The Scarlet and Gray

[toysoldier00]

Former Buckeye Jayden Ballard Looking Forward to Facing Ohio State With Wisconsin
By Zachary Anderson on October 15, 2025


Jayden Ballard has emerged as Wisconsin's leading receiver in 2025 after transferring from Ohio State.



When Wisconsin wide receiver Jayden Ballard lines up against Ohio State this weekend, it won’t be the typical “revenge game” script. Ballard made it clear this week that his feelings toward his former program are rooted more in appreciation than bitterness, even as he prepares to face the team he once hoped to star for.

Ballard, a former Top 100 recruit, transferred from Ohio State to Wisconsin in the offseason after spending four years in Columbus without ever breaking into a loaded receiver rotation. He totaled 11 receptions for 177 yards and one touchdown as a Buckeye, largely because the path to targets was blocked by an endless assembly line of NFL-caliber talent, from Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka to the current stars Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.

Now a fifth-year senior in Luke Fickell’s offense, Ballard has become Wisconsin’s top wideout, leading the Badgers with 33 catches for 475 yards and two touchdowns. He’s been a consistent vertical threat and a reliable chain-mover for a Wisconsin offense that has leaned on him heavily in key downs.

Asked this week what it will be like to play Ohio State, Ballard didn’t hesitate to frame it as a meaningful moment, but not an emotional one.

“I’ve got nothing but love for those guys,” Ballard said. “That’s my family over there. I was in that locker room with them, went to work with them every day, and I still have a lot of relationships there. It’ll be different, obviously, but I’m excited. It’s going to be fun.”

Ballard acknowledged that leaving Ohio State was difficult, but said the move to Madison has given him the opportunity to finally play the role he believed he was capable of playing at the college level.

“At Ohio State, you’re competing with the best every single day,” Ballard said. “That made me better. But I wanted a chance to show what I can do on Saturdays, too. Wisconsin gave me that.”

Now, he’ll get a chance to do it against the team that helped shape him, in a matchup that carries both personal meaning and major Big Ten stakes.

[toysoldier00]

Week 8 Preview: October’s Pressure Games Arrive in Athens, Tuscaloosa and South Bend

Marissa Bleday
October 16, 2025


By mid-October, college football stops feeling like a long runway and starts feeling like a narrow bridge. There are still weeks left to play, but the margin for error tightens, and the games that used to be “big” become something sharper: games that can define a season, change a playoff path, or expose a contender as a paper tiger. Week 8 brings several of those, highlighted by Ole Miss traveling to Georgia, Tennessee visiting Alabama, and USC’s trip to Notre Dame in a rivalry that’s suddenly carrying playoff weight again.

#4 Ole Miss Rebels (6-0) at #7 Georgia Bulldogs (5-1)
The weekend’s most consequential game might be in Athens, where unbeaten No. 4 Ole Miss visits No. 7 Georgia in a matchup that feels like it will either validate the Rebels as a true national player or reassert Georgia’s ability to win the kind of physical, messy game that shapes the SEC race. Ole Miss has been explosive all season and has looked especially dangerous since switching quarterbacks after Austin Simmons’ injury. Trinidad Chambliss has stabilized the offense, and Lane Kiffin has leaned into what this team does best: score quickly, run efficiently, and force opponents into uncomfortable pace.

“We’re not trying to be perfect,” Kiffin said this week. “We’re trying to be the aggressor. If you’re passive in this league, you lose.”

Georgia, meanwhile, has played the more complicated season. The Bulldogs have been good enough to win, dangerous enough to scare you, and inconsistent enough to invite questions, particularly on defense. Their offense remains a machine, built around Gunnar Stockton’s volume passing and the playmaking speed of Zachariah Branch, but Georgia is still chasing the version of itself that can string together dominant defensive quarters. Kirby Smart framed it as a response opportunity.

“The point of playing in the SEC is these games,” Smart said. “You don’t get to hide your flaws. You either fix them or you get exposed.”

The matchup within the matchup is straightforward: can Georgia slow Damien Taylor near the goal line and force Ole Miss to finish drives with throws rather than touchdowns on the ground, and can the Bulldogs protect Stockton long enough to keep the game from turning into a scramble drill? If Ole Miss wins in Athens, it will feel like the Rebels have graduated from “dangerous” to “inevitable.”

#14 Tennessee Volunteers (5-1) at
#6 Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1)
Another pressure game lives in Tuscaloosa, where No. 14 Tennessee visits No. 6 Alabama in a clash that looks like a referendum on both defenses, and on whether Alabama’s redemption tour can survive the most relentless pass rush it has faced. Tennessee’s identity is clear: explosive offense, quarterback Joey Aguilar playing with swagger, and a front seven that can wreck a game without needing blitz help.

“We’re built to attack,” Josh Heupel said. “If you’re not aggressive, you’re not going to win these kinds of games.”

Alabama has been building momentum since its season-opening loss at Florida State, stacking wins that have pushed the Tide right back into the national discussion. Ty Simpson has stabilized the offense, Ryan Williams remains a weekly threat, and the Tide are winning with balance.

Kalen DeBoer called this week “a test of discipline,” noting that Tennessee’s pass rush punishes sloppy protection and Tennessee’s tempo punishes defensive substitution. If Alabama can stay out of long-yardage situations, it can control the script. If it can’t, this could become a fourth-quarter survival game.

#16 USC Trojans (5-1) at #18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-2)
South Bend provides the weekend’s rivalry spotlight as No. 16 USC heads to No. 18 Notre Dame, a matchup that feels like it will decide who stays in the outer ring of playoff conversation and who gets pushed into “need help” territory. USC has been an offense-first team in the purest Lincoln Riley sense, Jayden Maiava is putting up numbers, Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane are consistently open, and the Trojans are scoring enough that they can survive mistakes.

“We’ve got to win on the road with our identity,” Riley said. “That’s the next step for us.”

Notre Dame’s season has been a slow rebuild after an 0–2 start, and it has become increasingly simple: protect freshman quarterback CJ Carr, ride Jeremiyah Love, and let the defense keep the game in the proper neighborhood.

Marcus Freeman said this week the Irish are “starting to understand who we are,” which is coach language for “we know how we need to win.” If this becomes a track meet, USC is comfortable. If it becomes a bruising possession game, Notre Dame has a path.

#24 Louisville Cardinals (4-1) at
#5 Miami Hurricanes (5-0)
In the ACC, No. 24 Louisville goes to No. 5 Miami in a matchup that feels like a scoreboard race between two offenses that can score in spurts.

Miami has already taken down multiple rivals and is playing with a confidence that has been missing in recent years, but Louisville brings real explosiveness of its own and a quarterback in Miller Moss who can punish coverage lapses.

Mario Cristobal called it “a grown-man game,” and that’s accurate: both teams can score, and the team that tackles better late will likely win.

#25 Utah Utes (5-1) at #10 BYU Cougars (6-0)
The Big 12 isn’t short on stakes either. No. 25 Utah visits No. 10 BYU in a game that could define the league’s unbeaten chase, while No. 11 Texas Tech travels to Arizona State in a matchup that could knock the defending champs closer to the edge of the title race.


Washington Huskies (5-1) at #20 Michigan Wolverines (4-2)
And in Ann Arbor, Michigan hosts Washington with a freshman quarterback story that is becoming more complex by the week, Bryce Underwood’s ceiling is obvious, but the turnovers and efficiency will decide whether Michigan can climb back into relevance.

#8 LSU Tigers (5-1) at Vanderbilt Commodores (5-1)
Finally, the weekend’s most intriguing “Heisman watch” game might not involve the biggest brands: No. 8 LSU at Vanderbilt. LSU needs stability after already taking one league loss, and Vanderbilt, yes, Vanderbilt, has a quarterback in Diego Pavia who has been outstanding and mistake-free.

Brian Kelly called it “a road game with teeth,” while Clark Lea emphasized that Vanderbilt “isn’t interested in being a nice story.”

With both teams needing to stay afloat in the SEC race, and with two quarterbacks who can make themselves famous in one night, it’s the kind of game that can reshape the national conversation by midnight.

Week 8 isn’t about surviving anymore. It’s about proving you belong.




[toysoldier00]

Game Preview: Ohio State Visits Wisconsin as Buckeyes Trend Up and Badgers Search for Air
By Zachary Anderson on October 17, 2025





Ohio State has spent the last two weeks turning “undefeated” into “unstoppable,” and the timing of this trip to Madison feels intentional in the way the schedule sometimes does. The No. 1 Buckeyes arrive at Camp Randall 6–0, fresh off road wins at Washington and Illinois, and now get a familiar Big Ten test at noon on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff: a Wisconsin program in a slide, battered by injuries, and searching for a performance that can steady its season before it unravels completely.

Ryan Day didn’t frame it as a layup. He never does, and he knows the building. “Camp Randall has its own energy,” Day said this week. “It’s one of those places where if you let them hang around, the game gets real complicated. We have to start fast, play disciplined, and bring our edge with us.”

Wisconsin enters 2–4 and has lost four straight since a 2–0 start, a skid that began with a blowout loss at Alabama and kept rolling through Maryland, Michigan, and a one-score defeat to Iowa. The problem isn’t one thing, it’s everything at once: confidence, turnovers, injuries, and a schedule that doesn’t offer a soft landing. After Ohio State, the Badgers have to deal with a trip to Oregon and later a road game at Indiana. Luke Fickell’s seat is already hot, and this month can turn it molten.

“We’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves,” Fickell said. “We’ve got to fight our way out of it. That starts with playing a complete game.”

The biggest challenge is that Wisconsin’s path to “complete” keeps shrinking. Receiver Vinny Anthony II, their most productive pass catcher. is out, as is tailback Cade Yacamelli, who was averaging 87.2 rushing yards per game and had seven touchdowns before a season-ending foot injury. That leaves Wisconsin leaning on Darrion Dupree, who has struggled to create consistent efficiency (2.7 yards per carry), and putting more on quarterback Billy Edwards, whose production has been undermined by turnovers. Edwards has thrown seven interceptions already, and Wisconsin’s turnover margin is a Big Ten-worst -7, the kind of number that usually decides games against elite opponents before halftime.

That’s an especially dangerous profile against Ohio State’s defense, which has become the Buckeyes’ foundation again. Ohio State is allowing just 12.2 points per game (second nationally), giving up only 264.8 yards per game, and has generated 23 sacks through six weeks. Caden Curry has been a breakout star off the edge with 7.5 sacks, Arvell Reese has turned himself into a weekly play-driver at linebacker, and Caleb Downs continues to look like the best defensive back in the sport. If Wisconsin’s offense can’t protect Edwards and can’t avoid giveaways, the Buckeyes have shown repeatedly they will turn short fields into a fast runaway.

On the other side, Ohio State’s offense has started to look increasingly comfortable in its own skin. Julian Sayin has settled into the job with 1,439 yards, 14 touchdowns and only two interceptions, and the passing game has enough answers that one defensive adjustment rarely changes the night. Jeremiah Smith remains the headliner (44 catches, 534 yards, seven touchdowns), but the Buckeyes have built balance around him: Carnell Tate’s steady production, Max Klare in the middle of the field, and Brandon Inniss popping up in scoring moments. Ohio State is also converting third downs at the best rate in the Big Ten (56%), which is often the hidden key to road wins, sustain drives, quiet the crowd, and keep the defense fresh.

Wisconsin’s best hope is to lean into what it still does well: play hard, contest throws, and make Ohio State earn it in the red zone. The Badgers’ secondary is legitimately good, with corners Ricardo Hallman and Nyzier Fourqurean capable of holding up in coverage and safeties Preston Zachman and Austin Brown bringing physicality. If Wisconsin can keep the game in front of it, steal a possession, and force Ohio State into some early field goals, Camp Randall can become the kind of place where a favorite starts hearing footsteps.

But that’s a narrow path, especially if Wisconsin can’t run the ball and can’t protect the football. Ohio State enters with a +6 turnover margin and has already shown it can win games by choking the air out of the opponent. That’s what makes this matchup feel like a checkpoint rather than a toss-up: the Buckeyes are getting healthier, with defensive tackle Eddrick Houston expected back to boost the rotation after missing time, and tight end Will Kacmarek ready after leaving last week early. Wisconsin, meanwhile, is trying to patch holes while staring down one of the nation’s most complete teams.

There is also a subplot that will be hard to ignore: former Buckeye receiver Jayden Ballard, now Wisconsin’s leading wideout, gets the team he couldn’t crack. Ballard has been productive in Madison, 33 catches for 475 yards and two touchdowns, and his speed gives Wisconsin a chance at the one kind of play that can swing a game quickly: an explosive shot over the top. If the Badgers are going to threaten Ohio State, Ballard probably has to be part of it.

And still, Buckeye fans know better than to treat Camp Randall like a casual stop. Ohio State’s loss there in 2010 as the No. 1 team is burned into program memory, a reminder that this stadium can turn strange when the underdog believes. That’s what Day is guarding against: not Wisconsin’s record, but the emotional volatility of a home crowd that would love nothing more than to torch the season narrative with one afternoon.

Ohio State doesn’t need style points. It needs another Big Ten win, another road performance that reinforces its No. 1 status, and a clean game that keeps the season’s biggest targets on the horizon. Wisconsin needs something more basic: proof it can still fight, still execute, and still look like Wisconsin, even when the opponent is the best team in the country.

Date	Opponent	Stadium	TV	Result
Aug. 30	Texas Longhorns	Ohio Stadium		W, 31-13
Sept. 6	Grambling State Tigers	Ohio Stadium		W, 46-6
Sept. 13	Ohio Bobcats	Ohio Stadium		W, 40-10
Sept. 20	BYE
Sept. 27	Washington Huskies	Husky Stadium		W, 37-16
Oct. 4	Minnesota Golden Gophers	Ohio Stadium		W, 53-22
Oct. 11	Illinois Fighting Illini	Memorial Stadium		W, 38-6
Oct. 18	Wisconsin Badgers	Camp Randall		12:00 PM
Oct. 25	BYE
Nov. 1	Penn State Nittany Lions	Ohio Stadium
Nov. 8	Purdue Boilermakers	Ross-Ade Stadium
Nov. 15	UCLA Bruins	Ohio Stadium
Nov. 22	Rutgers Scarlet Knights	Ohio Stadium
Nov. 29	Michigan Wolverines	Michigan Stadium

[The JZA]

Bury Wisconsin monkey asses so we can get to the real game, Penn State

[toysoldier00]

Bury Wisconsin monkey asses so we can get to the real game, Penn State

yessir

[toysoldier00]

Ohio State 38, Wisconsin 7: Defense Held the Line Until the Offense Finally Burst
By Zachary Anderson on October 18, 2025


Bottled up for much of this game, James Peoples finally broke the offense open, and finished with 113 total yards and two touchdowns.



For nearly three full quarters Saturday at Camp Randall, the scoreboard didn’t match the way the game felt. Ohio State looked like the better team from the opening snap, controlled the field position battle, and kept Wisconsin’s offense pinned in place with an avalanche of punts. And yet the Buckeyes led only 7–0 deep into the third quarter, stuck between two versions of themselves: explosive when the window opened, stalled when it didn’t.

That’s why the final score, a 38–7 Ohio State win, reads like a blowout but unfolded like two different games layered on top of each other: a first quarter where the Buckeyes struck quickly, a long middle stretch where the offense sputtered, and a final 20 minutes where Ohio State poured it on so fast that Wisconsin never had time to understand how the game slipped away.

Ryan Day called it “a good lesson” afterward, not because the Buckeyes were ever truly in danger, but because they had to keep their composure when the rhythm wasn’t automatic. “We weren’t as sharp as we need to be for a stretch,” Day said. “But the defense kept us in great position, and then when we found our rhythm again, we finished the way good teams finish.”

Ohio State’s afternoon began the way you want a road game at Camp Randall to begin: silence the crowd, establish the physical edge, and make Wisconsin feel like it’s going to have to win every inch. The Buckeyes forced a three-and-out on the opening series, then drove to the Wisconsin 30 before coming up empty on a failed fourth-down conversion. It was the first hint that this might not be the kind of smooth offensive day Ohio State has started expecting.

But after another Wisconsin three-and-out, the Buckeyes hit the explosive plays that have become their easiest answer. Julian Sayin found Carnell Tate for 31 yards, then came right back and dropped a perfect 51-yard touchdown ball over the top to Mylan Graham to make it 7–0 with 7:53 left in the first quarter.


Slot Receiver Mylan Graham opened the scoring with a huge touchdown midway through the first quarter.

At that point, it felt like Ohio State was about to do what it has done to most teams this season: score early, squeeze the life out of the game, and turn the second half into a developmental scrimmage. Instead, the game drifted into a long, ugly middle where the Buckeyes couldn’t put Wisconsin away and couldn’t get their run game to bite consistently. Ohio State drove into Badger territory again and failed on a fourth-and-13 from the Wisconsin 48. The next series went three-and-out. Then, midway through the second quarter, Sayin threw an interception to safety Preston Zachman, the kind of turnover that could have breathed life into an underdog crowd.

It didn’t, because Ohio State’s defense refused to allow Wisconsin to turn any flicker into flame.

Two plays after the Zachman interception set Wisconsin up near midfield, Caden Curry forced a fumble that Ohio State recovered, halting the Badgers’ best chance to change the tone. It was part of a day-long pattern: every time Wisconsin found something, Ohio State answered with a sack, a hit, a pass breakup, or a turnover that reset the field.

Early in the second quarter, Billy Edwards Jr. found tight end Lance Taylor for an explosive 40-yard gain to the Ohio State 34, a rare moment where the stadium woke up. The Badgers immediately lost four yards, failed on a screen, then watched Jason Moore sack Edwards to knock them out of field-goal range. Punt. No points. No momentum.

Later, with 1:41 left in the half, Edwards hit former Buckeye Jayden Ballard on a 32-yard crosser into Ohio State territory. Again, it looked like a chance. Again, it died. Jermaine Mathews Jr. broke up a third-down throw, Wisconsin punted, and the halftime score remained 7–0, the kind of score that would normally suggest a game still hanging in the balance. But it didn’t feel that way, because Wisconsin had no run game, no third-down answers, and no ability to sustain anything against Ohio State’s pressure and coverage.


Ohio State's defense was suffocating, particularly in moments where Wisconsin had a chance to capture momentum.

Luke Fickell didn’t sugarcoat the reality afterward. “You can’t play a team like Ohio State and live in third-and-long,” he said. “You can’t give them extra possessions. And you can’t let their defense dictate everything. They did.”

Ohio State’s offense, meanwhile, looked like it had gotten its first-quarter electricity stolen. Sayin threw for 122 yards in the first quarter and then just 12 in the second. The run game never found consistent daylight. Bo Jackson was bottled up. James Peoples had to manufacture what he could. The Buckeyes punted, punted again, then ran out the clock at halftime.

The third quarter began with more of the same: a three-and-out, another punt, and a feeling that Ohio State was slowly letting Wisconsin hang around without ever actually giving them the tools to make it dangerous. Then, on the Buckeyes’ third possession of the half, the offense finally committed to the ground game with purpose. Bo Jackson popped a 12-yard run. Peoples followed with 13. The line began to lean, just enough. And then Peoples ripped the game open with the play Ohio State had been waiting for: a 43-yard touchdown run with 2:15 left in the third quarter that made it 14–0 and changed the emotional shape of the day.

That run didn’t just add points, it gave the Buckeyes permission to exhale and then attack again. The floodgates opened.

On the next drive, Sayin hit Tate for 25 yards, then 26 more, then capped it off with an 11-yard touchdown to Jeremiah Smith to make it 21–0 with 8:46 left. The next drive was even more brutal: a screen pass to Peoples, who turned it into a 22-yard touchdown to make it 28–0 with 7:12 remaining. The game had been 7–0 for so long that the sudden scoring felt like an avalanche finally breaking loose, and Wisconsin, already exhausted from defending in short fields all day, had nothing left.


Jeremiah Smith made the highlight of the game with a one-handed touchdown from the back of the end zone late.

Wisconsin finally broke through with 3:19 remaining, finishing a long drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Darrion Dupree to make it 28–7. But the Badgers immediately tried an onside kick, failed, and Ohio State responded with a 31-yard touchdown to Smith, an absurd one-handed catch in the back of the end zone that felt like Smith casually reminding everyone that even a “quiet” day can turn into a highlight reel. 35–7 at the two-minute warning.

Then came one more defensive punch. On the next play, Edwards threw an interception to Jermaine Mathews Jr., who returned it to the Wisconsin 16. Ohio State bled the clock and kicked a field goal with 11 seconds left to close the scoring at 38–7.

Sayin’s final stat line reflected the two versions of his day: uneven in the middle, excellent at the edges. He finished 28-of-43 for 320 yards, four touchdowns, and the interception. Peoples was the engine when the game finally broke open, finishing with 14 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown, plus two catches for 25 yards and a touchdown. Jackson had nine carries for 26 yards, and Ohio State’s run game, while effective late, never looked consistently comfortable. CJ Donaldson, notably, did not record a carry again, playing only three snaps without any obvious injury explanation.

The receivers picked up the slack. Tate led the group with 101 yards on six catches, and his return after missing a large portion of the second and third quarters coincided almost perfectly with Ohio State’s offensive revival. Smith finished with six catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns, despite being targeted 11 times with several throws either inaccurate or deflected. Graham, whose 51-yard early touchdown set the tone, finished with 59 yards on four catches and played a career-high 55 snaps, a notable bump that came without Brandon Inniss taking on a significantly expanded role. Max Klare quietly did what he’s done all season: moved the chains, finishing with five catches for 32 yards and several key third-down grabs that kept drives alive even when the offense was sputtering.


Ohio State's defense sacked Billy Edwards Jr. four times, and made life nearly impossible for the Wisconsin attack.

Defensively, the Buckeyes were ruthless. They held Wisconsin to three rushing yards on 16 attempts, forced five three-and-outs, and made the Badgers punt 10 times. Ohio State recorded four sacks, and Curry added another to push his season total to 8.5. Perhaps the most telling stat of the entire afternoon was in the air: Ohio State finished with 10 pass breakups, a massive number, with Mathews collecting three on his own to go with his interception.

The return of defensive tackle Eddrick Houston also mattered. In his first action since the opener, the sophomore posted three tackles, two tackles for loss and half a sack, providing the interior push Ohio State has missed and allowing Kenyatta Jackson Jr. to live more naturally as an edge rusher. That shift showed up in the way Edwards looked all day: hurried, uncomfortable, and mostly incapable of creating off-script.

“We’re getting healthier,” Day said. “We’ve got guys coming back, and you can feel the depth starting to matter as the season goes.”

For Wisconsin, the box score will be hard to stomach, but the story of the day isn’t just that the Badgers lost, it’s that they couldn’t find a sustainable identity against a team this complete. Edwards finished 24-of-45 for 245 yards with the interception, a line buoyed by late production. Dupree struggled (11 carries, 23 yards, a touchdown and a fumble). Tight end Lance Taylor had a big day (103 yards on five catches), and Ballard’s 82 yards on five receptions were a reminder that Wisconsin still has athletes. But Wisconsin lived in too many long-yardage situations and spent too much of the day playing from bad field position against a defense that never blinked.

Ohio State heads into its bye week still unbeaten, still No. 1, and still built the way championships are built: with an offense that can score in bursts and a defense that can hold the line until the bursts arrive.

Qtr	Time	Team	Result	Play	OHST	WISC
1st	7:46		TD	Mylan Graham, 51 Yd pass from Julian Sayin	7	0
3rd	2:07		TD	James Peoples, 43 Yd run	14	0
4th	8:42		TD	Jeremiah Smith, 11 Yd pass from Julian Sayin	21	0
4th	7:05		TD	James Peoples, 22 Yd pass from Julian Sayin	28	0
4th	3:16		TD	Darrion Dupree, 1 Yd run	28	7
4th	1:55		TD	Jeremiah Smith, 31 Yd pass from Julian Sayin	35	7
4th	0:08		FG	Jayden Fielding, 19 Yd FG	38	7

[Agent]

Ton of offense in the fourth. Dominated them boys

[redsox907]

Jeremiah and Julian went nuclear in the 4th

[djp73]

didn't expect a loss but maybe more of a challenge there

[ShireNiner]

Looks like guys were looking ahead to Penn state and took a little bit to get going here. But a win is a win.