Two weeks ago the Badgers were a top-10 team, oh how things have changed.
The Badgers fell to 3-2 on the season after losing at home to Ohio State, their second consecutive Big Ten defeat.
The Buckeyes (2-0 Big Ten, 5-1 overall) persisted through a tight battle that ended when Buckeye quarterback Terrelle Pryor dashed into the end zone with an 11-yard carry on an option play, dodging two UW defenders to put OSU up 20-17 with 1:08 remaining.
He's elusive, he's a big body,"" Bielema said of Pryor, a 6'6"" freshman whose athleticism gave Wisconsin fits all night. ""There were a couple of times where we were kind of just hanging on him or just barely on him, and he was able to fight through some tackles.""
Ohio State corner back Malcolm Jenkins buried any hopes of a final-minute UW comeback when he picked off a pass hurled by senior quarterback Allan Evridge under pressure.
""I didn't want to take a sack so I was trying to check it down, and I just didn't see Jenkins,"" Evridge said.
Evridge had a mixed performance, completing 13-of-25 passes for 147 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Dropped and off-target passes plagued the offense and proved too much for the few successful drives to overcome. Senior tight end Travis Beckum was Evridge's favorite target, catching six passes for 60 yards.
Freshman tailback John Clay moved the ball 69 yards in 10 carries on the ground to overshadow senior P.J. Hill, who accumulated 64 yards and a touchdown in 16 carries. Sophomore wide receiver David Gilreath also utilized his speed to get around defenders on five hand-offs that produced 36 yards.
""I was a little shaky at the beginning of the season, but I'm really starting to feel comfortable,"" Clay said.
""I got goosebumps. The crowd was just cheering and my teammates were slapping me and getting me together.""
Ohio State scored a touchdown on the first drive with a 33-yard rush by tailback Chris Wells, who ended the game with 168 total yards in 22 carries.
Wells, a 6'1"" sophomore, used his strength and agility to maneuver through UW defenders and make several big plays.
""He's a big guy who can go ahead and break tackles and break loose some times,"" said sophomore safety Jay Valai, who forced two fumbles and got seven tackles Saturday.
The Wisconsin offense clicked on a long drive that lasted over eight minutes in the second quarter. Starting at the nine yard line, a steady stream of rushes by Clay and short passes resulted in a nine-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Mickey Turner, who barely penetrated the plane of the endzone as he was taken down by a Buckeye defender near the right sideline. Consisting of 18 plays, none longer than 11 yards gained, the drive put UW even with Ohio State 7-7.
""To go the length of the field and to eat the clock the way we did, I thought that was Wisconsin football,"" Bielema said.
Early in that drive, sophomore left tackle Gabe Carimi took a blow to his left knee that kept him out of the rest of the game. Sophomore lineman Josh Oglesby took his place.
""[Oglesby] popped in there and did some good things,"" Bielema said.
A 35-yard toss from Everidge to sophomore receiver Kyle Jefferson put UW three yards from the end zone with five seconds remaining in the first half and one time out left. But rather than risk running out the clock, the coaches decided to kick a field goal instead.
Ohio State scored two field goals to take a lead 13-10 in the second half, utilizing Wells and taking advantage of good field position earned from successful punt and kick returns. OSU managed to stay on at least its own 40-yard line nearly all game.
Clay performed well in the fourth quarter, hurdling over a defender in one instance to march toward the end zone of the second-to-last drive, which was capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run by Hill.
Wisconsin didn't hold on to its 17-13 lead. Pryor's risky style, which included deep passes that never materialized and 37 yards lost on last-ditch efforts to scramble out of the pocket, eventually paid off on Ohio State's final 80-yard drive that was fittingly capped off by Pryor's touchdown dash.
""It hurts. It was a close game the whole way,"" Clay said. ""We can't forget about it though because we want to keep this taste in our mouth because we don't want to have it again.""
