Nov 12, 2006, 0:15 GMT
Evanston, IL - Troy Smith threw four touchdown passes as top- ranked Ohio State tuned up for next week's monumental showdown against No. 2 Michigan with a 54-10 rout of Northwestern at Ryan Field.
The Buckeyes (11-0, 7-0 Big Ten), after last Saturday's seven-point scare at Illinois, had no such trouble this week and will return home for the annual season-ending battle against the Wolverines riding an 18-game winning streak.
Michigan kept up its end of the bargain and remained unbeaten with a 34-3 victory at Indiana on Saturday.
'The Ohio State-Michigan game is always the biggest game,' said Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. 'It doesn't matter what the records are or what is on the table depending on the outcome. The fact that it is No. 1 vs. No. 2, we think that is the way it should be. We are excited.'
Smith completed 12-of-19 passes for 185 yards with one interception and had plenty of help from a solid ground game that churned out 231 yards. Antonio Pittman ran for 80 yards with a touchdown on 19 carries, while Chris Wells picked up 99 yards with a score on 11 attempts.
The Buckeyes also came up with five turnovers on defense and the special teams blocked a punt to set up a score.
'It was good to get a decisive win and put a lot of guys in the game,' Tressel added. 'We came out and were fairly sharp with some things, but we also have a lot to work on.'
C.J. Bacher threw for 212 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for Northwestern (3-8, 1-6), which was coming off a 21-7 win at Iowa last week and has now lost seven of its last eight games.
Ohio State could not put the Illini away last week, but got off to a fast start Saturday to make it a rout early. The Buckeyes converted three Northwestern turnovers into 21 first-quarter points and cruised the rest of the way.
The Wildcats were about to convert 3rd-and-8 on their opening possession when Shaun Herbert hauled in a Bacher pass, but the receiver fumbled as he crossed midfield.
Ohio State needed just five plays to march 55 yards for the game's first score. Smith hit Anthony Gonzalez with a 28-yard pass on the first play and capped the quick series with a 14-yard scoring strike to Brian Hartline.
Bacher then fumbled on the second play after the ensuing kickoff, giving the Buckeyes possession at the Northwestern 27, and Pittman quickly finished a four-play set with a one-yard touchdown run.
After a trade of punts, Bacher was picked off by Brandon Mitchell, who raced 46 yards down the sideline for a touchdown to make it 21-0 with 3:38 left in the opening period.
'Turnovers just killed us,' said Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald. 'We moved the ball well in the first half, but you have to respect the ball. We really hurt ourselves the last few weeks. You look at all the games we've lost -- we've killed ourselves in turnover ratio -- and you just can't do that against good football teams and expect to win.'
Ohio State, despite a couple of hiccups in the second quarter, was in firm command.
Northwestern finally held on to the ball and drove 69 yards before Joel Howells kicked a 29-yard field goal just over a minute into the second quarter.
The Buckeyes were marching toward another touchdown on their next possession, but Pittman fumbled as he neared the goal line and the Wildcats recovered.
It didn't take long for Ohio State to get the ball back, however, as Larry Grant blocked a Northwestern punt inside the 20-yard line and Smith capitalized with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Hartline. The extra point was blocked, leaving the Buckeyes with a 27-3 cushion with 4:35 left in the half.
The Wildcats responded with a 75-yard drive for a touchdown, as Bacher capped a six-play series with an eight-yard scoring toss to Tyrell Sutton.
Northwestern got the ball right back when Sherrick McManis intercepted a Smith pass, but the Wildcats turned it over moments later when Rasheed Ward fumbled after a reception in the final minute before the break.
Smith, after a scoring pass was negated by a penalty, threw a 34-yard pass to Ted Ginn Jr. for a touchdown. Again the point-after try was botched and Ohio State headed to the intermission with a 33-10 advantage.
Bacher was picked off by Ross Homan on Northwestern's first series of the second half and the Buckeyes again converted the turnover into a touchdown when Smith found Gonzalez with a six-yard scoring toss.
Ohio State also scored on its next offensive series. Wells ran for 59 yards on the first four plays and a 25-yard pass by Smith set up a one-yard touchdown run by Wells to make it 47-10 with just 15 seconds to play in the third quarter.
Ohio State sat most of its starters in the fourth quarter, but still reached the end zone when third-string quarterback Todd Boeckman scored on a four-yard run.
Game Notes
Ohio State's winning streak is the third-longest in school history. The Buckeyes won 22 in a row from 1967-69 and 19 straight from 2002-03.Pittman reached the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season, joining only Archie Griffin (1973-75), Tim Spencer (1981-82), Keith Byars (1984-85) and Eddie George (1994-95) as Ohio State runners with back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns.The Buckeyes lead the all-time series 58-14-1 and have won 26 of the last 27 meetings.
Ohio State's winning streak is the third-longest in school history. The Buckeyes won 22 in a row from 1967-69 and 19 straight from 2002-03.
Pittman reached the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season, joining only Archie Griffin (1973-75), Tim Spencer (1981-82), Keith Byars (1984-85) and Eddie George (1994-95) as Ohio State runners with back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns.
The Buckeyes lead the all-time series 58-14-1 and have won 26 of the last 27 meetings.
© 2006 The Sports Network
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