Wisconsin football report card from 34-0 loss to No. 1 Ohio State
Handing out grades for the Wisconsin Badgers offense, defense, and special teams from the 34-0 loss to No. 1 Ohio State in Week 8.
Even before the opening kickoff, it never felt like the University of Wisconsin football program stood a chance, and the energy inside Camp Randall Stadium matched the product on the field: flat, lifeless, and resigned. Even the “Jump Around” felt more like an obligation for Badgers fans than a celebration. It was just a hollow burst of noise in a game already long out of reach.
No. 1 Ohio State rolled into Madison and did what everyone knew they would, cruising to a 34–0 win. It didn’t say much about Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. But it said everything about Wisconsin’s descent into irrelevance, a program that has completely lost its way under Luke Fickell.
Now sitting 2–5 overall and 0–4 in Big Ten play, Wisconsin has been shut out in back-to-back games for the first time since 1977 and has dropped 10 straight to Power Four opponents. The Badgers produced a grand total of 144 yards of offense, crossed midfield twice against the Buckeyes, and looked every bit like a football team that’s completely out of answers.
“I am incredibly disappointed in a lot of things, and the scoreboard is probably the most notable,” Fickell said. “To not find a way to put points on the board, will never get us a chance. We know that we have to find a way to do that, and we have to get a hell of a lot better at it.”
It’s not just the losing — it’s how lifeless it all feels.
This wasn’t supposed to be a statement game. But Wisconsin came into the matchup with nothing to lose, no pressure, and no real expectations to meet. And somehow, even with all that freedom, they still couldn’t give themselves a chance. The Badgers didn’t just lose to Ohio State; they never made the Buckeyes work for it. It was over before it ever started.
Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin carved up Wisconsin’s defense like he was running a 7-on-7 in shorts and a T-shirt. The Badgers’ offense, meanwhile, hasn’t found the end zone in 11 straight quarters of action, and by the fourth, “Fire Fickell” chants were echoing through Camp Randall, led by a pack of shirtless students waving their tees in unison. It was the kind of scene that told you everything about where things stand. Three years in, this isn’t about rebuilding anymore. Reality is setting in.
With that as the backdrop, let’s hand out some grades.
Offense: F
Wisconsin’s offense finished with just 144 total yards, nine first downs, and seven punts: 49 yards through the air and 95 on the ground. And if that wasn’t bad enough, it took until their final drive: a nine-play, 50-yard march that ended on downs for the Badgers to eclipse the 100-yard mark.
Across nine drives, the Badgers averaged 5.11 plays and 18.11 yards per possession. Efficiency metrics paint an even bleaker picture: a -0.31 EPA per play (5th percentile), a disastrous -0.69 EPA per dropback (1st percentile), and -0.07 EPA per rush (39th percentile) against the Buckeyes top-ranked scoring defense. This wasn’t just a bad offensive outing; it was one of the least efficient showings in college football all weekend.
Hunter Simmons, coming off a disastrous start against Iowa, went 6-of-12 for 54 yards and an interception before exiting late with an injury. His replacement, sophomore transfer Danny O’Neil, completed 1-of-3 passes for -5 yards, and Wisconsin’s passing game never looked functional.
“There is a consistency,” Fickell said when asked what led to Simmons getting the start. “There are a level of things that we need to be able to do, that we feel like give us the better opportunity to move the football.”
On the ground, Wisconsin ran the ball 31 times for just 95 yards, which was more out of obligation than effectiveness. Gideon Ituka provided a brief spark late with 35 yards on four carries, while Cade Yacamelli led the team with 11 attempts for 30 yards. Dilin Jones, who entered as RB1, exited early with a lower-body injury and returned to the sideline in a walking boot, leaving the Badgers’ already depleted backfield thinner.
Lance Mason paced Wisconsin’s offense with just two catches for 31 yards, while tight end Jackson McGohan had the lone flash play of the afternoon, going up to high-point a 15-yard catch on a poorly thrown ball.
No matter how bad things get, it’s hard to give yourself a chance to win when playmakers like Vinnie Anthony, Jayden Ballard, and Trech Kekahuna aren’t given the opportunities to make something happen. Without the ability to move people in the run game or stretch the field vertically, Wisconsin’s offense has fully descended into one of the worst this program has produced in recent memory.
The Badgers are now averaging just 13.3 points per game, which is the lowest mark since 1990.
When asked how he continues to sell hope to a team that can’t seem to put points on the board, Fickell didn’t dance around it.
“They see the zero on the scoreboard too,” Fickell said. “You go back to work, you’ve got to find some positives, and you’ve got to trust each other. It’s not easy, but this isn’t an easy game. And, it sure as hell isn’t easy when you are trying to figure out who your quarterback is, and you’re bouncing back and forth. Hope is one of those things you have to find from within.
“I know it’s a hell of a lot harder for some people on the outside to see some hope when you see zeroes on the scoreboard. I think these guys that are in it every day see something a lot different.”
If there was one positive to take away from an otherwise lifeless offensive performance, it was the pass protection. The offensive line held its own against one of the best defensive fronts in college football, allowing just seven total pressures and two sacks. Three of those pressures and one sack were credited to left tackle Riley Mahlman, while the other sack belonged to Colin Cubberly, who stepped in at right guard after Kerry Kodanko exited early with a lower-body injury and did not return. For a unit that’s been inconsistent all season, it was a small but meaningful sign of progress.
Right now, no one outside of Wisconsin’s locker room sees much reason for optimism, which is why this week’s grade lands at an F.
Defense: D
Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was nearly perfect. The talented sophomore went 36-of-42 for 394 yards and four touchdowns, carving up Wisconsin’s secondary with almost surgical precision.
The Buckeyes finished the day averaging 0.32 EPA per play (92nd percentile), fueled by a blistering 0.56 EPA per dropback (92nd percentile) through the air. Even their modest -0.06 EPA per rush (40th percentile) hardly mattered because they didn’t need balance when the passing game was that good.
The Badgers’ corners had no answers for Jeremiah Smith (9 catches, 97 yards) and Carnell Tate (6 catches, 111 yards, 2 TDs). Wisconsin sat in zone coverages for most of the afternoon, doing enough to limit deep shots but getting picked apart underneath. Tate’s first touchdown, a 33-yard strike over Austin Brown and Matt Jung, set the tone for the day.
In fairness, the run defense held up early. The Badgers allowed just 97 yards on 26 attempts (3.8 yards per carry) and generated five tackles for loss against one of the better offensive lines in college football. Ben Barten and Brandon Lane Jr. punched through the interior several times, forcing Ohio State’s backs to bounce runs and settle for short gains.
Still, the defensive front simply wore down. Brian Hartline’s offense racked up 26 first downs, 7.0 yards per play, and 491 total yards. Truth be told, the dam didn’t so much break as it never held — Ohio State did what it wanted from the opening drive. There was no stopping the Buckeyes.
Omillio Agard was a bright spot with a sack, a pass deflection, and six tackles, while Christian Alliegro, playing with a heavily wrapped left hand after breaking his arm in the first quarter, gutted it out through the entire game, finishing with six tackles and two tackles for loss. Cooper Catalano held his own on the inside, recording eight total tackles and one for loss, while Mason Posa made the most of his 24 snaps, adding two tackles and generating a pair of pressures from the inside. But collectively, Mike Tressel’s defense never forced a turnover or made Sayin uncomfortable.
“In case you’re wondering, Christian Alliegro broke his arm in the first quarter,” Fickell said. “They took him in, X-rayed it, and casted it up. I think he played every snap from there on out. Came into halftime and casted it up even bigger, then went back out and played the entire second half because he cares. He is not gonna let his brothers down.”
I understand the sentiment, and there’s no questioning the toughness or leadership that Alliegro showed. That kind of grit is admirable, and it’s clear there are players in that locker room who would follow his lead. But for Fickell, a coach who’s repeatedly said he needs to protect players from themselves, especially after failing to do so with starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who remains out after reinjuring his knee against Maryland, letting Alliegro play nearly an entire game with a broken arm in a blowout feels like a serious lapse in judgment from the staff.
“Guys like Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano battled their asses off,” Fickell said. “Young guys as freshmen getting thrown out there against the best team in the country. That’s as good a team as I’ve prepared for or played against in all phases. To see some of those guys compete and not bat an eye, that is the type of thing we need to build around.
“There is no quit in me, and that is what I told them after the game.
The most important thing is that there is no quit in that locker room or with each other. Whatever is gonna happen is gonna happen, but that doesn’t change what it is that we have to do, and they have to do.”
Effort? Still there. Execution? Missing.
There are definitely a handful of young players who’ve offered glimmers of hope in an otherwise frustrating season. Guys like Cairo Skanes, Agard, Posa, and Catalano have shown flashes of what the next version of this defense could look like. But while that gives Badgers fans something to look forward to, it doesn’t change the reality that Ohio State carved them up from start to finish. That’s why this week’s grade lands at a D.
Special Teams: B+
If there was one glimmer of competence for Wisconsin against Ohio State, it was on special teams — led by redshirt freshman punter Sean West, who made the most of his first opportunity to handle punts.
The Mequon native handled six of Wisconsin’s seven punts, totaling 324 yards for an average of 57.0 yards per kick, including a long of 62 yards and three downed inside the 20. Four of those punts traveled 50-plus yards, giving the Badgers one of their few consistent field-flipping weapons.
Then there was West’s unexpected 20-yard scramble on a broken play to convert a 4th-and-19, which was one of the most exciting moments of the game, because nothing else to that point had worked.
Fellow punter Atticus Bertrams logged the other attempt, a 37-yard punt that was downed at the 3-yard line on a nice play by Wisconsin’s coverage team. While it’s clear the staff still trusts Bertrams in short-yardage or directional situations, West’s leg strength gives him a ceiling that the program hasn’t had in years. The staff has to consider making a permanent change.
Fickell praised the young punter afterward, calling him one of the few bright spots in an otherwise forgettable game.
“What an incredible job he did today,” Fickell said of West. “Sean has just shown us over and over again on a consistent basis that he has a really, really good leg. Last year, his ‘bads’ were kind of bad and his goods were really good, but the consistency just wasn’t there. This week, we talked with the guys, and there was an opportunity to go with Sean and give him a chance. That run was not something we called, but it was a guy making a play. That was a bright spot for a kid that is dying to be here.”
Nathaniel Vakos never got the chance to attempt a field goal, and the return game was a non-factor due to a lack of meaningful opportunities. But between West’s booming punts, Bertram’s pinning one, and the coverage team holding up its end, the Badgers’ special teams did exactly what was asked of them. Considering the chaos everywhere else, this unit quietly delivered, and that’s why this week’s grade lands at a B+.
Next up: Oregon on the road
There’s no way around it: Wisconsin football is broken.
The Badgers have been shut out in back-to-back games, outscored 71–0 over the last two weeks, and have now dropped nine straight Big Ten contests dating to last season. For a program once synonymous with consistency, discipline, and identity, Wisconsin currently lacks all three.
The challenge now is that belief without results doesn’t mean much. Wisconsin isn’t just losing games; the product is borderline unwatchable. At this point, it’s hard to make a case that anyone in the Big Ten is worse.
Next up? A trip west to face Oregon in Eugene, where Dan Lanning’s Ducks boast one of the most complete rosters in college football. They have an elite quarterback, a deep backfield, explosive playmakers on the perimeter, and a defense built on pressure and physicality.
There’s no reprieve in sight. For Wisconsin, this game isn’t about winning. It’s about showing a pulse and finding something, anything, to build on.
The depth chart has been gutted. Darrion Dupree missed the Ohio State game entirely. Dilin Jones and Kerry Kodanko both exited early with lower-body injuries. Safety Matthew Traynor went down on a kickoff and didn’t return. By halftime, the Badgers’ sideline looked more like a triage unit than a football team, and now the coaching staff faces hard choices.
And that’s on top of already being without starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., safety Preston Zachman, and cornerback D’Yoni Hill. For a team that doesn’t exactly stack up in the talent department to begin with, Wisconsin isn’t built to survive digging this far down the depth chart.
Do they keep rolling out veterans who are playing through the motions, or turn the page and start giving meaningful snaps to younger players? Does Fickell double down on his “pound the rock” mantra, or begin reshaping some of the offensive and defensive rotations with 2026 in mind?
To be fair, some of these struggles were probably inevitable. But time only buys so much patience when the scoreboard keeps flashing zero.
At 2–5, Wisconsin can throw bowl eligibility out the window. It’s clear this team is headed for back-to-back seasons without a bowl. Instead, it’s fighting to prove the foundation is still worth building on. Because right now, this program doesn’t just need points — it needs proof of concept.
“Hopefully you can see the fight that’s still in them,” Fickell said when asked about the dwindling crowd and growing frustration among fans. “You want to see better. I want to see better. There’s a disappointment inside that locker room. But it’s not from a lack of guys that are trying to put the product on the field and represent the W the way the W is supposed to be represented.
“If that’s not good enough, that’s not good enough. When we win games, they’ll come back. And that’s our job. It’s disappointing to our kids, but it also can be motivating as well.”
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This 3-game stretch was always gonna be brutal- I don't think anyone realistically expected them to top OSU- but I don't think any of us foresaw them crashing out like this, either.