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By George M. Thomas Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Sunday, Nov 04, 2007
COLUMBUS: After Wisconsin went ahead by seven points against Ohio State in the third quarter at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, things looked bleak.
Then as if it were some grand revelation, Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel remembered that he had a running back in Chris ''Beanie'' Wells, someone who possessed a scary mix of power and speed. Wells heard his number called often after that, and he answered in a way that erases any doubt as to his ability to put the Buckeyes on his broad shoulders and carry them.
Wells gained 169 yards on 21 carries and scored three times in the second half to lead OSU to a 38-17 win.
More remarkable is that he amassed most of that yardage after halftime. Wells went into the intermission with just 26 yards on six carries. More importantly, he came out of it and gave what was arguably his best performance of the year at the most fortuitous time.
Wisconsin opened the second half down 10-3 and promptly drove the ball 92 yards to score on a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyler Donovan to tight end Travis Beckum. After going three-and-out on their first possession of the half, OSU punted the ball. On the next
possession, the Badgers completed an eight-play, 62-yard drive, and the Buckeyes were down by seven.
That's when OSU, which began the game in passing mode, turned to Wells, at his request, and he delivered with touchdown runs of 31, 30 and 23 yards.
''I won't say I'm the go-to guy. It's a team effort always. There's 11 guys up here,'' Wells said. ''I knew I wanted to carry the football and I knew I wanted to play. I wanted to play as hard as I could.''
On the Buckeyes' second possession of the third quarter, they ran the ball eight times — Wells carried the ball six of those.
''First you have to credit the O-line. Give him just a little bit of a hole and he's going to make it happen — his moves, his strength, everything. It's fun to watch,'' quarterback Todd Boeckman said of Wells.
The game might have also been a bit too close for comfort for the Buckeyes, who didn't play their best defensively despite sacking Badgers passers 10 times for 73 yards in losses. They held Wisconsin to 12 yards rushing, but Donovan passed for 269 yards on completing 18 out of 30 attempts. A more glaring fact: The OSU defense gave up some big gains in third-down situations, including a 50-yard play that would set up a score.
''I wouldn't say it was our best game for the most part,'' defensive end Vernon Gholston (four sacks) said. ''Seventeen points is the most points we gave up all year. From that standpoint we didn't do as well as we should. We definitely have to work on it.''
But the defense deserves credit for staying in Donovan's face throughout the game. With his starting running back, P.J. Hill, out of the game with a foot injury, the Buckeyes said they knew he'd be forced to pass for much of the afternoon. Gholston took advantage of that. Soft-spoken off the field, he turned into a beast on it Saturday. When he wasn't sacking Donovan, he pressured him consistently.
''We knew that if they got into passing situations we were definitely going to rush the quarterback,'' he said. ''It's not about me. It's about the team and I just go out there and do the best that I can.''
Those 17 points the defense surrendered put Ohio State in an unfamiliar position — down with momentum shifting toward its opposition. Ranked No. 1 and with dreams of reaching the BCS National Championship Game for the second consecutive year, the Buckeyes responded.
''We knew what was on the line. You don't get chances like this for the rest of your life. I'm a senior. Next week is my last game ever in the Horseshoe,'' offensive tackle Kirk Barton said. ''After this, I'm done with college football forever. This is my last shot. So I just tried to emphasize this is it.''
Tressel said that contending with some adversity at this part of the season wasn't necessarily unhelpful.
''You get in games and swings (and) that test you and it helps you grow to understand what it's going to take to win the Big Ten after today,'' he said. ''I think adversity is always good, even though I don't vote for it, it's good if you survive it.''
Barton agreed with his coach's observation.
''It never hurts. Look at the '02 team. Look at the adversity they went through, seemingly every week,'' he said. ''They came out in a great situation, but we have to start faster next week (against Illinois).''
Buckeye notes
The Buckeyes have won 28 regular-season games (a school record) and 20 consecutive Big Ten games (a conference record). Tressel said the most important streak to him: His team broke the Badgers' three-game winning streak at Ohio Stadium. . . . Five prospects for the 2008 recruiting class, including prized quarterback Terrelle Pryor, center Michael Brewster and offensive tackle J.B. Shugarts, took in Saturday's game. Brewster and Shugarts have already given their oral commitments to OSU. Apparently the Buckeyes are very much in the running for Pryor, who reported also is being pursued by Florida, Notre Dame, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/sportsblitz/.
COLUMBUS: After Wisconsin went ahead by seven points against Ohio State in the third quarter at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, things looked bleak.
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