Defense lifts Buckeyes

COLUMBUS - One thing Ohio State didn't have to worry about in its 16-3 win over Purdue on Saturday was getting penalized for excessive celebration after scoring a touchdown.

Neither the Buckeyes' scoring, nor their chances for end zone celebrations were excessive.

No. 12 OSU (6-1, 3-0 Big Ten) got its only touchdown less than four minutes into the game when Malcolm Jenkins blocked a Purdue punt and freshman linebacker Etienne Sabino ran it into the end zone from 20 yards out.

From there, it was a snore-athon for Ohio State's offense, which produced just three field goals and 222 yards total offense against a Purdue defense that ranked last in the Big Ten in overall defense, rushing defense and passing defense.

Fortunately for the Buckeyes, their defense came to play. Or maybe it was more like Purdue's offense struggled nearly as much as OSU's.

Tailback Chris Wells, who had battled the flu since mid-week, gained 94 yards on 22 carries for the Buckeyes. Freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor was 10 of 14 for 97 yards and no touchdowns and was sacked three times.

What was the problem with the Buckeyes offense?

"Everything," Pryor said. "We just played bad, we didn't move the ball. The defense played the whole game and we have to help them out, score some touchdowns. The bright side is we won and we're 6-1, 3-0 in the Big Ten. That's all that matters."

Purdue (2-4, 0-2 Big Ten) lost for the fourth time in its last five games. The Boilermakers, whose only score was a school-record 53-yard field goal by freshman Carson Wiggs, have not scored a touchdown in their last nine quarters.

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel was more specific than his quarterback when asked to point to the biggest reason his team struggled to move the football.

"From where I was, we certainly didn't control the line of scrimmage. That's where it starts," he said.

One area that did show improvement for OSU was its defensive line. It got two sacks and put consistent pressure on Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter (23 of 51 for 228 yards, no touchdowns).

"We knew coming in that we had to get after the quarterback. We kind of took it as a personal goal to get after him," defensive tackle Todd Denlinger said.

"We've been hearing it all year that the defensive line is the lesser of the units on the defense and that we're not getting pressure and this and that. Sometimes you have to take it as a personal thing. We looked at each other and said we had to get it done."

Sabino's touchdown was his first at Ohio State and the second he'd scored since he started playing football.

"I heard the block but I didn't know where it was. I happened to look up and it fell into my hands and I took off to the end zone. It was like a dream almost," he said. "The first thing I thought was, ‘I've got the ball.' Then you run into the end zone and it's loud and crazy."

That was the end of loud and crazy moments for Ohio State, as it turned out. The Buckeyes were outgained 298 yards to 222. Their only scores in the last 56 minutes of the game were a pair of short field goals by Ryan Pretorius and a 49-yard field goal by Aaron Pettrey.

The defense played a role in two of the Buckeyes' field goals. Thaddeus Gibson's hit on Painter forced a fumble to set up Pretorius' first field goal and Pettrey's field goal was preceded by the defense stopping the Boilermakers on a fourth down play at OSU's 45-yard line.

"Our defense fought all day and made them take the long path to the goal line and kept them out of the end zone," Tressel said. "Purdue made some plays but our defense never got flustered."