Big Ten Championship All-Out Blitz: Wisconsin vs. Ohio State

BadgerBlitz.com brings back its All-Out Blitz weekly series, where we deliver what you need to know about Wisconsin's next opponent, No. 1 Ohio State heading into the Big Ten Championship game.

Head Coach: Ryan Day (15-0 at Ohio State, first full year as Buckeyes head coach)

Location: Columbus, Ohio

2018 Record: 13-1

2019 Record: 12-0 overall, 9-0 Big Ten

All-time Record: 923-325-53 (130 years)

Rankings: No. 1 College Football Playoff rankings

Series vs. Wisconsin: 60-18-5

In Columbus: 31-7-3

In Big Ten Championship games vs. Wisconsin: 2-0

Once again, Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard and his players have quite the task ahead of them in hoping to contain an Ohio State offense that ranks first in the FBS in points per game (49.9), fourth in rushing yards per game (280.6) and fifth in total offense (543.3).

Inside the Horseshoe on Oct. 26, Ohio State turned on the afterburners in the final 25 minutes of game action, scoring on four straight series in the second half to pull away. The Buckeyes ran for 264 yards on the day on 50 carries with three rushing touchdowns, while their aerial attack added two scores of its own in a 38-7 win over the Badgers.

Quarterback Justin Fields has continued his All-Big Ten play this season, completing 68.2 percent of his throws overall for 2,654 yards with 37 touchdowns to (still) just one interception. His 192.1 passing efficiency rating ranks fourth in the FBS. On the ground, he has rushed for 479 yards on 4.6 yards per touch and has found the end zone an additional 10 times.

After gashing UW for 163 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns in late October, junior J.K. Dobbins has continued his all-conference season, rushing for 1,657 yards on 6.6 yards per carry with 19 touchdowns. Back-up Master Teague has complemented Dobbins well in the Buckeyes' backfield with 780 rushing yards on 6.1 yards per attempt.

Chris Olave (41 receptions, 705 yards, 11 touchdowns in 2019) caught seven passes for 93 yards with two receiving scores over a month ago against Wisconsin's secondary. Cornerbacks Faion Hicks, Rachad Wildgoose and Caesar Williams will again have to face a talented set of Buckeyes' wide receivers that include K.J. Hill (44 receptions, 486 yards, eight touchdowns) and Binjimen Victor (29 receptions, 480 yards, six touchdowns). UW listed Wildgoose as questionable on Friday morning with a left leg injury, and the sophomore missed the Minnesota game last week.

The Buckeyes have allowed 26 sacks this season, and the last time these two teams met, the Badgers stopped to Fields five times in the backfield. All-conference redshirt seniors Chris Orr and Zack Baun lead the team with 11.5 sacks this season, and the defensive unit as a whole averages 3.7 per game -- good for fifth in the FBS.

*All grades from PFF

Chase Young and Ohio State's defense constrained Wisconsin's offense in late October, holding quarterback Jack Coan and Co. to merely 191 yards and seven points on the scoreboard.

In particular, Young dominated UW's pass protection to the tune of four sacks and five tackles for loss overall on that late fall afternoon. Overall for the season, he has recorded 38 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks on the season. He was named the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year earlier this week.

All-conference linebacker Malik Harrison ranks second on the Buckeyes with 16 tackles for loss and has recorded 63 stops on the season overall heading into the conference championship game.

Defensive backs Jeffrey Okudah and Jordan Fuller each earned consensus first-team All-Big Ten selections in 2019, while corner Shaun Wade has recorded eight pass breakups.

The big questions for Wisconsin will be if it can contain Young and his pass rush, but also if it can get the ball rolling on offense where it moved the chains on third downs on just four of 13 opportunities on Oct. 26. Since that blowout loss in Columbus, Wisconsin has gained at least 453 yards in its last four contests. Jonathan Taylor claimed the Ameche-Dayne Big Ten running back of the year honor after rushing for 1,761 yards and 20 touchdowns in the regular season. However, the Buckeyes bottled him up during the regular season with 52 yards on 20 carries.

Coan, who ranks 11th in the nation in passing efficiency (161.6) and third in the FBS in completion percentage (72.3), has thrown for over 200 yards the past two games. He, wide receiver Quintez Cephus and tight end Jake Ferguson will need to spark a passing game that needs to stretch the field to stop Ohio State from loading up in the box. Will we see Wisconsin dive into its playbook as it has recently done?

*All grades from PFF