OSU vs. Northwestern Preview Part 3

OSU vs. Northwestern, November 11, 3:36 PM
ABC-Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Bob Griese and Paul Maguire (experts) and Bonnie Bernstein on the sideline

How OSU Did Last Week
OSU won in a too close for comfort matchup at Illinois, 17-10. In the first half Ohio State was able to score on two rushing touchdowns by Beanie Wells and Antonio Pittman, along with 50-yard field goal by Aaron Pettrey, but they did not score after that. Ohio State had its lowest point total and offensive yardage so far this season. In fact Illinois outgained Ohio State 233 to 224 yards. Smith did not have a Heisman-type day, 13 of 23 for 108 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Smith was second on the team in rushing with 37 yards. Pittman had a total of 58 yards. The leading receiver was Brian Robisikie with 33 yards.Ohio State struggled offensively in the second half, but still held the 17-0 lead a few minutes into the 4th quarter. Illinois hit a 27-yard field goal early in the last quarter. Things became interesting after Illinois scored with less than two minutes left in the game. Brian Robiskie recovered the onside kick, but Ohio State was later forced to punt. With four seconds left, Illinois attempted to go down the field with laterals, but they were forced out-of-bounds. On a day when other highly ranked teams struggled, including Michigan, OSU was brought back down from the clouds. Jim Tressel said, "I think every time you're tested and every time you're bruised and battered and so forth, I think it's always good for you. In life or in football, you learn more in your suffering than you do in your wonderful moments, so I think we'll learn something."

What to Expect
There are many reasons OSU won't look past this game. Fresh in OSU's mind is the close win at Illinois last week. OSU has likely watched footage of Northwestern's dominance at Iowa last week. I am sure Tressel has reminded players that OSU lost the last game in Evanston. Teams will try to duplicate how Illinois effectively applied pressure on the line and in the backfield, collecting sacks and stopping the running game. The OSU offense was conservative in the second half last week, in an effort to simply hold on to the lead and run out the clock. This week the Buckeyes will have an easier time moving the ball on the ground, especially considering the young defensive line of Northwestern. Tyrell Sutton has not had as much luck running the ball as he did last year. Although he has had two games over 150 rushing yards, he only managed to get 18 yards against Wisconsin and 6 yards against Michigan. OSU should be able to contain their running game and force the pass. The young NU quarterback has more interceptions than touchdowns. Look for Laurinaitis to tie Chris Spielman's single season record of 6 interceptions by a linebacker. OSU will win this game, and Michigan will beat Indiana, setting up an incredible, historic matchup next week.