Wisconsin Badgers vs Ohio State Buckeyes Match Player Stats On Dec 06, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 7, 2014

No. 6 Ohio State 59, No. 11 Wisconsin 0: Cardale Jones threw for three touchdowns in his first career start and Ezekiel Elliott ran for a career-high 220 yards as the Buckeyes rolled to their first Big Ten championship game win in Indianapolis, boosting their College Football Playoff resume.

Jones, who took over after J.T. Barrett suffered a broken ankle last week against Michigan, completed 12-of-17 passes for 257 yards and showed a penchant for big plays to help Ohio State (12-1) win its 11th straight and impress a CFP selection committee that has the Buckeyes ranked fifth. All three of Jones' TD passes went to Devin Smith, who had four catches for 137 yards as Ohio State outgained the Badgers 558-258.

Joel Stave struggled to complete 17-of-43 passes for 187 yards with three interceptions for Wisconsin (10-3) while Heisman Trophy hopeful Melvin Gordon finished with 76 yards and a fumble that led to an Ohio State touchdown before halftime. Alex Erickson hauled in seven catches for 83 yards for the Badgers, who won the conference title game in its first two years (2011, 2012).

Smith fought defenders in the end zone for a 39-yard TD on the game's first possession and Elliott rumbled 81 yards for a score later in the first quarter to make it 14-0. Jones hit Smith in stride in the end zone with a 44-yard strike for a 24-0 advantage early in the second and Elliott added another score from 14 yards out with 6:36 left in the first half.

Ohio State took a commanding 38-0 lead at halftime after Joey Bosa scooped up a fumble by Gordon and took it in from 4 yards out in the final minute. Jones and Smith hooked up on their third long TD - a 42-yarder - on the Buckeyes' opening possession of the second half for a 45-0 advantage and freshman Curtis Samuel had a pair of fourth-quarter TD runs to cap the rout.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Buckeyes DL Michael Bennett wore No. 53 in honor of late teammate Kosta Karageorge, who was found dead Sunday. ... Ohio State coach Urban Meyer improved to 25-1 in Big Ten games, the lone loss coming in last season's conference title game against Michigan State. ... Wisconsin had won seven in a row while scoring at least 34 points in six of the wins.