Buckeye Rosters

Recap

Madison, WI — Tailback Derek Combs exploded out of the blocks early, scoring two touchdowns on his first three carries to lead seventh-ranked Ohio State to an impressive 23-7 win over Wisconsin.

Combs bolted 80 yards to pay dirt on the Buckeyes’ second play from scrimmage, losing his right shoe at the line of scrimmage, but still outraced the Badger secondary. He scored again on the Buckeyes’ ensuing possession, capping off a five-play, 80-yard drive with a 21-yard run to stun the Camp Randall Stadium crowd of 79,000.

The Buckeyes stretched their lead to 20-0 late in the second quarter on a perfectly executed play-fake-and-pass from Steve Bellisari to tight end Darnell Sanders.

Wisconsin’s lone tally of the day came on a 35-yard run by speedy tailback Michael Bennett, who finished the day with 106 yards, well below his average of 215 yards per game. Bennett scored midway through the third quarter.

With Combs rushing for 126 yards, the Buckeyes piled up 249 yards on the ground.

The Ohio State defense, meanwhile, limited the Buckeyes to 318 yards, including just 106 rushing, and recorded nine sacks and 17 tackles-for-losses.

Safety Donnie Nickey paced the Buckeyes in tackles with nine. Six different defensive players had two or more sacks for OSU.