Ohio State won the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin on Saturday, 27-21. The decisive moment was a fourth-down interception that sealed it on UW’s last-gasp drive in the final two minutes. But before that, some controversy.
Ohio State wins the Big Ten title with help from this pass interference non-call
A great game had a weird ending.
Here’s a pretty awful non-call after some defensive pass interference by Ohio State:
That is a tackle, executed by OSU cornerback Kendall Sheffield on Wisconsin receiver Danny Davis III. The ball was catchable absent the tackle before it arrived. This is a pass interference penalty 100 times out of 100 in a world where officiating is perfect.
It came on a first-and-10 at the Buckeyes’ 43, with the Badgers on the march toward a possible game-winning touchdown. Wisconsin left tackle Michael Deiter got called for holding on the same play, bringing up a first-and-20.
The lack of an obvious interference call meant that Deiter’s penalty yardage kicked in, and it didn’t get offset due to a call on the other team. Wisconsin’s vertically challenged offense did not gain another yard after being set 10 yards behind schedule. It was a devastating blow to an offense that couldn’t handle it.
Aside from that, this was a great game.
This game stacked up as a tossup, and it was as fun as one would’ve expected. The Buckeyes scored first and built up various double-digit leads throughout the night, but Wisconsin never let itself get pushed beyond arm’s length. The Buckeyes’ biggest leads were 14 and 11 points a couple of times, and Wisconsin stayed feisty.
Ohio State had a few chances to salt the game away before the end. The Buckeyes were objectively better all night, averaging about 7 yards per play to Wisconsin’s 4. But Ohio State didn’t finish drives well, and Wisconsin had a touchdown off a turnover. OSU could’ve effectively ended things with seven minutes left, after quarterback J.T. Barrett lunged forward to reach the line to gain on a pivotal fourth-down deep in UW territory.
But Wisconsin forced a stop on OSU’s next set of downs, limiting the Buckeyes to a field goal and a one-score advantage. The Badgers punted on their next series but got a stop after that, when Barrett couldn’t connect with an open J.K. Dobbins on a potentially game-sealing play. So, the Badgers got a final shot on offense.
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