Third-ranked Ohio State wasted no time to jump on Wisconsin, bursting out to a 21-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. From there, the Buckeyes remained in control and cruised to a 52-21 win to open Big Ten play.
Leading the charge for the offense was tight end Cade Stover, who was named Offensive Player of the Week by the team. Stover hauled in a pair of first-quarter touchdowns, which doubled as the first scores of his career. His first touchdown came on a 13-yard throwback from quarterback C.J. Stroud and lifted the Buckeyes to a 14-0 lead with 8:54 to go in the opening quarter. Stover came right back on the next drive, snagging a two-yard touchdown as he found himself all alone in the end zone thanks to Stroud selling the run on a naked bootleg and drawing in a pair of defenders.
Stover finished the evening with four receptions for 51 yards alongside his two scores. He also showed his prowess as a blocker, aiding the Buckeyes’ rushing attack to 258 yards on the ground.
While Stover earned honors for his play on the offensive side of the ball, safety Tanner McCalister and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg were recognized as the Defensive Players of the Week.
McCalister helped set the tone for Ohio State in the first quarter, intercepting Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz on his first pass attempt of the evening — setting up Stover’s 13-yard score. McCalister added four tackles and a pass breakup while aiding Ohio State’s secondary in allowing just 104 passing yards.
Eichenberg produced 14 tackles, the second-highest mark in his career behind only his 17-tackle outing against Utah in the 2022 Rose Bowl. Seven of his 14 tackles were deemed solo tackles, while he added two tackles for loss in the Buckeyes’ 52-21 win.
