With 41 seconds left in regulation on Saturday against Wisconsin, Ohio State took possession at its 15-yard line with the score tied.The Buckeyes had two timeouts left, and they needed to gain about 50 yards for a reasonable chance at a field goal. Difficult but doable, especially given coach Urban Meyer’s aggressive nature. Instead, the Buckeyes handed off once and were content to go to overtime. Meyer might not embrace all aspects of analytics, but he understood that if a game’s fate rests on play in the red zone, he’ll take his chances. That’s what overtime is, even if possession begins at the 25 and not the 20 that’s the official start of the red zone. Sure enough, Meyer’s hunch proved correct. The Buckeyes scored a touchdown to open overtime. Wisconsin completed a pass to Ohio State’s 4 to set up first-and-goal, but the Buckeyes didn’t allow another yard. A gang sack of quarterback Alex Hornibrook on fourth down preserved the Buckeyes’ 30-23 victory. Heading into this week’s game at Penn State, the Buckeyes offense has been solid punching the ball in from inside their opponents’ 20. Ohio State has scored touchdowns on 24 of 35 trips (68.6 percent) “When…
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