Boeckman, Ohio State solid; No word yet on Wells' condition

COLUMBUS - Trying to decipher the meaning of Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel's carefully chosen, and often vague descriptions of how the Buckeyes played is always interesting.

If he seems to be particularly impressed with a player or a play, he might say it was "extraordinary."

More often, he will say someone played a "solid" game. Two of the players who had the "solid" tag applied to their play in Saturday's 43-0 win over Youngstown State were quarterback Todd Boeckman and kicker Ryan Pretorius.

So, just what does it mean when Tressel says you've played a solid game?

"I guess basically what he is saying is that you never know until you watch that film tomorrow," Boeckman said after Saturday's game. "You could think you had the best day of your life, but tomorrow you might grade out terrible."

Chances are good that Boeckman graded out pretty well when Ohio State's coaches reviewed the films.

The senior quarterback from St. Henry hit 14 of 19 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns in the first game of his second year as Ohio State's starting quarterback.

There might have been a throw or two he would have done differently if given the chance. But he wasn't intercepted, wasn't sacked and didn't have any underthrows on deep passes, an area where he wanted to improve this season.

It was something he worked on in the off-season with his receivers.

"Robo (Brian Robiskie) and Brian Hartline have been telling me to get the ball out there and let them go get it," Boeckman said.

"They told me, ‘Todd, just get it deep. We'll go get it.' All winter, summer and even in camp, I've been working on getting it out there," he said.

OSU will take on a second straight in-state opponent when Ohio University comes to Ohio Stadium this Saturday (noon, Big Ten Network).

The Bobcats dropped their opener 21-20 at Wyoming. Quarterback Theo Scott was 26 of 35 for 224 yards and a touchdown for OU. Taylor Price caught 14 passes to set a school record.

"It's a big game. We have a lot to prove to these Buckeyes," Ohio University coach Frank Solich said. "A lot of us come from the Columbus area, so we are going to come out and give it our all and pull out all the stops."

WELLS REPORT: Ohio State had no update on the condition of tailback Chris Wells on Sunday.

Wells injured his right foot during the third quarter against Youngstown State. X-rays showed the Heisman Trophy contender had no broken bones, but no more information has been provided.

There might be something new today. Athletic department spokeswoman Shelly Poe sent an e-mail to reporters on Sunday that said, "It's not likely that there will be any update until probably Monday after some initial treatments and therapy."

PRYOR'S DEBUT: Prize recruit Terrelle Pryor entered the Youngstown State game to a standing ovation from part of the crowd at Ohio Stadium.

Despite the warm welcome, Pryor said he was nervous. But when he turned to his older teammates, they told him that wasn't unusual.

"I asked my teammates how they felt their first game and they said, ‘Nervous.' They said everyone is going to judge you but don't worry about that, just go out and play your game," he said.

He entered the game in the first quarter and was 4 of 6 passing for 35 yards and rushed for 52 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown run.

You can comment on this story at www.limaohio.com.