Don't get me wrong, the crowd had their moments of intensity—but they were few and far between, and they were virtually non-existent on the most important drive of the game (when Ohio State took the field with 6:30 minutes left). Ohio State fans expect to hear the Buckeye contingency at away games such as Indiana and Northwestern, but never at Wisconsin—yet there they were, louder and prouder than ever.
One of Wisconsin's major assets is their home-field advantage, yet without the band it simply wasn't up to Badger Nation standards last night.
- Beanie Wells is the best running back in College Football.
Coming into the season, Beanie Wells was the consensus favorite for the Heisman Trophy. After injuring himself in the first game against Youngstown State, Wells missed three games before finally coming back last week against Minnesota. Fans knew Wells played hurt for almost all of the 2007-08 season, so playing hurt for the rest of this season would be nothing new for Wells.
There's no perfect estimate on how healthy Wells is, but we know he is not 100 percent—he is wearing a heavier cleat than normal, one normally worn by Linemen, to give the foot a little more protection. Given this information, it is simply amazing to watch Wells run through, over, and past the Wisconsin defense as he did last night.
Well's performance last night was an exhibition in exactly what makes him the best running back in College Football. On his 33-yard touchdown run, the last five or six yards were gained while stiff-arming a Wisconsin defender into the ground. That run showed his patience and ability to find and hit the hole quickly, as well as his ability to outrun and overpower defenders who try to get between him and the end zone.
Beanie brought out his stiff-arm a couple of times last night, a move that noticeably gained him dozens of extra yards. Most impressive, however, was Well's speed. On Well's first touch of the second half, he sprinted 55 yards down the sideline before being angled closer to the sideline and inadvertently stepping out of bounds. On this play, Beanie ran past the entire Badger secondary.
Over the last 25 or 30 yards of his scamper, Beanie straight-up ran faster than the defensive secondary that was chasing him. Keep in mind that Beanie Wells weighs 237 pounds, and he is running on a foot that is not 100 percent in a cleat that is uncomfortable and bigger than his usual cleat. Knowshon Moreno couldn't do that. Javon Ringer couldn't do that.
- Ohio State is, in fact, still coached by Jim Tressel.
Despite Ohio State's new Pistol formation, Ohio State fans should not worry—Jim Tressel is, in fact, still the Buckeye coach. Here are just a couple of things from last night's game that are quintessential Tresselball:
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