MADISON - Wisconsin got embarrassed at the hands of Ohio State in the first conference game of the season, losing handily on the road under the lights.

It was a lackluster performance all around, one that has Badgers fans concerned not just for the season but for the direction of the program. Sitting at a disappointing 2-2, what are the hottest questions surrounding the cardinal and white?

If anything was made clear and obvious Saturday night in Columbus, it's that Wisconsin's talent simply doesn't stack up to Ohio State across the board.

But this isn't new. This has been the case for the better part of the last decade, long before Justin Fields or C.J. Stroud. Wisconsin hasn't really been close to closing the talent gap, but they've been painstakingly close to knocking off the Buckeyes, like when they were up 21-7 at half in the 2019 Big Ten Championship Game. But after nine straight losses to Ohio State, when does the misery end?

What's so disheartening about Saturday's loss is that it signifies just how far off the Badgers are from competing not just with the Buckeyes, but with teams of a similar caliber. The college football playoff staples like Alabama, Georgia and Clemson. These are dragons Wisconsin is no where near ready to slay.

So what is it that's holding Wisconsin back from making a splash on the national stage? Coaching, talent, or a combination of the two? Unfortunately for Badgers fans, the answer is the toughest one to swallow — both.

It's hard to fault Jim Leonhard after all he's done as a defensive guru for the program, but his unit did not look ready to play against Stroud and the Buckeyes. They didn't even register a tackle-for-loss, almost unheard of for a Wisconsin defense. They got pushed around and manipulated on Saturday, and it culminated in one of Leonhard's worst showings of his career.

Bobby Engram's offense wasn't much better. They came out absolutely flat, and seemed to lack the urgency and creativity needed to upset a top-3 team in their house. Yes, Ohio State has players that were rated higher coming out of high school. But the Buckeyes almost made Wisconsin look like an out-of-conference cakewalk. The talent disparity is obviously very real, but coaches need to do a better job of setting their units up for success.

In an uncharacteristic turn of events, Wisconsin's defense is struggling to tackle. Leonhard's defenses are usually incredibly fundamentally sound, but wrapping up has been an issue for the Badgers so far in 2022. Against Washington State, when the issue of tackling was first brought into the limelight, the Badgers missed 11 tackles, per Pro Football Focus. Against Ohio State, they missed a whopping 14. Cornerback Max Lofy was responsible for three of those, but the issue persists up and down the roster. Safety John Torchio has played well to open the season, but even he isn't immune to the tackling problems. He's missed seven tackles, good for a missed tackle percentage of 30.4%.

The missed tackles are also coming with some poor fundamentals. A prime example is Ricardo Hallman's abysmal angle after trying to undercut a Stroud pass in the first quarter Saturday. The corner hopelessly attempted to jump the route, and was then caught in terrible position by the Ohio State receiver. These are the kinds of fundamental mistakes Wisconsin isn't accustomed to making.

"We had a lot of things that are not characteristic of what this defense has been...you talk just alignment, assignment football, we were all over the map," Leonhard said. "(Tackling issues) have been in space, in the box. It's showed itself in a couple different games...definitely high on the list of things we need to correct as the season moves forward."

As the weather gets cold and physical Big Ten teams fill the schedule, tackling will become hugely important down the stretch. There's still time to shore up the tackling, but the issue can't persist deep into Big Ten play if Wisconsin hopes to compete in the west.

A season ago, after starting 1-3, Wisconsin rattled off seven straight wins to set themselves up with a chance to play for a Big Ten Title. Ultimately, they would fall at the hands of their bitter rival, Minnesota, and dash those chances. But the run was nonetheless impressive after what was a nightmare start to the season.

Staring at a similarly disappointing 2-2 record to open the season, the Badgers will be banking on another 2021-esque winning streak to keep their dreams alive. Whereas last year's stretch run featured a newly ranked Purdue in a rowdy West Lafayette and top-10 Iowa coming to town, the remaining schedule doesn't look nearly as daunting as last season's, or even as it once did. Road trips to Iowa and Michigan State now figure to be lower-profile matchups. The Spartans have already lost twice, while Iowa has limped to a 3-1 record off of their lethargic offense. As of right now, Wisconsin's toughest remaining foe is Minnesota in the Axe game, and they'll make the trip to Madison this year.

It's hard to be overly optimistic about this team right now, but the Badgers' remaining schedule sets them up very nicely for a stretch run. Last season, it all started with an authoritative 24-0 win over Illinois. With Bret Bielema and the Illini headed to Madison on Saturday, the Badgers hope they can run it back.

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