Wisconsin vs. Ohio State: Score, Twitter Reaction from Big Ten Championship 2014
Take a bow, Cardale Jones.
The former third-string quarterback led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a resounding 59-0 win over a hapless Wisconsin Badgers squad in the Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night.
With J.T. Barrett out for the season with a broken ankle he suffered last week against Michigan, it was up to Jones to carry the torch and propel Ohio State to victory. It was an unenviable situation no other first-time starting quarterback had ever encountered in the Power Five conferences, per ESPN Stats & Info:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Considering the circumstances, his performance was legendary. Jones threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 completions. All three of those touchdown passes were to wideout Devin Smith, who finished with four catches and 137 yards on the night.
The Buckeyes defense was also practically beyond belief during the game. ESPN's Darren Rovell noted their shutout was a novel event:
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was unequivocal in his postgame remarks regarding his team's status in relation to the College Football Playoff, via Fox Sports Ohio's Zac Jackson:
Jones' first touchdown pass, a 39-yard jump ball that Smith did well to win the battle for, came just one minute and 59 seconds into the game. The big play apparently stunned Wisconsin, which never had a chance in this game despite a gritty performance from running back Melvin Gordon, and energized the Buckeyes squad as it systematically dismantled its opponents.
Here is the quarter-by-quarter score from the game:
| Wisconsin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio State | 14 | 24 | 7 | 14 | 59 |
Prior to the game, Meyer was adamant that Jones' teammates would have a huge impact on his ability to perform in the championship game.
"I've said it at least a couple hundred times since the beginning of the week that the quarterback is a product of those around him," he said, via Jackson. "He still obviously has to execute and do his things. The guys had a very good week of practice around him as well, starting with the offensive line."
Jones' teammates were definitely at their collective best on Saturday, but don't let that take away from the sophomore QB's performance.
Running back Ezekiel Elliott and his bare midriff ran the read-option plays with Jones to perfection for much of the contest and put Ohio State up 14-0 on an 81-yard scoring scamper early in the first quarter. Anthony Lima of 92.3 The Fan noted Elliott hit the century mark early on in the game:
ESPN Stats & Info pointed out that Jones quickly surpassed Braxton Miller's performance from last season's Big Ten championship contest:
Wisconsin's vaunted defense, which was second in the NCAA in yardage allowed coming into the contest at 260.3 yards per game, was no match for an up-tempo Ohio State offense firing on all cylinders.
Jones' second touchdown pass was a perfectly placed bomb to Smith for 44 yards, putting the Buckeyes up 24-0 midway through the second quarter.
The-Ozone.net's Brandon Castel noted Smith was ecstatic after the play:
Elliott added another score on a 14-yard run with 6:36 left to go in the first half, easily outperforming Gordon, who found little room to run against a vicious Ohio State defense. Sports Illustrated's Brian Hamilton summed up the damage done up to this point:
The Buckeyes would suffer just one bit of misfortune right before the half when wide receiver Corey Smith was ejected from the contest for targeting after making a bone-rattling block on a Jones rush. Bill Livingston of The Plain Dealer vehemently disagreed with the call:
It was of little consequence, as Ohio State's Joey Bosa would pick up a Gordon fumble—Wisconsin's second turnover of the half—on the Badgers' next possession and take it to the house for a vertigo-inducing 38-0 halftime lead.
There would be no reprieve in the second half for the Badgers, as Ohio State was out to make a statement in this one. Jones started off the third quarter with a mammoth 42-yard toss to Smith, who came down with the catch in the front corner of the end zone for a 45-0 Buckeyes lead.
Dave Biddle of 247Sports joked that Smith might be able to set an important Ohio State record at the rate things were going:
At the very least, Jones showed that he has one of the best cannons in the country. Prior to the game, offensive coordinator Tom Herman gave Jones' arm strength an outstanding rating, per Scout.com's Ryan Ginn:
The game fizzled a bit at this point, as Wisconsin could hardly muster any fight on offense and the Buckeyes finally seemed content to finish the game at a measured pace. Hamilton updated the numbers from the Ohio State defense's superlative performance midway through the third quarter:
Ohio State would go up 52-0 on a 12-yard run from freshman running back Curtis Samuel early on in the fourth quarter. The Badgers were clearly dejected and had little to work with even in the fourth quarter.
Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave would end up with three interceptions on the night and completed well below 50 percent of his passes. Samuel created the final scoreline on a one-yard run with just over two minutes left in the game to make it 59-0.
Barrett had high praise for Jones and his team after the contest, per Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman:
Meanwhile, Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson dedicated the team's performance to a fallen teammate:
The Buckeyes' performance left no doubt that they are one of the top teams in the nation, but it's certainly crowded at the top.
With Florida State completing another undefeated season by beating Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game and TCU drubbing Iowa State 55-3 to win a share of the Big 12 title, it stands to reason that there will be at least one wholly deserving program disappointed when the playoff committee puts out its final College Football Playoff rankings on Sunday.
That is to say nothing of the Baylor Bears, who completed a fine season with a 38-27 win over No. 9 Kansas State on Saturday night but are a longer shot than any of the aforementioned teams due to their No. 6 ranking coming into Week 15.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
