Buckeye Rosters

Recap

Columbus, OH — The Buckeyes ran their Big Ten record to 2-0 and chalked up their first win over of the season over a ranked opponent, downing visiting Northwestern by a final score of 38-20.

Senior tailback Jonathan Wells got the Buckeyes off on the right foot, bolting 71 yards off left tackle on the second play from scrimmage to stake OSU to a 7-0 lead. Wells would go on to score two more touchdowns and rush for 179 yards on 22 carries.

The 14th-ranked Wildcats tied the game at 7-all on their first possession, but the Buckeyes took a 14-7 lead when Will Smith forced a fumble that junior All-American Mike Doss scooped up and returned 30 yards for a score. OSU led 21-7 at the half on Wells’ 1-yard run.

The Buckeyes put the game out of reach by scoring on their first three possessions of the second half and taking control 38-7. Northwestern, which entered the game averaging 490 yards a game, finished with just 306 yards (216 of that coming on the Wildcats last three possessions).

The fast-striking Wildcats, who had been averaging nearly 90 plays a game, managed a season-low 79 against an aggressive, well-prepared Ohio State defense, which forced two turnovers and recorded 10 tackles-for-loss and five sacks. The Wildcats dangerous duo of quarterback Zak Kustok and running back Damien Anderson was held to a combined total of 221 yards.

Wells got plenty of support in the running department from sophomore Sammy Maldonado and freshman Lydell Ross. Maldonado banged his way through and around the Wildcat defense for 60 yards on 13 carries. Ross added 33 yards on 11 attempts, including a dazzling 9-yard touchdown run at the start of the third quarter that gave OSU a 28-7 bulge.

Ohio State finished with a season-high 287 yards rushing on 53 attempts. The 38 points also was a season-high for the Buckeyes who downed the Wildcats for the 22nd-consecutive time.