Big Ten Championship 2014: Game Grades, Analysis for Wisconsin and Ohio State

Urban Meyer and No. 5 Ohio State flexed their muscles and proved themselves as the class of the conference, hammering No. 13 Wisconsin in a 59-0 shutout loss in the Big Ten Championship Game Saturday night.

The Buckeyes (12-1) put on a show as they claimed their first Big Ten title since 2009, out-gaining the Badgers (10-3) by 293 yards. Cardale Jones was brilliant playing in place of the injured J.T. Barrett, leading Ohio State to a huge victory in his first career start.

How did the Badgers and the Buckeyes grade out from the surprising blowout Saturday night?

Wisconsin Badgers Grade Analysis

Pass Offense: Wisconsin’s offense is most successful when it’s featuring running back Melvin Gordon, but due to the blowout nature of the game, quarterback Joel Stave received a heavy workload. That wasn’t a good thing for the Badgers, as he completed just 17 of 43 passes (39.4 percent) for 187 yards and no touchdowns. Most of that work came in the second half, when Stave threw 28 passes for 129 yards, as the Badgers were desperately trying to claw their way back into the game.

Run Offense: Wisconsin entered the game with the nation’s No. 2 rushing offense, averaging 334.3 yards per contest. The Badgers were fueled by Gordon, a Heisman Trophy candidate who leads the country with 2,260 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. But Wisconsin was completely shut down by Ohio State, rushing for just 78 total yards on the game. Gordon was held out of the…

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