Ohio State Football: Grading the Buckeyes' Week 9 Win over Wisconsin

Oh, what a difference three weeks makes.

After Ohio State hit its lowest point in recent memory after the collapse at Nebraska, the Buckeyes have surged to their highest point since December 2010 when they Hail Maryed past Wisconsin 33-29 under the lights.

Braxton Miller, despite not putting up eye-popping numbers, was phenomenal, along with the run defense which stymied the powerful Wisconsin running attack all night long.

With four games left in the season, Ohio State suddenly seems to be in control of their own destiny in the Leaders Division, with the NCAA likely being the only thing that can stop OSU from a December date in Indianapolis.

But focusing solely on Saturday's game, here is the report card for the victorious Buckeyes.

Quarterback: A

Big Ten, welcome to Braxton Miller.

The freshman looked like a completely different player than he did two weeks ago at Illinois, running for two touchdowns and hooking up with freshman WR Devin Smith on the Hail Mary with under 30 seconds left in the game.

Miller's transformation from his first start to Saturday's game has been very visible, as he looks much more comfortable and showed the ability to get outside the pocket and make plays with his feet.

Plus, he already has one more game-winning touchdown pass inside of two minutes than Terrelle Pryor had.

He should look to have career passing numbers next Saturday against a porous Indiana defense.

Running Backs: A-

Dan Herron was a monster for Ohio State Saturday, running for 160 yards on 33 carries, including a 57-yard run that set up OSU's first TD of the night.

Jordan Hall had a touchdown but struggled all night, especially in punt returns, which we will get to later.

But Herron's first home game as a senior was an emotional night as he showed tears before kickoff.

He played like a man who wanted to make up for the wrongs he committed that led to his six-game suspension.

Since Herron has come back, OSU is 2-0 and the offense looks much crisper. 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B+

Devin Smith will remember his Hail Mary catch for the rest of his life, as it could be the biggest catch of his career.

His only catch of the night was a fantastic play as he got behind a Wisconsin secondary that had given up a Hail Mary the week before, something that most never imagined would happen again.

Corey Brown also had four catches on the night for another good game.

OSU only threw 12 times, but the receivers did pretty well on the night.

Offensive Line: A-

Braxton Miller barely got touched in the backfield, and Dan Herron had all kinds of running room for OSU.

In other words, that means the offensive line for Ohio State did its job.

Obviously, Wisconsin did not have J.J. Watt, who dominated last year's game. But their present defensive line was no pushover, either. 

So Ohio State does deserve credit up front for coming together after their struggles up front for most of this season.

Defensive Line: A+

John Simon was a one-man wrecking crew up front for Ohio State all night, and he helped to set the tone defensively.

Simon had two sacks of Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson, and Adam Bellamy added one of his own.

The defensive line also contributed to shutting down the powerful Badgers' running attack, allowing just 89 yards on 29 carries.

After being outmuscled last year in Camp Randall, the Buckeyes up front stepped up to the challenge and played an almost flawless football game.

Linebackers: B+

After playing two terrible games in the month of October, the OSU LB corps finished the month strong with good back-to-back games.

Andrew Sweat had a big fourth-down stop in the fourth quarter, and Etienne Sabino seems to slowly be getting his stride down.

But Sweat made the biggest play of the night, hitting Russell Wilson's arm as he let the final pass go as time expired.

For a young group with just one player with starting experience, the LBers have started to grow little by little.

Defensive Backs: B-

Ohio State's defensive backs did what they could against a QB like Wilson, who is just simply among the best in the country.

They allowed 253 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air, but the group did make a few nice stops, as Orhian Johnson did above in stopping Wilson before he hit the goal line in the second half.

Several other DBs each had a pass breakup, including C.J. Barnett, who had a big breakup from Nick Toon in the final drive of the game.

That play alone might have saved the game for Ohio State.

Special Teams: B+

Jordan Hall had a very up-and-down night, muffing a punt that turned into a Wisconsin touchdown and taking unnecessary hits when he could have called for fair catches.

But his return after Wisconsin's final touchdown helped set up the Hail Mary, saving this grade from being lower.

Drew Basil had another good game, kicking two field goals, but unfortunately had a late kickoff go out of bounds a la John Kasay in Super Bowl XXXVIII for the Carolina Panthers.

And freshman Ryan Shazier, who has quickly become a fan favorite in Columbus, blocked a second-half punt that set up the second of two third-quarter touchdowns.

Coaching: B-

The play calling in the fourth quarter left a little to be desired, as Ohio State went into a "play not to lose" mode towards the end offensively.

But it was good to see Luke Fickell showing the confidence in Braxton Miller at the end of the game, giving him some good last words before the final touchdown drive and letting him go for the win instead of the tie, which Jim Tressel may have elected for.

And the game plan showed how effectively they used the bye week to prepare for a Badger team that was a little emotionally down after the Hail Mary loss at Michigan State a week ago.

While it's safe to say Ohio State's staff didn't intend on beating Wisconsin with a Hail Mary for the second straight week, the move to try it again at the time was a good move, and they do deserve plenty of credit for that.

Intangibles: A+

After the drama surrounding the program since before the 2011 Sugar Bowl, Ohio State needed a game like this.

Now suddenly, Buckeye fans have something to be happy about.

They seem to have their QB of the future in Braxton Miller and a young offense that's growing before our eyes.

And more importantly, OSU is in control of their own destiny in the Leaders Division.

With Penn State, the only unbeaten left in conference play, forced to play Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin all back to back with their poor offense, it's highly unlikely they end the season in Indianapolis.

But it seems as if the NCAA and a postseason ban are really the only things standing between OSU and the Big Ten Championship Game, as they finally get a breather in the schedule with games against Indiana and at Purdue in consecutive weeks.

The darkness around Columbus may still linger just a little longer, but the dawn finally looks like it's here.

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