COLUMBUS:Ohio State pulled a David Blaine on Saturday afternoon at Ohio Stadium eking out a 26-14 victory over Ohio University.

In a game that was painful to watch, the Buckeyes offense looked lethargic and out of sync as the Bobcats, sensing the opportunity for an upset, played like an animal toying with its prey for much of the game. The problem: they played with the Buckeyes too long, allowing the offense to shake off its rust and build some semblance of momentum.

Of course, the Buckeyes operated without Akron native and Heisman Trophy-candidate Chris Wells, who was sidelined with a foot injury, but running back is supposed to be a position of depth for OSU.

Until the second half, when Warren native Dan Herron got into a groove, it looked like a position in need of a boost.

It didn't help that the offensive line sputtered. Pass protection for quarterback Todd Boeckman was inconsistent. At times, Boeckman held the ball too long, and when he did have time, the decision making was questionable on more than one occasion.

For instance, with the Buckeyes driving for their first touchdown, Boeckman gambled on a hitting wide receiver Brian Hartline in the end zone. It was first down from the 25-yard line, after the Buckeyes recovered a fumble on a punt, and he held the ball too long, eventually throwing into double coverage. He was lucky it wasn't intercepted.

''First of all, offensively, we need to get a lot better. We did some things out there we're not very proud of,'' he said. ''(We) made some mistakes. You've got to give a lot of credit to OU.''

Hartline offered a more succinct description of his team's performance. ''That was just one of those ones where you want to crawl into a hole and get ready for next week,'' he said. ''I'm not going to go into anyone else's play, but I played pathetic.''

An open wide receiver was a rarity and the Bobcats defense forced the Buckeyes to settle for dink-and-dunk passes. Boeckman completed 16-of-26 passes for 110 yards and was sacked three times. The Bobcats' defense hounded him much of the game, forcing him to scramble. He carried the ball eight times for 32 yards.

After the game, it was difficult to tell whether OSU coach Jim Tressel was more frustrated by the performance or relieved to escape with a win. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

''It kind of looked like everyone predicted you might look like in between your opener and your big national stage game, which is disappointing because we really needed to make progress,'' Tressel said. ''And we did make progress in the takeaway area, which was huge. It's got to be something we continue to do.''

The Buckeyes defense deserves the credit for this victory, forcing turnovers four times on interceptions. A fifth takeaway came on a fumbled punt. The Buckeyes defense got to Bobcats quarterbacks just one time but badgered them all afternoon. Ohio starting quarterback Theo Scott left the game with a leg injury late in the first quarter, forcing the Buckeyes to contend with Bobcats backup Boo Jackson, who garnered 55 yards on scrambles.

Tressel maintained his confidence in that unit, allowing them the opportunity to preserve the victory. With the game on the line with 7:16 to go, and the score 19-14 in favor of the Buckeyes, he relied on the defense. The Buckeyes punted the ball setting the Bobcats up with a first-and-10 on their own 20. OSU's defense forced a three-and-out and a punt.

The Buckeyes' Ray Small grabbed the ball on the punt, followed his blocks, sidestepped one final tackler on his way to a 69-yard touchdown.

''We played hard, but I think we made a lot of mistakes,'' OSU defensive end Lawrence Wilson said. ''We made it up with effort, but we have a lot of things to correct.''

Hartline agreed but said that the team cannot dwell on this one game. ''There's a side to staying focused and not getting too upset and realizing that last year we had a down game. There's usually a down game, but that was a little too down for my liking.''

Wilson flashes form

Lawrence Wilson, from St. Vincent-St. Mary had another impressive outing Saturday. He and teammate Thad Gibson harassed Bobcats passers all day, but he looked most impressive on an interception that he snared on a screen play.

''I saw it was a screen so I retraced my steps and I tipped it and I said to myself I may be able to pick this off, so when I caught it, my teammates said I was running pretty slow, I thought I was running fast,'' he said. ''I saw the quarterback had an angle on me and I tried to jump over him, but it didn't work too well.''

Small breaks loose

Many expected wide receiver Ray Small to fill some mighty big shoes when Ted Ginn Jr. left for the NFL. Although he has shown ability, he has been inconsistent.

''It feels like a new life. I've been waiting three years for this,'' he said. '' I should have been stepped up. It just feels good to be back out on the field. If being in the doghouse gets me this, then I love being in the dog house.''

Milestone

The Buckeyes victory over OU gave the program its 800 win in the school's history. Only Michigan (869), Notre Dame (824), Texas (821) and Nebraska (818) have more.