Wisconsin Badgers vs Ohio State Buckeyes Box Score on Sep 28, 2013

No. 3 Ohio State 31, No. 24 Wisconsin 24: Braxton Miller returned from a two-game absence to throw for a career high-tying four touchdowns as the Buckeyes used a late first-half score at home to notch their BCS-high 17th straight win.

Miller, who sustained a sprained left MCL early in Ohio State’s 42-7 win over San Diego State on Sept. 7, threw for 198 yards and added 83 on the ground. Carlos Hyde chipped in with a game-high 85 rushing yards to propel the Buckeyes (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) to their third consecutive victory over the Badgers (3-2, 1-1).

Wisconsin’s Jared Abbrederis exploded for career highs in catches (10) and yards (207) and scored on a 36-yard pass in the first quarter to tie the game 7-7. Joel Stave passed for a career-high 295 yards and threw for a score to Sam Arneson, but Melvin Gordon – who entered Saturday as the nation’s leader rusher – was held to 74 yards on 15 carries.

Miller ended two of Ohio State’s first three drives with touchdown passes – 25 yards to Evan Spencer and 26 yards to Devin Smith – during the opening quarter. The Badgers pulled within 17-14 on Stave’s 11-yard pass to Arneson with 1:30 left, but Corey "Philly" Brown got behind the coverage for a 40-yard touchdown with one second remaining before the break to give Ohio State a 24-14 lead.

Following an interception from Stave, Miller capped a 32-yard drive with a 1-yard throw to Brown with 2:18 left in the third quarter. James White scored on a 17-yard run early in the fourth quarter and Kyle French drilled a 42-yard field goal with 2:05 left, but Wisconsin failed to recover the ensuing onside kick and could not convert a fourth-down play from its own 16.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Buckeyes’ winning streak is tied for the fourth-longest run in school history and five shy of matching the 22-game mark set from 1967-69. … Wisconsin entered this contest averaging 349.75 yards on the ground, but was held to 104 on Saturday. … Miller’s rushing effort allowed him to set a school record for career rushing yards by a quarterback (2,151), surpassing Cornelius Greene’s mark.