When news broke that Jaxon Smith-Njigba's lingering hamstring injury would keep him out of action for Week 4 of the 2022 NCAA season, it was a pretty big bummer for fans of Ohio State football.
Sure, the team is incredibly deep, and they've defeated their first three opponents by a combined score of 143-43, but Smith-Njigba is a certified first-round pick in the waiting who will likely play at the NFL level for a very long time. After two weeks of less than competitive football games, would the Buckeyes be able to overcome one of the best teams in the Big 10 West?
Well, as it turns out, fans didn't need to worry at all, as Wisconsin took the field at “the Horseshoe,” went down 7-0 before they were even afforded a chance to possess the ball, and were unable to secure a lead from that point on. OSU was up 21-0 by the end of the first, had a 31-7 lead at the half, and was up 45-7 by the end of the third quarter, when the student section was more concerned with where to party after the game than if their team would pull out a win. Even with the Badgers winning the final frame 14-7 to make the game look a tad more competitive than it really was, the Buckeyes really didn't have much to worry about in their fourth game of the season, as, much like in Week 1, they proved to be the better team.
Ohio State wore black and handled business 🅾️ @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/8l4W9DRg38
— ESPN (@espn) September 25, 2022
3 takeaways from the Ohio State Buckeyes' win over Wisconsin.
3. Emeka Egbuka continues to shine
With Smith-Njigba out, Emeka Egbuka was once again counted on to be Ohio State's top receiving target, and goodness gracious, he did not disappoint.
No matter how Wisconsin tried to slow Egbuka down, it really didn't seem to work, as the junior wideout from Steilacoom, Washington, caught six balls for a season-high 118 yards and two touchdowns while serving as Stroud's favorite target. Egbuka has now caught 26 balls for 442 yards and five touchdowns and has officially set a new season-high in touchdowns scored in a game at two. When Smith-Njigba returns, Ohio State's offense is going to be even more of a problem.
2. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams go for 100
After failing to field a single hundred-yard rusher in any of their first three games of the season, Ohio State had two in Week 4 when both TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams passed into triple digits against the Wisconsin Badgers.
Call it a fortunate byproduct of having scored so many points so early on that Ryan Day could simply take things to the ground in order to run out the clock, or call it a decisive strategy to beat up on Wisconsin, where they have historically been strongest, but Ohio State's rushing attack picked up 258 yards against one of the best young RBs in the nation and did so without ripping off a run of longer than 25 yards.
1. C.J. Stroud was on fire
After throwing for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns in 2021, Strover turned in one of his best games in Week 4, where he threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns versus just one interception. While he didn't have to throw for 300, 400, or even 500 yards, feats he's accomplished in the past, the junior quarterback looked sharp and set a new season-high in touchdown passes.
If Strover continues to play like he did in Week 4, there's little reason to believe he won't be in the Heisman conversation at the end of the year and discussed as a top-5 pick next April too.
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