Ohio State Buckeyes quiet Camp Randall
20-17
In what was a defensive battle between two Big 10 heavy
weights on Saturday night in Camp
Randall, Ohio State
came out on top with great running by junior tailback Chris ‘Beanie’ Wells and
a great final drive by freshman phenomenon Terrelle Pryor.
The Buckeyes didn’t seem to get
tight going into the fourth quarter of a very competitive game as senior
cornerback Malcolm Jenkins out-jumped the fans during the Wisconsin Jump Around
and then intercepted Allan Evridge in the final minute to kill what could have
been a Badger winning drive.
By Steve Patterson
Hard Hitting
Defensive Battle
The action
was fast and the level of hitting was tremendous as a number of players were
injured early on and neither team was able to put up impressive offensive
numbers during the battle. Daniel Boom Herron sustained what appeared to be a
concussion in the first quarter after a 3 yard run up the middle. And wide
receiver Dane Sanzenbaucher was injured in the 2nd quarter after catching
a 23 yard pass and being hit by three Wisconsin Badgers simultaneously. Both Ohio State
players were helped off the field after being examined by medical personnel for
some time.
Beanie Wells is a
Beast
Chris ‘Beanie’
Wells didn’t run like a man with one bad foot although reports after the game
tell of a player that is constantly bothered by a foot injury that occurred
during Ohio State’s season opener. He has worn a
more protective boot on his right foot since returning to action last weekend
against Minnesota.
Wells ran
for a total of 168 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown. On the first drive
of the game, he finished off a quick drive with a 33 yard dash through a large
whole in the line and stiff armed Wisconsin
safety Shane Carter the final 6 yards of the run to the end-zone. Wells got the
Buckeyes rolling again in the 2nd half with a 54 yard run from
scrimmage which led to a Buckeye field goal to tie the game at 10.
Pryor Finishes
Always take
the quarterback on the option. That’s is supposed to be a defensive rule that
is never broken but with Chris Wells in the backfield along side Terrelle Pryor
and the ball on the Wisconsin 11 with 2:03 left in the game, a confused Badger
defense ran right to Wells and left Pryor free to run the ball in for a score
that put Ohio State ahead to win the game.
The final drive
began with 6:26 minutes on the clock on Ohio State’s
20. Pryor orchestrated a great drive that combined Wells running with
receptions by Brian Hartline and Ray Small. Hartline’s receptions of 19 yards
and 27 yards were critical to the drive with the first keeping the drive alive
on a third down with six yards to go. A couple fumbles on the drive were enough
to scare any Buckeye fan, but Pryor fell on the first and Brian Robiskie recovered
the second in the middle of the field after Hartline had his 27 yard reception
poked out from behind.