The number-one Ohio State Buckeyes have been dominant to this point in the season. It's hard to argue with a zero in the loss column and the top spot in the AP Poll rankings through seven games of the season for Ryan Day and company. They controlled Texas on opening week, crushed Washington in Seattle, and stunted Illinois in Champaign.
That same level of dominance was on full display as the faltering two-win Wisconsin Badgers graciously hosted the Buckeyes on Saturday in what would be a 34-0 romp, courtesy of the best team in football.
There were not many reasons for Wisconsin fans to get overly excited before this game kicked off, and there weren't many as the 60-minute clock wound down.
But down 27-0 at the start of the fourth quarter, Wisconsin was emboldened with the greatest superpower a team could be offered: absolutely nothing to lose. When the game is all but decided and there is virtually zero hope for a comeback, the Badgers reached into their bag of tricks and made a severe play call.
On fourth down, with 19 yards left to gain, Wisconsin's head coach Luke Fickell put it all on the line. If his offense wasn't able to move the chains and get a first down, why not give the punter a shot? To repeat: on fourth-and-19, in the shadow of their own goal posts, the Badgers put the ball in the hands of their punter and said "run for it."
From the moment the pigskin hit the hands of Atticus Bertrams, the sea of 11 Buckeyes dispersed in an instant, lighting the runway for a mad dash to the first down marker. Planting his foot in the ground and darting to the side, Bertrams made a man miss on a juke move, and the punter made a different kind of play with his feet -- 19 yards covered by a kicking specialist. A fake punt worked out in the least likely of circumstances. No one saw it coming -- why would Wisconsin even dare?
This play wouldn't turn the tides of the football game -- the Badgers still finished with zero points on the scoreboard -- but it gave the fans in attendance something to get excited about.
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