MADISON - In the fifth conference game of the season, the Wisconsin Badgers lost to the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes, 24-10.

The Badgers hosted their first night game against a Big Ten opponent since 2020, when there weren't any fans in the stands. They welcomed the Buckeyes, the team that Luke Fickell once played on, and later coached at. Ohio State is also ranked third in the country, providing an opportunity to make a statement for this new-look Badger team.

Here are my three biggest takeaways from tonight's loss.

Despite the lopsided score, Wisconsin actually finished with multiple key stops on defense, which made its offensive lapses even more frustrating.

On the very first drive of the game, the Buckeyes quickly marched into Wisconsin territory. They were even confident enough to go for it on fourth down from Wisconsin’s 33. Kyle McCord took the snap and was quickly pressured by CJ Goetz, who hit McCord and also forced a fumble.

The offense responded to this statement from the defense with a fumble by Braelon Allen on the second play of the drive.

Near the end of the first quarter, the Buckeyes were in the middle of another successful drive.

From Wisconsin’s 9, McCord began rolling out to his right, where he tried to make a throw on the run to the edge of the end zone. Preston Zachman was waiting to snag the interception. It was only McCord’s second pick of the season.

The Badgers took this incredibly rare opportunity and followed it up with a run-run-pass-punt drive.

Later in the half, McCord threw another pick, this time to Ricardo Hallman. The cornerback caught his Big Ten-leading fifth interception of the season to give the Badgers another chance to score before half.

The offense ended up scoring a field goal, but greater results were expected after making it all the way to the 2-yard-line.

One of the last great plays on defense took place at the end of the third quarter, when Darryl Peterson got pressure on an Ohio State fourth down, forcing an intentional grounding.

Braedyn Locke then made a few nice throws, but they ultimately had to punt.

“When the defense is playing their tails off and getting us in great position… it’s definitely frustrating,” said Will Pauling.

These were just a few of the frustrating results of two units that simply couldn’t get on the same page.

Wisconsin’s offensive disappointment can be attributed to the talent gap, but it also made a plethora of truly head-scratching decisions.

The Buckeye defensive line was in full control of Locke early. After Ohio State scored its first touchdown to take a 10-0 lead, Phil Longo decided to call three passing plays in a row. This was after Locke began 1-of-6, and even before Allen was injured.

The most head-scratching and frustrating series came at the end of the first half, when the Badgers were attempting to score on the goal line.

After Allen carried the ball down to the 2, Longo called a creative screen pass to Skyler Bell that would’ve been a touchdown had Bell’s knee not touched the ground upon catching the ball.

Longo then called two straight runs out of shotgun formation. First, Allen got a handoff, which led to nothing. He then caught a shovel pass, which also led to nothing. The Badgers settled for a field goal.

This was the last we ever saw of Allen — being forced to run from the shotgun.

Later on, after Marvin Harrison Jr.’s second touchdown to give the Buckeyes a 17-10 lead, Longo called three straight run plays with backup Jackson Acker. They went for nine yards total, resulting in a 3-and-out.

“We let them down a little bit. Maybe in some situations, I need to be more aggressive and then in some other situations we need to take advantage of some opportunities…” Fickell said after the game.

“Maybe I start to look at myself to say that some of these decisions maybe could’ve or should’ve gone in the other direction.”

Wisconsin put up a good fight, but it ultimately couldn’t keep up with Ohio State’s litany of talent and firepower.

Even coming into the game, there was no doubt that the best player on the field was Harrison, and he showed exactly why. He caught six balls for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and was open far too often for a player of his caliber.

Ohio State was also fortunate enough to welcome TreVeyon Henderson back to their lineup, who had missed the prior three games with an undisclosed injury.

Harrison made the most impactful plays, but Henderson was the most consistent and reliable player on offense for the Buckeyes. His 33-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter also helped secure the win.

“Players make plays,” Fickell said. “They had two difference makers that everyone knows about.”

Despite the offensive talent, Ohio State’s most glaring advantage may have been on their defensive line,

The Buckeye front mauled the Badger offensive line for most of the day, especially early on. They finished with only two sacks, but consistently suffocated Locke. They were a major reason why he finished the first quarter with only five passing yards.

Wisconsin’s talent deficit even worsened throughout the game, as both Chimere Dike and Allen went down with leg injuries.

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