Ohio State Football: Three keys to victory vs. Wisconsin
By Ryan Stano
2. The Ohio State football team needs more holes in the running game
Stop if you’ve heard me say this before…the Ohio State football team needs better play from the offensive line. I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s the sad truth. Ohio State has issues running the football and it mainly stems from the offensive line.
The Buckeyes just can’t seem to get things going. Miyan Williams, who got the most carries against Penn State, ran for just 1.9 yards per carry. That’s absolutely putrid! I know Penn State has an elite run defense, but this isn’t exactly an anomaly from the Buckeyes.
Truth be told, Ohio State has only looked like they can run the ball well against Purdue. TreVeyon Henderson had that one big run against Notre Dame as well. That’s not enough of a sample size to say that this is something that is a strength for them right now.
Ohio State needs to be able to run the ball. They need it against great teams and they need it against good teams in hostile environments. This counts as the latter. The Buckeyes have to be good enough in the run game to keep Wisconsin from playing the pass the whole game.
If the Buckeyes can run it like they did against Purdue, they should have no trouble winning this game. It would also set them up to be better prepared for Michigan later on in the season. My final key to victory has to do with the defensive side of the ball.