Run up the score?
Run up the score? Jim Tressel? Ohio State?
That’s what Northwestern’s student newspaper, The Daily Northwestern, hinted in their recap of Ohio State’s 45-10 win over the Wildcats at Ohio Stadium West. Comments from irate NU fans in the Northwestern football blog, Lake The Posts, also shared that sentiment.
Leading 31-10 early in the third quarter, A.J. Trapasso gained nine yards and a first down running the ball on a fake punt when the Buckeyes were facing a fourth-and-2 at their own 42 yard line. Two plays later, Terrelle Pryor hit Brian Robiskie on a 34-yard touchdown pass.
Later in the fourth quarter, Northwestern’s Mike Kafka was sacked by Cameron Heyward and coughed up the football, which was recovered by Doug Worthington at the NU 42 yard line with 3:10 left to go in the game.
Six straight rushing plays by backups, the last one being a 16-yard touchdown run by Boom Herron, put Ohio State’s 44th point on the scoreboard with just seven seconds remaining.
Faking a punt when leading by 21 points seemed like the smart play, considering the weather and wind conditions. I also see nothing wrong with letting Pryor throw deep.
As for the touchdown run with seven seconds left, maybe taking a knee would of been the best option, but then again, Coach Tressel didn’t know at the time that Northwestern’s defense was going to be so porous at the end of the game.
Chicago Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey seems to concur with me.
After the game, Fitzgerald and his players refused to accuse Ohio State of running up the score, and they were right to do so. If you’re the Buckeyes, a fake punt in the fourth quarter is a smart move, not an insult. A three-touchdown lead is not insurmountable. End of story for a team hoping for a BCS bowl bid.”
The problem was, Northwestern had trouble stopping Ohio State not only at the end of the game, but for most of the contest, especially on third down.
Stat of the game: Ohio State was 8-of-13 in third down conversions, and six of those went for eight or more yards.
During the Buckeyes’ first possession of the game, Ohio State face two instances of needing eight or more yards on third down. On third-and-eight at the NU 49, Pryor threw a nine-yard completion to Robiskie. Three plays later on a third-and-16 play at the NU 46, Pryor connected with Brian Hartline on a 44-yard pitch and catch. One snap later, Beanie Wells scored on a 2-yard run.
On Ohio State’s second scoring drive, Pryor hit tight end Rory Nicol for a gain of 22 yards on third-and-10 at the NU 28. On the next play, Beanie looked like he was going to be stuffed for no gain, but sprung loose for a 55-yard TD run putting the Buckeyes up 14-7.
With Ohio State leading 17-7 in the second quarter, a third-and-8 play at the OSU 12 yard line resulted in a 14-yard completion to Dane Sanzenbacher. Three snaps later on a third-and 13 at the OSU 23, Pryor scampered up the middle of a gain of 15. Three plays after that, Pryor ran around the left end and down the near-sideline for a gain of 22 yards on a 3-and-17 at the OSU 31. That drive resulted in a 15-yard TD pass from Pryor to Robiskie.
Up 24-10 in the third quarter, Pryor threw a 46-yard bomb to Brian Hartline on a third-and-8 play from the OSU 32. Three downs later, Pryor found Rory Nicol in the end zone on a 6-yard TD pass.
In Ohio State’s lone fourth down attempt, Trapasso gained nine on a faked punt. That led to another TD for the Buckeyes.
Pryor threw just 14 passes, but completed nine of them of 197 yards and three touchdowns. Beanie Wells had 140 yards on 28 carries and two scores. Robiskie had three receptions for 58 yards and two TDs.
Ohio State had 441 yards of total offense, with 244 yards rushing and 197 yards passing.
Defensively, the Buckeyes held the Wildcats to 294 yards of total offense (117 rushing, 177 passing).
With the win, Ohio State moved up to 10th in both polls, but stayed at No. 11 in the BCS standings.
Up next, the Buckeyes travel to Chambana to take on the Fighting Illini of Illinois, Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m., and the game will be televised on either ESPN or ESPN 2.
