The third-ranked Buckeyes improved to 8-0 entering the final month of the season while Wisconsin fell to 5-3.
Ohio State led 10-3 at the half despite mostly dominating the first 30 minutes.
The Buckeyes received the opening kickoff and moved into Wisconsin territory before committing multiple miscues.
After Kyle McCord and Marvin Harrison Jr. couldn’t connect on a third down pass, the Buckeyes opted to go for it on fourth-and-3 at the Wisconsin 33. Whatever they had planned for fourth down never materialized as C.J. Goetz beat right tackle Josh Fryar and knocked the ball out of McCord’s hands.
The Badgers recovered, but the Buckeyes got the ball right back two plays later when Steele Chambers stripped the ball from Braelon Allen and Davison Igbinosun recovered for Ohio State.
A 30-yard pass from McCord to Henderson got the Buckeyes into the red zone, but they again stalled before settling for a 27-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding.
They stretched the lead to 10 points early in the second quarter when McCord found Harrison over the middle for a 16-yard touchdown.
The Badgers were able to bounce back just before halftime, capitalizing off McCord’s second interception of the night.
They got the ball near midfield and drove to the Ohio State 1-yard line but had to settle for a Nathaniel Vakos field goal of 19 yards after Tommy Eichenberg stopped Allen from getting into the end zone after catching a shovel pass.
Allen was injured on the play and did not return to the game.
Ohio State outgained Wisconsin 209-83 in the first half, but McCord’s first interception in the end zone thwarted another scoring opportunity late in the first quarter.
The Badgers never ran more than four plays on their first five drives until the final possession, when they used 12 plays to pick up 51 yards.
Wisconsin took the opening kickoff 75 yards to tie the game on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Braedyn Locke to Will Pauling, who lost Jordan Hancock in the scramble drill and got open in the end zone.
Locke had the biggest play of the drive when he ran 29 yards on a quarterback draw on third-and-6 from the Ohio State 44.
Ohio State answered with its own 75-yard drive punctuated by a 19-yard touchdown catch by Harrison that ended up being the game-winner.
McCord was 4 for 4 on the drive for 46 yards and finished the night 17-for-26 passing for 226 yards.
He had a rough night overall as he was guilty of three turnovers, a pair of intentional grounding penalties and appeared to suffer a lower leg injury in the second half.
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