Column: OSU makes same old statement

COLUMBUS - It looked like the perfect time for a statement game by Ohio State when it played Purdue on Saturday.

It looked like the sort of game in which OSU possibly could come out strong, take a big halftime lead, and put something like 40 points on the scoreboard against a team that ranked last in the Big Ten in every major defensive category.

It was a chance for the No. 12 Buckeyes to put some distance between themselves and their struggles early in the season. It was a chance for them to look forward, not backward.

Instead of doing that, though, they offered up more of the same.

There is no "I" in team, but there are two of them in "inconsistency."

There is no "I" in team, but there are two of them in "unimpressive."

The only statement in Ohio State's 16-3 win was that the state of the Buckeyes so far isn't as good as they expected, isn't as good as their huge fan base expected, and isn't as good as the pollsters who voted them No. 2 in the preseason rankings expected.

Seven games into the season - six of them wins - Ohio State is still trying to find its way.

Defensively, Ohio State couldn't be faulted against Purdue. The Buckeyes defenders scored the game's only touchdown, limited the Boilermakers to a 53-yard field goal, forced two turnovers and got a couple of sacks.

Offensively, though, Ohio State was held below 300 yards total offense for the third time in seven games.

More distressingly, it was the first time that it happened with tailback Chris Wells in the lineup. Wells (94 yards on 22 carries) was battling the flu as well as the pain that doesn't go away in his injured right foot.

But more significantly, he was fighting for every yard he got behind an Ohio State offensive line that was porous once again. And he was fighting for every yard because Ohio State's passing game was barely noticeable.

Freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor completed 10 of 14 for 97 yards and no touchdowns and was sacked three times.

He took every snap for the second game in a row. The last time Ohio State didn't score an offensive touchdown in a game, in a 35-3 loss at Southern California, Todd Boeckman lost the starting quarterback job to Pryor.

But there was no thought of bringing in Boeckman even for a little while to try to get OSU's passing game started, coach Jim Tressel said.

"There weren't any huge discussions about that," Tressel said.

After Saturday's underwhelming offensive effort, some OSU players dismissed the idea that a "statement" game was something they needed.

"Our goal right now is to win the Big Ten championship. It's not a matter of going out and blowing teams out. Anytime you can get a win in the Big Ten, it's great," defensive lineman Todd Denlinger said.

His fellow defensive lineman Doug Worthington is ready for a "statement" game, though.

"We would love to (do that). I think our offense is ready, they're on the verge. They're ready to step over that red line and have a huge game," he said.

Forget red lines. Maybe the offense should start stepping across the goal line a little more often.

Offensive performances like Saturday's aren't going to get that done. Performances like Saturday's aren't going to make anybody happy. Performances like Saturday's aren't going to get the Buckeyes anywhere close to where they talked about going before the season started.