MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Marvin Harrison Jr. caught two touchdown passes, TreyVeon Henderson rushed for 162 yards in his first game in over a month and No. 3 Ohio State remained unbeaten by defeating Wisconsin 24-10 on Saturday night.
Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) played the second half without star running back Braelon Allen or wide receiver Chimere Dike due to leg injuries. Allen, who rushed for 50 yards on 10 carries, got hurt while unsuccessfully trying to score on a third-and-goal reception from the 1 on the second-to-last play of the second quarter.
After Ohio State (8-0, 5-0) squandered an early 10-0 lead, Harrison had a tiebreaking 19-yard touchdown reception in the right corner of the end zone with 7:14 left in the third quarter. Harrison also ran a shallow cross and turned it into a 16-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Harrison finished with six receptions for 123 yards. This came one week after catching a career-high 11 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown in a 20-12 victory over No. 10 Penn State, which was ranked seventh at the time.
“I believe he's the best football player in the country," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said.
Henderson sealed the victory by running through a big hole on the left side, breaking a tackle downfield and delivering a 33-yard touchdown run with 5:15 left. Henderson was playing for the first time since a Sept. 23 victory at Notre Dame after missing three games with an unspecified injury.
“You can see the difference he makes when he's out there - the explosiveness, the speed,” Day said.
Ohio State beat Wisconsin for a 10th consecutive time and withstood an injury to safety Lathan Ransom, who was carted to the locker room in the second half. Day didn't have an update on Ransom's injury immediately after the game.
Harrison’s first touchdown gave Ohio State a 10-0 advantage. Wisconsin tied the game on Braedyn Locke’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Will Pauling early in the third quarter before Ohio State pulled ahead for good on its ensuing possession. Locke was 18 of 39 for 165 yards in his second career start.
Ohio State's Kyle McCord went 17 of 26 for 226 yards, but threw a pair of interceptions to go along with his two touchdown passes to Harrison. McCord hadn’t been picked off since Ohio State’s season opener.
McCord also lost a fumble during a fourth-and-3 conversion attempt from the Wisconsin 33 on the game’s first series.
THE TAKEAWAY
Ohio State: Henderson's presence makes a big difference in Ohio State's offense and prevents the Buckeyes from having to rely as much on Harrison, as they did last week. McCord made plenty of mistakes early, but showed some toughness by remaining in the game while in obvious discomfort in the second half.
Wisconsin: The Badgers failed to score on a first-half drive that began at the Ohio State 36 and settled for a field goal after having first-and-goal from the 1 late in the second quarter. Those missed opportunities proved costly. One week after rallying Wisconsin from a 21-7, fourth-quarter deficit to win 25-21 at Illinois in his first start, Locke couldn't lead a similar rally against a much better defense.
Ohio State figures to stay at No. 3 for another week. No. 1 Georgia beat Florida and No. 2 Michigan was off.
UP NEXT
Wisconsin: At Indiana next Saturday.
Ohio State: At Rutgers next Saturday.
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