OHIO STATE Defense had a busy day in streak-snapping loss

By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
COLUMBUS -- Linebacker Bobby Carpenter doesn't like being 3-2, but he and the rest of the Ohio State defense aren't going to cash in the chips after five games following Saturday's 24-13 loss to Wisconsin.
"For the most part we were effective covering the pass, but they made big plays. Our guys were all over them, but they had great catches," Carpenter said of an 8-yard touchdown catch by Darrin Charles in the second quarter and a 10-yard reception by Jonathan Orr in the fourth quarter, a TD that sealed OSU's fate as the Buckeyes dropped to 0-2 in the Big Ten. The loss also snapped Ohio State's 18-game home winning streak.
He also mentioned the play of the defensive line, including Marcus Green, who seemed to show some spark even when Ohio State's hopes were fading as the Buckeyes trailed the entire second half.
"We were fired up the whole day and played with our hearts the whole day. Whether Wisconsin gets the ball at our 10-yard line or whether we have them backed up against their 10-yard line, we try to get the job done."
Showed emotion
Green, a defensive tackle, was one of those players showing emotion, especially when OSU had the Badgers backed up inside their 20-yard line.
Green managed to grab Wisconsin's outstanding tailback Anthony Davis and throw him to the ground at the 14.
Being 3-2 after losing back-to-back games in the Big Ten is especially hard for Carpenter, a junior who hasn't known anything but success as a Buckeye.
"This is kind of hard to swallow and the guys are upset about it. No one here has ever experienced this, but we're going to go out every week and play as hard as we can. As far as this snowballing, I don't think so because we have quality guys with a lot of character. We've got to stand up and walk away knowing we fought hard and we'll be back. All we can do is win out. We've got to win next week and the week after that."
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel extended a compliment to Wisconsin's defensive backs.
"They had excellent coverage on our wideouts," the coach said of defensive plays on Ohio State receivers Santonio Holmes, Roy Hall and Bam Childress.
While Wisconsin's big plays came in the air, the Badgers' main success was on the ground.
Of Wisconsin's 344 total offensive yards, 184 were via the rush with Davis netting 168 on 39 carries. Owen Daniels had four receptions for 72 yards and Charles had four catches for 30 yards.
The Buckeyes weren't far behind in the passing game with Justin Zwick completing 15-of-31 for 125 yards, while Stocco hit 15-of-24 for 160.
Combined, however, it illustrated the control in the Badgers' favor. Even Tressel was amazed at the lopsided time of possession: Wisconsin 36:29 and Ohio State 23:31.
The Badgers ran 72 plays to 56 by OSU and the Buckeyes were most pathetic in the running category where they netted 99 yards.
Starting tailback Lydell Ross had just 30 yards on seven carries while backup tailback Antonio Pittman had 48 yards on four carries.
Holmes was Ohio State's top receiver with 34 yards on three catches, followed by Childress with 26 yards on three receptions. Hall had a team-high five catches for 25 yards.
bassetti@vindy.com