he’s been working on in practice with help from his coaches.

As long as Ohio State doesn’t shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers or penalties, I don’t see any reason why the Buckeyes shouldn’t extend their record to 4-0. They are the most talented team in the Big Ten and one of the most talented teams in the country.

If these three keys are accomplished, the Buckeyes win!