Sep 8, 2007, 19:39 GMT
Columbus, OH - Chris Wells, an Akron native, starred against his hometown school with 143 yards rushing, and 12th-ranked Ohio State shook off a sluggish first half to down Akron, 20-2, at the Horseshoe.
Wells hit the 100-yard rushing barrier for the first time in his career, and the Ohio State defense shut down the Zips' offense to the tune of 69 total yards and three first downs.
Both clubs played two quarterbacks to mixed results. Todd Boeckman started for the Buckeyes (2-0) and threw for 131 and two touchdowns, but also was intercepted twice during the sloppy first half. Rod Schoenhoft finished 6-of-8 for 36 yards, but also lost a fumble for Ohio State, which committed five turnovers on the contest.
'We wanted to work on some new things this week. We were happy with a lot of the things we did but we weren't satisfied with some elements. We have some wrinkles we have to iron out to make sure everyone is on the same page,' said Boeckman.
Chris Jacquemain started under center for the Zips (1-1), completing 12-of-21 passes for 48 yards, while Carlton Jackson finished 5-of-10 for 18 yards. Jackson was Akron's leading rusher with 10 yards, as the Zips were held to only three net rushing yards.
Visions of 1921 entered the fray at the half with Ohio State clinging to a 3-2 edge. The last time the Buckeyes lost to another Ohio school was a 7-6 defeat to Oberlin 86 years ago.
However, the Buckeye defense remained dominant and the offense awoke from its slumber in the final 30 minutes.
Ohio State came out of the locker room with some energy, recording a pair of sacks on defense then marching toward another three points. The drive started in Akron territory at the 48, and Boeckman moved the chains on one third down during the march. Boeckman tried to find Brian Robiskie in the end zone on 3rd-and-6 from the Akron 16-yard line, but defensive back Reggie Corner poked it away with his right arm and Ryan Pretorius drilled home a 34-yard field goal for a 6-2 lead.
The Buckeyes finally struck paydirt on their ensuing possession, as Boeckman lined up in the shotgun on 3rd-and-goal and tossed a six-yard score to Brandon Saine, who had slipped out of the backfield and into the right flat.
A heavy dose of Wells followed by a play action fake to the running game resulted in a game-clinching touchdown. Wells galloped for 25 and 40 yards on consecutive plays early in the fourth quarter, then Boeckman faked to Maurice Wells and tossed a corner pattern to Robiskie in the back of the end zone for a 14-yard score and a 19-2 game with 9:18 to go.
The first half was a battle of attrition and dominant defenses.
A replay reversal validated an aggressive stunt by Brion Stokes with the Buckeyes pinned up against their own end zone. A hand-off to Chris Wells was blown up in the backfield, but the back appeared to lunge just out of the end zone. However, a replay review reversed the call and gave Akron an early 2-0 edge.
Ohio State finally got into a rhythm offensively late in the first quarter, boosted by Chris Wells' 24-yard scamper down to the Akron 24-yard line.
Yet, on 3rd-and-8 from the Zips 21-yard line, Corner slipped in front of Boeckman's sideline pass for an interception to ensure Akron's slim lead after one stanza.
Boeckman threw another pass up for grabs on the next series, a deep seam route that was well covered and intercepted off a deflection by safety John Mackey.
It took just over 22 game minutes, but Ohio State finally got on the scoreboard about midway through the second period. The nine-play, 46-yard march was highlighted by Boeckman's 14-yard connection with Robiskie, but the Zips defense held near the red zone and Pretorius split the uprights from 37 yards out with 7:54 to play in the half.
The first half numbers weren't pretty for the Buckeyes as the teams made their way to the locker room. Ohio State committed three turnovers and accumulated just 115 total yards, yet still held the slim lead thanks to its defense surrendering just 49 total yards and two rushing yards to the Zips.
Game Notes
Robiskie finished with four catches for 82 yards after hauling in nine passes for 153 yards in the opening victory against Youngstown State...Ohio State leads the all-time series 6-1...The Buckeyes well-balanced attack finished with 167 passing yards and 196 on the ground.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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