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Disappointment hits Wisconsin again in 34-0 shutout loss to Ohio State

Published

4 months ago

October 18, 2025

Disappointment hits Wisconsin again in 34-0 shutout loss to Ohio State

The Wisconsin Badgers were shut out for the second consecutive week on Saturday, losing 34-0 to the Ohio State Buckeyes at Camp Randall Stadium to fall to 2-5 on the season and 0-4 in Big Ten play.

It was a tough game for the Badgers from the start, as they couldn’t get any offensive consistency, having four three-and-outs, another punt, and an interception in the first half.

Meanwhile, Ohio State flourished, scoring on three of its first four opening possessions and playing strong complementary football from start to finish.

“If I said it once at the end of the game, this’ll be the fifth or sixth time I’ve said it: I’m incredibly disappointed in a lot of things. Obviously, the scoreboard is probably the most notable,” head coach Luke Fickell said after the game. “To not find a way to put points on the board will never give us a chance. We know we have to be able to do that and we have to get a hell of a lot better at it.

Let’s get into our recap of the game.

The Badgers began the game with the ball, looking to put some early points up on the talented Ohio State defense, but the troubles for the offense continued as they have all season. Wisconsin went three-and-out to start the game, unable to generate any type of rhythm or momentum.

Ohio State, led by sophomore Julian Sayin, started the game on fire. Sayin connected on eight passes on the first drive for 95 yards and a touchdown. The score came on a 3rd & 12 when junior receiver Carnell Tate climbed the ladder to catch the ball over Wisconsin safeties Matt Jung and Austin Brown.

Down seven early, the offense needed to respond and retake the momentum. Wisconsin’s second drive started promisingly with a huge 15-yard catch by tight end Jackson McGohan. That drive was quickly derailed, however, when a dropped pass by Cade Yacamelli fell right into Sonny Styles’ hands for the first interception of the game. Styles returned it to the Wisconsin 43, setting up the Ohio State offense in a prime position to go up two scores.

The Badgers defense stood their ground though, allowing only a single first down. Ricardo Hallman came up with a big pass deflection in the endzone against Jeremiah Smith on 1st down, and from there, the front seven kept the Buckeyes from advancing. Sebastian Cheeks and Mason Posa combined for a sack on third down, forcing Ohio State to settle for a field goal and a 10-0 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter.

The Badgers offense remained stagnant—a common sight this season. With three straight run plays, Dilin Jones and Cade Yacamelli were getting beaten up by the Ohio State front four. Wisconsin punted after another three-and-out, their second in three drives. Through three possessions, the Badgers had totaled just 34 yards and an interception.

With a chance to go up three scores, Julian Sayin did not disappoint. Starting at their own 11-yard line, the Buckeyes picked up three first downs and 54 yards in just three plays. Following a couple of short runs from Bo Jackson, Sayin connected with Carnell Tate for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Similar to last week against Iowa, the Badgers faced a steep uphill battle, down 17-0 in the first quarter.

On their fourth drive, the Badgers finally showed some life, picking up three first downs and driving into Ohio State territory. Unfortunately, a set of penalties created a 3rd and 17 that ended with an incomplete pass when Hunter Simmons’ hand was hit as the ball came out. While the drive didn’t end well, there were signs of life. On 3rd and 12, Simmons found Lance Mason over the middle for 24 yards, and the play before saw Simmons execute the bootleg well, connecting with Mason for seven yards and a first down. Lance Mason has been one of the very few bright spots in the offense this season. Interestingly, the Badgers moved away from targeting Vinny Anthony and Trech Kekahuna, with neither receiving a single target through the first four drives.

The defense continued to battle, getting multiple stops following the first three scoring drives. With a 3rd and 2 at the Ohio State 22-yard line, the Badgers came up big, stuffing the run up the middle for one yard and forcing the punt. Freshman linebacker Cooper Catalano made the play on third down, shooting the gap and standing Bo Jackson up to prevent the first.

With a stop and some momentum finally on their side, the crowd was looking for offensive production, but it remained nonexistent. The Badgers went three and out for the third time in their first five drives, giving Ohio State another chance before halftime. The Buckeyes responded immediately. Superstar receiver Jeremiah Smith caught three straight passes totaling 27 yards. Following a set of rushes and precise passes from Sayin, the Buckeyes faced a 3rd and 4 at the Wisconsin 20-yard line. The Badgers defense came up big, forcing a fourth down and a subsequent missed field goal.

Still down 17-0 with one minute left in the half, the Badgers got the ball back but were clearly ready to take it to halftime. Wisconsin ran the ball three times before punting for the fourth time. Out of seven first-half drives, four ended with three-and-outs.

The Buckeyes offense was on fire in the first half, totaling over 200 passing yards and two touchdown passes. However, the Badgers’ run defense held strong, limiting the Buckeyes to just 35 first-half rushing yards.

Ohio State’s offense picked up right where it left off in the second half, driving downfield to the Wisconsin 17-yard line. Two passes to Carnell Tate—including a big 17-yard pitch and catch on 4th & 4—put Ohio State in prime scoring position. The Badgers defense stood firm as Christian Alliegro and Mason Reigor combined for a big 4-yard tackle for loss, setting up a long third down and eventually another field goal. Julian Sayin went 6-for-6 on the drive, totaling 60 yards, but was unable to convert in the red zone.

Unfortunately, the Badgers offense and Hunter Simmons couldn’t even come close to the red zone. On the following drive, Wisconsin finally committed to the pass game, but two straight incompletions led to yet another three-and-out. Without complementary football, it’s hard to win a game, but without an offense capable of gaining 100 total yards, it’s impossible. The defense continued to work hard and fight all game long, to no avail.

The Wisconsin linebacking corps also saw significant substitution. Look out for next week, as one of the freshman linebackers may take the start over Tackett Curtis, who did not have a great overall game today.

Ohio State continued to dominate offensively, scoring following another Wisconsin three-and-out. While the defense initially forced a fourth down, Ryan Day didn’t back down and called a quarterback sneak, getting the first down and letting Sayin take it from there. He connected with Bo Jackson and Quincy Porter for gains of 16 and 22 yards, respectively. Running back Isaiah West also had a big 15-yard rush to put the Buckeyes at the Wisconsin 4-yard line. From there, Sayin connected on a tight end pop pass for a touchdown—his third passing touchdown of the game—putting the Buckeyes up 27-0 with a minute left in the third quarter.

The Badgers were backed up on the ensuing possession. After a third-down sack on Hunter Simmons that ended his day, Wisconsin faced a 4th and 19. Looking for a lifeline, freshman punter Sean West came up with a huge run, breaking tackles and fighting his way to a first down—the second biggest offensive play of the game. The energy brought by the punter was quickly killed by the offense, and the ball was punted right back to the Buckeyes.

Sayin was ready to put the final nail in the coffin, driving downfield, this time on the ground. Running backs Bo Jackson and Isaiah West carried the ball a combined seven times for 33 yards. The icing on the cake was a beautiful pass from Julian Sayin to Brandon Innis on a deep crosser at the back of the endzone, putting the Buckeyes up 34-0.

At this point, Wisconsin fans were extremely frustrated, and the “Fire Fickell” chants started again. Some fans in the student section even mimicked what Oklahoma State fans were doing, taking their shirts off and swinging them over their heads.

With one last chance to avoid the shutout, the Badgers offense—with Danny O’Neil at the helm—tried to put together some sort of last-ditch scoring attempt. With running backs Dilin Jones and Durrion Dupree out, Gideon Ituka got the nod, rushing for 30 yards on three attempts. The drive stalled yet again. On 4th and 5, Danny O’Neil couldn’t find anyone past the sticks and threw a hospital ball to Trech for no gain.

Ohio State came into Camp Randall and made it their second home, shutting out the Badgers and putting up 34 points. The Badgers look to have a long season ahead and a lot of changes coming their way during the offseason if they want to compete in the Big Ten.

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Ohio woman sentenced in $775,000 Medicaid scheme

Published

2 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

COLUMBUS — A Lake County woman was sentenced this morning to jail time and ordered to pay $775,000 in restitution for fraudulently billing Medicaid, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced. “She inflated her earnings through brazen fraud, but her scheme burst wide open when our investigators got the case,” Yost said. “Cheating taxpayers comes with […]

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‘Catastrophic’ Ohio farm fire kills 6,000 hogs and pigs, officials say

Published

14 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

‘Catastrophic’ Ohio farm fire kills 6,000 hogs and pigs, officials say

A wind-swept blaze at an Ohio hog farm complex caused “catastrophic” damage and left thousands of pigs dead, fire officials said, marking another devastating barn inferno contributing to the deaths of millions of animals in recent years.

The massive fire occurred on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at Fine Oak Farms in Union Township, Madison County, located west of Ohio’s capital of Columbus, according to the Central Townships Joint Fire District. Fire crews received a report of a barn fire shortly before 12 p.m. local time.

The incident was later upgraded to a commercial structure fire after Chief Brian Bennington observed a “large column of smoke visible from a distance” and requested additional resources. Multiple local fire departments, along with several other emergency agencies, were called to the scene.

“What our crews encountered upon arrival was a very difficult and heartbreaking incident,” Bennington said in a statement on Feb. 26.

The fire chief described the facility as a large farm complex used for hog production consisting of five large agricultural buildings, including four that housed about 7,500 hogs. When crews arrived at the scene, they found two of the barns engulfed in flames, Bennington said.

Crews were challenged by windy conditions that significantly impacted fire suppression efforts, according to Bennington. Three barns were destroyed in the fire, and about 6,000 hogs and pigs were killed.

Firefighters saved one barn and about 1,500 hogs, the fire chief added. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Bennington highlighted the assistance of the farming community throughout Madison and Clark counties, as multiple farmers responded with water trucks to help with water supply efforts. “Rural Ohio’s agricultural community is tight-knit, and they truly step up when one of their own is in need,” he said.

The incident remains under investigation, and the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office will determine the fire’s cause and origin. Bennington said there is no suspicion of arson and no ongoing threat to the public at this time.

‘Rapidly changing fire behavior conditions’

Heavy smoke from the fire could be seen for miles, and Bennington said first-arriving units were met with fire conditions coming from the opposite side of the hog farm complex.

The fire chief noted that the incident required extensive water-shuttle operations due to rural water-supply limitations in the area. Crews attempted to cut the fire off by deploying multiple handlines and using an aerial device, but “faced extremely challenging conditions throughout the incident,” according to Bennington.

Sustained winds of about 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph accelerated the fire’s spread, Bennington said. The high winds made it “extremely difficult” to contain forward fire progression and created “rapidly changing fire behavior conditions” across the agricultural complex, he added.

After about four to five hours, the fire was contained by fire personnel from four different counties, according to the fire chief.

“Unfortunately, the fire resulted in catastrophic damage to the business,” Bennington said in an earlier statement on Feb. 25. “A significant portion of the agricultural structures were destroyed.”

Latest major fire to impact an Ohio hog farm

The incident at Fine Oak Farms is the latest major fire to cause significant damage to an Ohio hog farm in recent years.

In August 2024, about 1,100 pigs were killed in Versailles, a village about 50 miles northwest of Dayton, Ohio, according to data from the nonprofit Animal Welfare Institute. In March 2022, about 2,000 hogs died in a barn fire at Kenneth Scholl Hog Farm in Brown Township, just west of Columbus.

Before the fire at Fine Oak Farms, the Animal Welfare Institute reported that other barn fires in Ohio this year killed 162 sheep, horses, cows, chickens, and other animals.

Hundreds of thousands of animals killed in barn fires each year

Data from the Animal Welfare Institute shows that hundreds of thousands of animals are killed in barn fires across the country each year. Since 2013, over 9 million farm animals have been killed in barn fires, according to the organization.

As of Feb. 26, the Animal Welfare Institute reported that 118,738 farm animals have died in U.S. barn fires this year, including the incident at Fine Oak Farms. The majority of farm animals killed were chickens in separate incidents in North Carolina and Georgia in January, and another incident in Missouri earlier this month.

“Most fatal barn fires occurred in colder states, particularly the Upper Midwest and the Northeast. New York, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois had the highest number of barn fires, respectively,” according to the organization. “The amount of cold weather a state experienced appeared to be a greater factor in the prevalence of barn fires than the intensity of a state’s animal agriculture production.”

In an updated report on farm animal deaths due to barn fires in 2025, the Animal Welfare Institute said more than 2.53 million farm animals were killed in barn fires from 2022 to 2024. The organization noted that the high death toll was “driven primarily” by fires at large operations that housed several thousand to over 1 million farm animals.

The majority of deaths in these incidents during that period, over 98%, were farmed birds, such as chickens and turkeys, according to the Animal Welfare Institute. But in 2023, a massive fire at a west Texas dairy farm became the single deadliest event involving livestock in the state’s history and the deadliest cattle fire in America in at least a decade.

18,000 head of cattle perished in the fire at the South Fork Dairy farm near Dimmitt, Texas. At the time, Roger Malone, who is the former mayor of Dimmitt, called the incident “mind-boggling.”

“I don’t think it’s ever happened before around here. It’s a real tragedy,” Malone said.

Contributing: Rick Jervis, USA TODAY; Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch

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Ohio’s LaRose pushes back on voter fraud critics, Democrats

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Ohio’s LaRose pushes back on voter fraud critics, Democrats

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose discussed voter fraud and Ohio’s efforts to prevent it during a recent radio appearance.

LaRose appeared on “The Bill Cunningham” radio show, where he defended the state’s efforts to minimize voter fraud. A clip posted on X shows audio of LaRose arguing that policies aimed at preventing voter fraud are necessary even though cases are rare.

Here’s what to know.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose says voter fraud in Ohio is rare, compares prevention efforts to TSA security

In the clip, LaRose says that Democrats claim voter fraud is rare, and should be ignored.

“The left claims that voter fraud is rare, so we should just ignore it,” he said. “Well, airplane hijackings are also rare — we don’t abolish the TSA. The reason why we keep voter fraud rare in states like Ohio because we do these very things that they’re trying to take away from me.”

LaRose announced the inaugural meeting of the new Ohio Election Integrity Commission, which replaces what he called the flawed Ohio Elections Commission, in January 2026. The new committee, he says, will be used in “enforcing Ohio’s election laws, reviewing alleged violations, and ensuring accountability in matters relating to voting.”

In October 2025, LaRose said that he forwarded more than 1,000 cases of voter fraud to the U.S. Department of Justice. The cases involved 1,084 noncitizen individuals who appear to have registered to vote unlawfully in Ohio, and 167 noncitizens who appear to have also cast a ballot in a federal election since 2018.

In February 2026, President Donald Trump said Republicans should “nationalize” elections. He also accused Democrats of bringing migrants into the United States to illegally vote, a claim that is not backed by evidence, USA TODAY reports.

Voter fraud in the U.S. is considered rare nationwide, according to NPR, but there are still debates from both political sides on how frequently it occurs.

What is voter fraud?

Electoral fraud is defined as illegally interfering with the process of an election, according to Ballotpedia. This includes in-person voter fraud, absentee or mail ballots and illegal voter suppression.

Criminal penalties can include fines or imprisonment for up to five years, according to U.S. code. In Ohio, election interference can carry a felony of the fourth degree, according to Ohio Code.

Voter fraud is often a topic of debate among Democrats and Republicans, where organizations such as the conservative Heritage Foundation maintains a database claiming to show nearly 1,500 cases of election fraud since the year 2000.

Meanwhile, research by law professor Justin Leavitt published in 2014 found 31 cases of in-person voter fraud among billions of ballots cast from 2000–2014, according to Ballotpedia.

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