After what has been a shocking two weeks for the Ohio State Buckeyes, they are set to host the Northwestern Wildcats in The Shoe. The Buckeyes need to have this one, or things could get extremely ugly in Columbus. At this point, there are still slim chances for OSU to sneak into the Big Ten Championship. For that to happen, they’ve got to win this one, find out how they can do that below.

Get to Know the Wildcats

The Wildcats are 6-3 this season under fourth-year head coach David Braun, with wins over South Dakota State, Colorado, Penn State, Ball State, Michigan State and Rutgers. They have losses to Indiana, Oregon and Iowa. In the AP Poll, the Wildcats received 17 votes this week.

Offensively, Northwestern is led by quarterback Aiden Chiles. He has thrown for 1,898 yards, 13 touchdowns and only 1 interception with an 81.3 QBR and 68.8% completion rate. His QBR is ranked 14th in the nation, he’s also tied for second lowest interceptions thrown in the nation. However, Chiles did not play last week and is considered questionable for the matchup. Nicco Marchiol is next in line. Behind Chiles in the backfield is running back Caleb Komolafe. This season, he’s got 111 carries for 643 yards and 5 touchdowns. These numbers make him a slightly above average back in the FBS. Komolafe also has 19 receptions for 169 yards.

In the receiving room, it’s a one man show. Griffin Wilde is the clear WR1 for the Wildcats, putting up 49 catches for 813 yards and 5 touchdowns. His 813 yards put him at 17th in the nation. Behind Wilde is wide receiver Drew Wagner, who’s got 32 catches for 285 yards this year. Northwestern also possesses a solid tight end in Luke Denicke, who has 19 catches for 303 yards.

Defensively, the Wildcats let up an average of 19.3 points per game so far this year, which puts them at eighth in the Big Ten. They let up a total of 365.4 yards per game, which is bottom five in the conference. This is a team that the Buckeyes offense could find their roll against.

Keys to the Game

Ignite the Run Game: The Buckeyes run game has struggled immensely in their two-game skid, struggling to produce the yardage needed to move the offense. This week, that must change, or the Buckeye offense will look stagnant once again.

Protect Luke Fahey: Fahey was solid against the Ducks, throwing for 360 yards and two touchdowns. However, for him to thrive, he needs more time in the pocket.

Contain Northwestern: Ohio State’s defense has struggled immensely in their past few games, allowing 30 or more points two weeks in a row. In all three of the Buckeyes’ losses this season, they have allowed at least 105 rushing yards. That should be a target number for the Buckeyes.

Wrap-Up and Prediction

The Buckeyes desperately need this one, head coach Ryan Day needs this one. Northwestern is a team in need of a win as well, but they may be missing their starting quarterback.

Ohio State wins 24-21