INDIANAPOLIS – Ohio State rode a dominant second half from the defense to complete the comeback against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game.

The Ohio State defense has flexed its muscles throughout the season, but for the second-consecutive game, the Buckeyes struggled to defend in the first half. With Wisconsin posting 21 points in the first half, the Ohio State defense was able to buckle down and eliminate the mistakes that had been costly in the first half. The Buckeyes would outscore Wisconsin 27-0 in the second half to win the game 34-21.

That being said, let’s take a look at how each unit graded out in the 13th game of the year. The grades will compare the Buckeyes to the rest of college football, so a C grade is average, but a prestigious team like Ohio State has set a higher bar than being average.

The Wisconsin defensive line was able to win the sack battle 5-2, but it was Ohio State’s bunch that dominated the second half en route to the victory. The first half was not good for Larry Johnson’s group, as the Badgers would dominate up front.

Not only did Jack Coan avoid being sacked for the entirety of the first half, but the pressure seemed rather nonexistent. Even the rush defense, which had been a staple for Ohio State all season, slipped in the first 30 minutes. Jonathan Taylor would rush for 135 yards of Wisconsin’s 194 first half rushing yards, and Taylor’s one rushing touchdown would only be topped by Coan’s two rushing touchdowns.

As ugly as the first half was, the second half was as dominant in favor of Ohio State. The Buckeyes came up with a renewed energy and shut down Wisconsin. The Buckeyes would only surrender six rushing yards in the second half, and the Buckeyes were finally successful at getting to Coan. Zach Harrison and Jashon Cornell would each record a sack in the game for the Buckeyes.

It was the six tackles for loss from the group that defined the night for the defense, and it was Chase Young who led the way with 1.5 tackles for loss. Young would also add six tackles to help the Buckeyes rebound from a subpar first half.

After a year of showing that they were the most improved group from last year, the Buckeyes finished the final Big Ten matchup on a sour note. The group that had been great at gap discipline and tackling all year seemed to forget the good habits that had got them to this point in the first half against Wisconsin.

Taylor would explode for two long runs, one for 44 yards and another for 45 yards, and Coan would fool the entire defense on a read option to go untouched into the end zone on a 14-yard run. It just never felt like the linebackers were sharp in this one, and this group will need to be locked in if the Buckeyes want to win a championship.

Tuf Borland and Malik Harrison would each record six tackles on the day, but Borland, Harrison and the rest of the linebackers were unable to tally a single tackle for loss. Harrison was able to break up a pass, but for the most part, the unit was unable to provide the positive plays it had been able to produce all season.

At times, things seemed way to easy for Coan, who would finish 17-of-33 for 232 passing yards. After a week in which the the Wolverines posted 250 passing yards in the first half, the performance against Wisconsin was a lot closer to what should be expected from the Buckeyes, but it still was not the dominate performance that they are capable of giving.

Outside of his unsportsmanlike penalty, Damon Arnette put together quite a performance in the secondary. The senior would lead the team with seven tackles and two pass break ups. His running mate Jeff Okudah would get in on one pass breakup on a ball that was almost picked off by Okudah, who went up to fight for the pass.

The last two weeks, health has been a story for the secondary. It was Shaun Wade's absence that hurt the Buckeyes last week against Michigan, and it was the second quarter absence of Okudah that could have been more costly than it ended up being against Wisconsin. In order for this team to be successful against Clemson, LSU and most likely Oklahoma, it will need a healthy secondary that is playing at a high level.