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Buckin Crazy
All-American
Damn.. I love this radio, they have all the press confrences after the game and whatnot. I will be using this after everygame.
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Bucknut2010
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Does anyone know where and how I can download the highlights to todays game against Indiana??
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The field really looked like crap today and it's only 2 games old. Say goodbye to real grass.
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OSUsushichic
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Best stat:
The Buckeyes finished with 540 yards of offense, 270 passing and 270 rushing.
The Buckeyes finished with 540 yards of offense, 270 passing and 270 rushing.
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OSUsushichic
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(1) Ohio St. 44, Indiana 3
Box Score
By RUSTY MILLER, AP Sports Writer
October 21, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Troy Smith punched up his Heisman Trophy resume with four first-half touchdown passes and Ted Ginn Jr. threw one and caught another to lead No. 1 Ohio State to a 44-3 victory over Indiana on Saturday.
Smith wasn't all that sharp, but didn't have to be against an Indiana defense that came in ranked next to last in the Big Ten in points allowed. Mixing play-fakes and passes with an occasional scramble, he propelled the Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0) to their 15th win in a row, the longest streak in the nation.
Despite incompletions on his first four attempts, he was 15-of-23 for 230 yards without an interception. His scoring strikes covered 23 yards to Rory Nicol, 31 yards to Ginn, 5 yards to Anthony Gonzalez and 1 yard to Jake Ballard -- giving Smith 21 TD passes this season with just two interceptions.
Ginn had five catches for 72 yards and also completed a 38-yard toss-back pass to Nicol for a score. Antonio Pittman added 105 yards rushing on 16 attempts, including a 44-yard gain.
Indiana freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis displayed his quick feet by continually scrambling away from Ohio State's defensive pressure. Lewis completed 15 of 28 passes for 106 yards without an interception for the Hoosiers (4-4, 2-2).
It was 28-3 at the half, with Ohio State scoring on its final four possessions on Smith touchdown passes -- and on three of the four passes, the receiver was almost alone. The last time a Buckeyes quarterback had four TD passes in a half was Bobby Hoying, 12 years ago against Purdue.
The Buckeyes finished with 540 yards of offense, 270 passing and 270 rushing.
The Hoosiers, led by the slippery Lewis, took a 3-0 lead after Tracy Porter returned a punt 34 yards to the Ohio State 15 and Austin Starr converted a 34-yard field goal.
Smith didn't start out well, and the Buckeyes punted the ball away twice. He finally completed a 22-yarder to Pittman on his fifth pass, then kept a drive going by avoiding tacklers by rolling right and reversing his field on a scramble that netted 29 yards.
On third and 1 at the Indiana 23, Smith executed a near-perfect play-action fake and flipped a pass over the middle to tight end Nicol, who had a 5-yard head start on the entire defense. Nicol rumbled into the end zone with his fist upraised.
After a short punt, Ohio State took over again near midfield and needed four plays to score. This time, Smith spun away from lineman Keith Burrus and lobbed a pass into the end zone that hung in the air long enough for Ginn to run under it for the 31-yard score.
Smith completed passes of 23 yards to Gonzalez and 13 yards to Ginn before zipping a 5-yard touchdown pass to Gonzalez, who somehow got lost in the Indiana secondary and was standing with no defender closer than 20 feet in the left side of the end zone when Smith found him.
Taking over in the final minute of the half, again near midfield after a punt, the Buckeyes needed three plays to score again. Smith threw a short slant pass to Brian Robiskie, and Indiana's Leslie Majors was called for a face-mask penalty at the end of the 21-yard gain. Another Smith-to-Robiskie pass covered 13 yards before Smith tossed a 1-yard pass into traffic in the end zone that backup tight end Ballard pulled in for his first collegiate catch and score.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/recap?gid=200610210033
Box Score
By RUSTY MILLER, AP Sports Writer
October 21, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Troy Smith punched up his Heisman Trophy resume with four first-half touchdown passes and Ted Ginn Jr. threw one and caught another to lead No. 1 Ohio State to a 44-3 victory over Indiana on Saturday.
Smith wasn't all that sharp, but didn't have to be against an Indiana defense that came in ranked next to last in the Big Ten in points allowed. Mixing play-fakes and passes with an occasional scramble, he propelled the Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0) to their 15th win in a row, the longest streak in the nation.
Despite incompletions on his first four attempts, he was 15-of-23 for 230 yards without an interception. His scoring strikes covered 23 yards to Rory Nicol, 31 yards to Ginn, 5 yards to Anthony Gonzalez and 1 yard to Jake Ballard -- giving Smith 21 TD passes this season with just two interceptions.
Ginn had five catches for 72 yards and also completed a 38-yard toss-back pass to Nicol for a score. Antonio Pittman added 105 yards rushing on 16 attempts, including a 44-yard gain.
Indiana freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis displayed his quick feet by continually scrambling away from Ohio State's defensive pressure. Lewis completed 15 of 28 passes for 106 yards without an interception for the Hoosiers (4-4, 2-2).
It was 28-3 at the half, with Ohio State scoring on its final four possessions on Smith touchdown passes -- and on three of the four passes, the receiver was almost alone. The last time a Buckeyes quarterback had four TD passes in a half was Bobby Hoying, 12 years ago against Purdue.
The Buckeyes finished with 540 yards of offense, 270 passing and 270 rushing.
The Hoosiers, led by the slippery Lewis, took a 3-0 lead after Tracy Porter returned a punt 34 yards to the Ohio State 15 and Austin Starr converted a 34-yard field goal.
Smith didn't start out well, and the Buckeyes punted the ball away twice. He finally completed a 22-yarder to Pittman on his fifth pass, then kept a drive going by avoiding tacklers by rolling right and reversing his field on a scramble that netted 29 yards.
On third and 1 at the Indiana 23, Smith executed a near-perfect play-action fake and flipped a pass over the middle to tight end Nicol, who had a 5-yard head start on the entire defense. Nicol rumbled into the end zone with his fist upraised.
After a short punt, Ohio State took over again near midfield and needed four plays to score. This time, Smith spun away from lineman Keith Burrus and lobbed a pass into the end zone that hung in the air long enough for Ginn to run under it for the 31-yard score.
Smith completed passes of 23 yards to Gonzalez and 13 yards to Ginn before zipping a 5-yard touchdown pass to Gonzalez, who somehow got lost in the Indiana secondary and was standing with no defender closer than 20 feet in the left side of the end zone when Smith found him.
Taking over in the final minute of the half, again near midfield after a punt, the Buckeyes needed three plays to score again. Smith threw a short slant pass to Brian Robiskie, and Indiana's Leslie Majors was called for a face-mask penalty at the end of the 21-yard gain. Another Smith-to-Robiskie pass covered 13 yards before Smith tossed a 1-yard pass into traffic in the end zone that backup tight end Ballard pulled in for his first collegiate catch and score.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/recap?gid=200610210033
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OSUsushichic
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Smith throws four TDs as No. 1 Ohio State routs Indiana
Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Heisman Trophy candidate Troy Smith threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns to lead the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to a 44-3 thrashing of the Indiana Hoosiers in a Big Ten battle from Ohio Stadium.
Smith torched the Indiana secondary on 15-of-23 passing for Ohio State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten), which has won 15 straight games dating back to last season, the longest current streak in the nation. During their recent surge, the Buckeyes have won 11 straight conference games and 10 in a row at Ohio Stadium.
Ted Ginn Jr. caught five passes for 72 yards and a touchdown and also threw a TD pass to Rory Nicol, who ended with a pair of scores and 61 yards on two receptions. Anthony Gonzalez chipped in 69 yards and a TD for OSU.
Ohio State, which is No. 1 in the BCS standings, extended its winning streak to 14 games over Indiana since a 41-7 loss during the 1988 season in Bloomington. The Buckeyes, who have won eight in a row at home in the series, had a 23-game win streak against the Hoosiers from 1960 - 1986.
The Buckeyes racked up 540 total yards of offense to Indiana's 165 yards. Ohio State will play Minnesota next week, while Indiana takes on Michigan State.
Redshirt freshman Kellen Lewis threw for 106 yards and completed 15 of his 28 passes for the Hoosiers (4-4, 2-2), who were coming off a big upset of Iowa last weekend. Indiana also had its two-game winning streak come to an end.
Surprisingly, the Hoosiers were the ones who scored first as kicker Austin Starr booted a 34-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with eight minutes left in the opening quarter.
But the Buckeyes proved why they are the No. 1 team in the country and responded with 28 straight points for a 28-3 halftime lead. Smith threw four TD passes to four different receivers to give OSU a comfortable lead.
The Buckeyes cracked the scoring column on Smith's 23-yard touchdown pass to Nicol with less than three minutes to go in the first quarter. Smith then hooked up with star wideout Ginn on a 30-yard TD pass less than a minute into the second quarter.
After forcing Indiana to punt on its next possession, Ohio State grabbed a 21-3 advantage when Gonzalez hauled in a five-yard touchdown pass from Smith with about 6 1/2 minute to go before halftime.
Indiana then punted twice before the Buckeyes pushed their lead to 28-3 on a two-yard TD strike from Smith to Jake Ballard seconds before the intermission.
Early in the third quarter Ginn took a pitch from Smith on an end-around and heaved a 38-yard touchdown pass to Nicol for a 35-3 cushion. Then with 25 seconds to go in the third quarter, Buckeyes kicker Aaron Pettrey split the uprights from 51 yards out to make it 38-3.
Ohio State true freshman Chris Wells ran for a 12-yard touchdown with 7:04 left in the game, pushing the lead to 44-3. Pettrey's ensuing PAT kick failed.
Game Notes
Only 15 Ohio State teams have started the season with 8-0 records and just nine so far have been perfect after nine games. Five Buckeye units have gone 10-0 and four have posted 11 consecutive wins to open a season...Smith threw four TD passes in a win over Iowa earlier this season.
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=/cfoot/news/AFN4045607.htm
Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Heisman Trophy candidate Troy Smith threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns to lead the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to a 44-3 thrashing of the Indiana Hoosiers in a Big Ten battle from Ohio Stadium.
Smith torched the Indiana secondary on 15-of-23 passing for Ohio State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten), which has won 15 straight games dating back to last season, the longest current streak in the nation. During their recent surge, the Buckeyes have won 11 straight conference games and 10 in a row at Ohio Stadium.
Ted Ginn Jr. caught five passes for 72 yards and a touchdown and also threw a TD pass to Rory Nicol, who ended with a pair of scores and 61 yards on two receptions. Anthony Gonzalez chipped in 69 yards and a TD for OSU.
Ohio State, which is No. 1 in the BCS standings, extended its winning streak to 14 games over Indiana since a 41-7 loss during the 1988 season in Bloomington. The Buckeyes, who have won eight in a row at home in the series, had a 23-game win streak against the Hoosiers from 1960 - 1986.
The Buckeyes racked up 540 total yards of offense to Indiana's 165 yards. Ohio State will play Minnesota next week, while Indiana takes on Michigan State.
Redshirt freshman Kellen Lewis threw for 106 yards and completed 15 of his 28 passes for the Hoosiers (4-4, 2-2), who were coming off a big upset of Iowa last weekend. Indiana also had its two-game winning streak come to an end.
Surprisingly, the Hoosiers were the ones who scored first as kicker Austin Starr booted a 34-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with eight minutes left in the opening quarter.
But the Buckeyes proved why they are the No. 1 team in the country and responded with 28 straight points for a 28-3 halftime lead. Smith threw four TD passes to four different receivers to give OSU a comfortable lead.
The Buckeyes cracked the scoring column on Smith's 23-yard touchdown pass to Nicol with less than three minutes to go in the first quarter. Smith then hooked up with star wideout Ginn on a 30-yard TD pass less than a minute into the second quarter.
After forcing Indiana to punt on its next possession, Ohio State grabbed a 21-3 advantage when Gonzalez hauled in a five-yard touchdown pass from Smith with about 6 1/2 minute to go before halftime.
Indiana then punted twice before the Buckeyes pushed their lead to 28-3 on a two-yard TD strike from Smith to Jake Ballard seconds before the intermission.
Early in the third quarter Ginn took a pitch from Smith on an end-around and heaved a 38-yard touchdown pass to Nicol for a 35-3 cushion. Then with 25 seconds to go in the third quarter, Buckeyes kicker Aaron Pettrey split the uprights from 51 yards out to make it 38-3.
Ohio State true freshman Chris Wells ran for a 12-yard touchdown with 7:04 left in the game, pushing the lead to 44-3. Pettrey's ensuing PAT kick failed.
Game Notes
Only 15 Ohio State teams have started the season with 8-0 records and just nine so far have been perfect after nine games. Five Buckeye units have gone 10-0 and four have posted 11 consecutive wins to open a season...Smith threw four TD passes in a win over Iowa earlier this season.
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=/cfoot/news/AFN4045607.htm
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OSUsushichic
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Top-Ranked Ohio State Throttles Indiana 44-3
Troy Smith
By Steve Helwagen
Managing Editor
Posted Oct 21, 2006
Top-ranked Ohio State moved to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play with a 44-3 win over visiting Indiana on Saturday. Troy Smith threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns and Ted Ginn Jr. caught a TD pass and also threw one on an end around in the win. Click this free link for more.
Top-ranked Ohio State continued its impressive march through Big Ten competition with a stifling 44-3 win over visiting Indiana before 105,267 on a picture perfect Saturday at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes shrugged off a slow start by exploding for 21 second quarter points and never looked back. OSU amassed 540 yards total offense -- an equal 270 rushing and passing.
Quarterback Troy Smith matched his career high with four touchdown passes. Smith, now 21-2 as OSU?s starting quarterback, was 15 of 23 passing for 220 yards before leaving at the early in the fourth quarter.
Tailback Antonio Pittman added 105 yards on 15 carries. Chris Wells added 10 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Ted Ginn Jr. caught five passes for 72 yards and one touchdown and Ginn also threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Rory Nicol on a reverse. Anthony Gonzalez had four catches for 69 yards and a score, while Nicol?s two catches for 61 yards each resulted in touchdowns.
Equally as impressive was the Ohio State defense, which slammed the door shut on Indiana. The Buckeyes held IU to 165 yards total offense. The Hoosiers netted just 7 yards on 28 rushing attempts.
Cornerback Antonio Smith had 12 tackles, four for losses, a sack and a fumble forced. Defensive end Jay Richardson added two sacks, while corners Andre Amos and Malcolm Jenkins each had interceptions.
Ohio State (8-0, 4-0) extended its nation?s best winning streak to 15 games, while Indiana (4-4, 2-2) saw its two-game winning streak snapped.
The Buckeyes continued their mastery of Indiana, winning for the 37th time in the last 39 meetings. OSU has now won 14 straight in the series since back-to-back losses in 1987-88.
Indiana opened the scoring on its second possession. IU?s Tracy Porter returned a punt 34 yards to the Ohio State 15-yard line. The Hoosiers never moved the ball inch before settling for Austin Starr?s 34-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead with 7:59 left in the first quarter.
Ohio State finally got on the board late in the first quarter, going 87 yards in a quick seven plays. Smith had misfired on his first four pass attempts of the game before hitting Pittman for a 22-yard gain on a screen pass. Smith then attempted an option to the right, but when the Hoosiers had that bottled up he reversed field and rolled for 29 yards down to the IU 32.
After two running plays with Pittman netted 9 yards, Smith ran a play fake and threw down the middle to a wide open Nicol for the 23-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 2:55 left in the first quarter.
The Buckeyes tacked on their next score after a four-play, 53-yard march. Wells got it started with a 10-yard gain. Smith then found Ginn for 7 yards. Wells then had a 5-yard gain. With a first down at the IU 31, Smith made a play fake and rolled to his left. He was flushed by IU?s Keith Burrus but was able to set up and heave the ball into the end zone. Ginn came free in front of IU?s Porter for the 31-yard touchdown and a 14-3 lead with 14:52 left in the first half.
Ohio State pressed ahead 21-3 with a nine-play, 78-yard scoring possession. Pittman had runs of 12 and 14 yards to get it started. Smith found Gonzalez for a 24-yard grab as well. Smith?s 13-yard crossing pass to Ginn gave the Buckeyes a first down at the 9. Three plays later, Smith threw a sideline pass complete to Gonzalez for a 5-yard touchdown and the 21-3 lead with 6:32 left in the first half.
The Buckeyes extended their lead to 28-3 just before the intermission. This drive took three plays and lasted 49 yards. Smith opened it with a 21-yard pass to Brian Robiskie. IU was penalized for a face mask, moving the ball to the 14. A 13-yard pass down the sideline to Robiskie put the ball at the 1, where Smith hit tight end Jake Ballard for the touchdown and a 28-3 lead with just 20 seconds left in the half.
The lead went to 35-3 midway through the third quarter. It was set up by Smith?s 21-yard toss to Gonzalez. On first down at the Indiana 38, Smith flipped the ball back to Ginn on an end around. Ginn, who played some quarterback in high school, threw deep right to Nicol. An IU defender slipped on the play, leaving Nicol wide open to complete the 38-yard touchdown and push the lead to 35-3 with 9:04 left in the third quarter.
Aaron Pettrey drilled a 51-yard field goal for a 38-3 lead with 25 seconds left in the third quarter. Wells then added a 12-yard touchdown run for a 44-3 lead ? Pettrey?s PAT kick was no good ? with 7:04 left in the game.
Also Notable
* For Smith, this marked his 12th career game with at least two touchdown passes. It was also the 12th time in his career and fifth time this year he has hit the 200-yard mark in passing.
* Pittman reached the 100-yard plateau for the fifth time this season and the 12th time in his career.
* Ohio State leads the all-time series with Indiana 65-12-5, including 42-10-4 in Columbus.
* OSU?s record as the nation?s No. 1 team is now 59-8-1.
* In the records department under Tressel, Ohio State is now 58-13 overall, 36-4 at home and 34-10 in Big Ten games.
* The Buckeyes have now won nine straight home games and 31 of their last 33 home outings.
* Ohio State stays home to host Minnesota next Saturday. That game, set for a 3:30 p.m. start, will be televised regionally by ABC.
Troy Smith
By Steve Helwagen
Managing Editor
Posted Oct 21, 2006
Top-ranked Ohio State moved to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play with a 44-3 win over visiting Indiana on Saturday. Troy Smith threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns and Ted Ginn Jr. caught a TD pass and also threw one on an end around in the win. Click this free link for more.
Top-ranked Ohio State continued its impressive march through Big Ten competition with a stifling 44-3 win over visiting Indiana before 105,267 on a picture perfect Saturday at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes shrugged off a slow start by exploding for 21 second quarter points and never looked back. OSU amassed 540 yards total offense -- an equal 270 rushing and passing.
Quarterback Troy Smith matched his career high with four touchdown passes. Smith, now 21-2 as OSU?s starting quarterback, was 15 of 23 passing for 220 yards before leaving at the early in the fourth quarter.
Tailback Antonio Pittman added 105 yards on 15 carries. Chris Wells added 10 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Ted Ginn Jr. caught five passes for 72 yards and one touchdown and Ginn also threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Rory Nicol on a reverse. Anthony Gonzalez had four catches for 69 yards and a score, while Nicol?s two catches for 61 yards each resulted in touchdowns.
Equally as impressive was the Ohio State defense, which slammed the door shut on Indiana. The Buckeyes held IU to 165 yards total offense. The Hoosiers netted just 7 yards on 28 rushing attempts.
Cornerback Antonio Smith had 12 tackles, four for losses, a sack and a fumble forced. Defensive end Jay Richardson added two sacks, while corners Andre Amos and Malcolm Jenkins each had interceptions.
Ohio State (8-0, 4-0) extended its nation?s best winning streak to 15 games, while Indiana (4-4, 2-2) saw its two-game winning streak snapped.
The Buckeyes continued their mastery of Indiana, winning for the 37th time in the last 39 meetings. OSU has now won 14 straight in the series since back-to-back losses in 1987-88.
Indiana opened the scoring on its second possession. IU?s Tracy Porter returned a punt 34 yards to the Ohio State 15-yard line. The Hoosiers never moved the ball inch before settling for Austin Starr?s 34-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead with 7:59 left in the first quarter.
Ohio State finally got on the board late in the first quarter, going 87 yards in a quick seven plays. Smith had misfired on his first four pass attempts of the game before hitting Pittman for a 22-yard gain on a screen pass. Smith then attempted an option to the right, but when the Hoosiers had that bottled up he reversed field and rolled for 29 yards down to the IU 32.
After two running plays with Pittman netted 9 yards, Smith ran a play fake and threw down the middle to a wide open Nicol for the 23-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 2:55 left in the first quarter.
The Buckeyes tacked on their next score after a four-play, 53-yard march. Wells got it started with a 10-yard gain. Smith then found Ginn for 7 yards. Wells then had a 5-yard gain. With a first down at the IU 31, Smith made a play fake and rolled to his left. He was flushed by IU?s Keith Burrus but was able to set up and heave the ball into the end zone. Ginn came free in front of IU?s Porter for the 31-yard touchdown and a 14-3 lead with 14:52 left in the first half.
Ohio State pressed ahead 21-3 with a nine-play, 78-yard scoring possession. Pittman had runs of 12 and 14 yards to get it started. Smith found Gonzalez for a 24-yard grab as well. Smith?s 13-yard crossing pass to Ginn gave the Buckeyes a first down at the 9. Three plays later, Smith threw a sideline pass complete to Gonzalez for a 5-yard touchdown and the 21-3 lead with 6:32 left in the first half.
The Buckeyes extended their lead to 28-3 just before the intermission. This drive took three plays and lasted 49 yards. Smith opened it with a 21-yard pass to Brian Robiskie. IU was penalized for a face mask, moving the ball to the 14. A 13-yard pass down the sideline to Robiskie put the ball at the 1, where Smith hit tight end Jake Ballard for the touchdown and a 28-3 lead with just 20 seconds left in the half.
The lead went to 35-3 midway through the third quarter. It was set up by Smith?s 21-yard toss to Gonzalez. On first down at the Indiana 38, Smith flipped the ball back to Ginn on an end around. Ginn, who played some quarterback in high school, threw deep right to Nicol. An IU defender slipped on the play, leaving Nicol wide open to complete the 38-yard touchdown and push the lead to 35-3 with 9:04 left in the third quarter.
Aaron Pettrey drilled a 51-yard field goal for a 38-3 lead with 25 seconds left in the third quarter. Wells then added a 12-yard touchdown run for a 44-3 lead ? Pettrey?s PAT kick was no good ? with 7:04 left in the game.
Also Notable
* For Smith, this marked his 12th career game with at least two touchdown passes. It was also the 12th time in his career and fifth time this year he has hit the 200-yard mark in passing.
* Pittman reached the 100-yard plateau for the fifth time this season and the 12th time in his career.
* Ohio State leads the all-time series with Indiana 65-12-5, including 42-10-4 in Columbus.
* OSU?s record as the nation?s No. 1 team is now 59-8-1.
* In the records department under Tressel, Ohio State is now 58-13 overall, 36-4 at home and 34-10 in Big Ten games.
* The Buckeyes have now won nine straight home games and 31 of their last 33 home outings.
* Ohio State stays home to host Minnesota next Saturday. That game, set for a 3:30 p.m. start, will be televised regionally by ABC.
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Heisman Favorite Smith Leads Buckeyes
By RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Troy Smith is getting lots of help in his bid for the Heisman Trophy. Smith connected with four different receivers for first-half touchdown passes and a stingy defense powered top-ranked Ohio State to a 44-3 victory over Indiana on Saturday.
"We're an equal-opportunity employer," coach Jim Tressel said after the Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) stretched the nation's longest winning streak to 15. "We'll throw it to whoever's open."
Forget "three yards and a cloud of dust." Eight receivers caught passes as the offense piled up 270 yards through the air and another 270 on the ground.
"Offensively we did some positive things, but there's always room for improvement," said Smith, who graduated this spring and is now pursuing a second degree.
As always, he deflected praise to almost every other person on the team.
"I still think we have the best defense in the nation," he said.
Indiana (4-4, 2-2), now 0-15 against No. 1 teams, mustered just 7 yards rushing on 28 attempts and totaled 165 yards. Jay Richardson had two sacks in the first half as the Buckeyes built a 28-3 lead, with Antonio Smith coming up from his cornerback spot for 12 tackles, four tackles for minus yardage and a sack, in addition to causing a fumble.
Ted Ginn Jr. caught a touchdown pass from Troy Smith and threw one of his own, a 38-yarder to Rory Nicol, who also caught a scoring pass from Smith.
Smith was impressed by his former high school teammate's sudden passing efficiency.
"We had been practicing and practicing and practicing, watching duck after duck after duck," Smith said with a laugh. "After I carried out the fake, I turned around and saw a perfect spiral."
Smith wasn't all that sharp, but didn't have to be against an Indiana defense that came in ranked next to last in the Big Ten in points allowed. Despite incompletions on his first four attempts, he was 15-of-23 for 230 yards without an interception. His scoring strikes covered 23 yards to Nicol, 31 yards to Ginn, 5 yards to Anthony Gonzalez and 1 yard to Jake Ballard ? giving Smith 21 TD passes this season with just two interceptions.
Smith mixed an array of play-action fakes, runs and passes to completely befuddle the Hoosiers.
"We gave up too many easy touchdowns," Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner said. "It looks like we have him contained, like we're going to sack him, and he gets loose and the guy's wide open and it's a touchdown. It's hard to practice against that."
Indiana freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis continually scrambled away from Ohio State's defensive pressure. Lewis completed 15 of 28 passes for 106 yards without an interception.
Ohio State scored on its final four possessions of the half, all on Smith touchdown passes ? and on three of them the receiver was almost alone.
Tracy Porter returned a punt 34 yards to the Ohio State 15 and Austin Starr converted a 34-yard field goal to give Indiana a 3-0 lead.
The Buckeyes punted twice while Smith got untracked, then he finally completed a 22-yarder to Antonio Pittman on his fifth pass and kept the drive going by avoiding tacklers by rolling right and reversing his field on a scramble that netted 29 yards.
"I had been teased the whole week about not being able to pull away from a defender, so that was one of my reasons for really, really bearing down and trying to get around the edge," Smith said.
On third and 1 at the Indiana 23, Smith executed a near-perfect play-action fake and flipped a pass over the middle to tight end Nicol, who had a 5-yard head start on the entire defense. Nicol rumbled into the end zone with his fist upraised.
After a short punt, Ohio State took over again near midfield and needed four plays to score. This time, Smith spun away from lineman Keith Burrus and lobbed a pass into the end zone that hung in the air long enough for Ginn to run under it for the 31-yard score.
On the next possession, Gonzalez somehow got lost in the Indiana secondary and was standing with no defender closer than 20 feet in the left side of the end zone when Smith found him.
"I saw Troy escape the pocket and my eyes went to him for a split second ? and Ted saw the opening," Porter said.
Then it took just three plays to cover 49 yards in 31 seconds to make it 28-3, with Smith tossing a 1-yard pass into traffic in the end zone that backup tight end Ballard pulled in for his first collegiate catch and score.
"It's hard to find many things we did well today," Hoeppner said. "And that's a tribute to the Buckeyes."
Heisman Favorite Smith Leads Buckeyes
By RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Troy Smith is getting lots of help in his bid for the Heisman Trophy. Smith connected with four different receivers for first-half touchdown passes and a stingy defense powered top-ranked Ohio State to a 44-3 victory over Indiana on Saturday.
"We're an equal-opportunity employer," coach Jim Tressel said after the Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) stretched the nation's longest winning streak to 15. "We'll throw it to whoever's open."
Forget "three yards and a cloud of dust." Eight receivers caught passes as the offense piled up 270 yards through the air and another 270 on the ground.
"Offensively we did some positive things, but there's always room for improvement," said Smith, who graduated this spring and is now pursuing a second degree.
As always, he deflected praise to almost every other person on the team.
"I still think we have the best defense in the nation," he said.
Indiana (4-4, 2-2), now 0-15 against No. 1 teams, mustered just 7 yards rushing on 28 attempts and totaled 165 yards. Jay Richardson had two sacks in the first half as the Buckeyes built a 28-3 lead, with Antonio Smith coming up from his cornerback spot for 12 tackles, four tackles for minus yardage and a sack, in addition to causing a fumble.
Ted Ginn Jr. caught a touchdown pass from Troy Smith and threw one of his own, a 38-yarder to Rory Nicol, who also caught a scoring pass from Smith.
Smith was impressed by his former high school teammate's sudden passing efficiency.
"We had been practicing and practicing and practicing, watching duck after duck after duck," Smith said with a laugh. "After I carried out the fake, I turned around and saw a perfect spiral."
Smith wasn't all that sharp, but didn't have to be against an Indiana defense that came in ranked next to last in the Big Ten in points allowed. Despite incompletions on his first four attempts, he was 15-of-23 for 230 yards without an interception. His scoring strikes covered 23 yards to Nicol, 31 yards to Ginn, 5 yards to Anthony Gonzalez and 1 yard to Jake Ballard ? giving Smith 21 TD passes this season with just two interceptions.
Smith mixed an array of play-action fakes, runs and passes to completely befuddle the Hoosiers.
"We gave up too many easy touchdowns," Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner said. "It looks like we have him contained, like we're going to sack him, and he gets loose and the guy's wide open and it's a touchdown. It's hard to practice against that."
Indiana freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis continually scrambled away from Ohio State's defensive pressure. Lewis completed 15 of 28 passes for 106 yards without an interception.
Ohio State scored on its final four possessions of the half, all on Smith touchdown passes ? and on three of them the receiver was almost alone.
Tracy Porter returned a punt 34 yards to the Ohio State 15 and Austin Starr converted a 34-yard field goal to give Indiana a 3-0 lead.
The Buckeyes punted twice while Smith got untracked, then he finally completed a 22-yarder to Antonio Pittman on his fifth pass and kept the drive going by avoiding tacklers by rolling right and reversing his field on a scramble that netted 29 yards.
"I had been teased the whole week about not being able to pull away from a defender, so that was one of my reasons for really, really bearing down and trying to get around the edge," Smith said.
On third and 1 at the Indiana 23, Smith executed a near-perfect play-action fake and flipped a pass over the middle to tight end Nicol, who had a 5-yard head start on the entire defense. Nicol rumbled into the end zone with his fist upraised.
After a short punt, Ohio State took over again near midfield and needed four plays to score. This time, Smith spun away from lineman Keith Burrus and lobbed a pass into the end zone that hung in the air long enough for Ginn to run under it for the 31-yard score.
On the next possession, Gonzalez somehow got lost in the Indiana secondary and was standing with no defender closer than 20 feet in the left side of the end zone when Smith found him.
"I saw Troy escape the pocket and my eyes went to him for a split second ? and Ted saw the opening," Porter said.
Then it took just three plays to cover 49 yards in 31 seconds to make it 28-3, with Smith tossing a 1-yard pass into traffic in the end zone that backup tight end Ballard pulled in for his first collegiate catch and score.
"It's hard to find many things we did well today," Hoeppner said. "And that's a tribute to the Buckeyes."
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[FONT=arial,sans-serif]OSU 44, IU 3: Doug Lesmerises' final update
Final update
Ohio State 44, Indiana 3
DOUG LESMERISES
Plain Dealer Reporter
COLUMBUS
* Getting Justin Zwick into the game with 11:50 to play was the right call. You can't take Troy Smith out before the start of the fourth quarter, but a 38-3 lead was enough. I'm sure he would have liked to set a career high with five touchdown passes, but he'll probably settle with tying his personal best with four and allowing that fifth TD pass to come from Ted Ginn Jr. on his reverse. Smith finished 15 of 23 for 220 yards and four scores.
* Antonio Pittman rushed 16 times for 105 yards. It was his fifth 100-yard game this season. His 12-game streak of games with a touchdown ended, though. Chris Wells got a rushing touchdown, his third of the season, once the second team came in.
* Ohio State's 15-game winning streak is the fourth longest in school history. Next up on the list is the 17-game win streak from 1915-17.
* Just when we had some confidence in Aaron Pettrey after his 51-yard field goal, he misses an extra point. Oh well.
- Doug Lesmerises, [email protected]
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[FONT=arial,sans-serif]Third-quarter update: OSU 38, IU 3
Third-quarter update
Ohio State 38, Indiana 3
DOUG LESMERISES
Plain Dealer Reporter
* Rory Nicol made up for last week. Ted Ginn Jr. chided the tight end for dropping a catchable pass off Ginn's throw on a reverse against Michigan State. The Buckeyes came back with it again in the third quarter, and Ginn threw a 40-yard spiral to a covered Nicol. But miraculously, the defender fell down as the ball arrived and Nicol grabbed the pass and took it in for a 38-yard touchdown.
* Aaron Pettrey's 51-yard field goal near the end of the quarter was good by 5 or 6 yards. That's the kind of kick that will make fans breathe a little easier if he needs to make a big one against Michigan.
* Safety Jamario O'Neal was grabbing his hamstring between plays at one point, but he hasn't come out of the game.
* Troy Smith was the first OSU quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in a half since Bobby Hoying in 1994.
- Doug Lesmerises, [email protected]
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[FONT=arial,sans-serif]Halftime Update: OSU 28, IU 3
Halftime update
BY DOUG LESMERISES
Plain Dealer Reporter
COLUMBUS
Ohio State 28, Indiana 3
* Troy Smith had four first-half touchdown passes, matching his career best for a game.
* Freshman tight end Jake Ballard made a great diving catch between two defenders in the end zone for his first career catch and first career touchdown for the final score of the half.
* Aaron Pettrey is back on kickoff duty again this week after giving way to Ryan Pretorius the last two games and has two touchbacks so far.
* Freshman defensive end Robert Rose saw action for a series in the second quarter, which might be the first time he's played in the first half this season.
* The second team offensive line got in for a series again, the one that finished with Troy Smith spinning away from pressure and finding Ted Ginn Jr. in the end zone for a 31-yard score.
* Indiana freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis is impressive, and you can see why some have compared him to a young Troy Smith. He had a tremendous run, leaping out of a Marcus Freeman tackle and evading tacklers down the sideline to pick up 16 yards on third and 10. He can also throw on the run, but the Hoosiers have dropped several passes.
* Indiana is starting true freshmen at left tackle and left guard, and senior OSU defensive end Jay Richardson has been chewing them up. They cannot block the Buckeyes when they run stunts, and Richardson has been on top of Lewis all day.
* First half total yards: Ohio State 272, Indiana 65
* On second look, the new grass doesn't look that great. You can see a lot of sand or dirt through the green, but it seems to be holding up OK.
- Doug Lesmerises, [email protected]
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[FONT=arial,sans-serif]First-quarter update: OSU 7, IU 3
First quarter update
Ohio State 7, Indiana 3
BY DOUG LESMERISES
Plain Dealer Reporter
COLUMBUS
* Another slow home start for the Buckeyes. Jim Tressel had been on his team about that this week, but it didn't matter as the Hoosiers scored first. Indiana's special teams had a lot to do with it, as OSU started at its 2-yard line and its 13-yard line on two early possessions.
* Brian Hartline continues to stand out on special teams. He cracked Indiana's Marcus Thigpen on a kick return, drawing "Ooohs," from the crowd.
* Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis came into the game not having thrown an interception in 93 passes. But Ohio State dropped two possible picks early, one that hit Donald Washington in the chest and another that Brandon Mithcell dropped off a tip.
* Troy Smith had his first Heisman moment on an option right that he turned back left for a 29-yard run. But that was nothing compared to his 31-yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr. on the first play of the second quarter. You'll see the highlight.
- Doug Lesmerises
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[FONT=arial,sans-serif]Doug Lesmerises' Kickoff Update
OHIO STATE KICKOFF UPDATE
DOUG LESMERISES
Plain Dealer Reporter
COLUMBUS - To everyone stranded without their Buckeyes thanks to ESPNU, take solace in the fact that everyone feels this way when their team isn't on big-time TV.
Mark Rudner, the Big Ten's boss when it comes to television, said the conference office didn't get any more complaints this week than it has all year when a team has been shuffled off to ESPNU. Earlier this year, Penn State played Youngstown State on ESPNU, and while Penguin fans were thrilled, Nittany Lions fans were angry.
Here at Ohio Stadium half an hour before kickoff, the Horseshoe is still rather empty on a bright football morning.
If you were worried, third-string quarterback Todd Boeckman is out warming up and would be ready for action today for the first time in several weeks, back now from an ankle injury.
I wanted to give you a sweatervest update, because I'd love for you to be able to picture this in your head while you're thinking about the game today, but Jim Tressel is wearing a scarlet warmup jacket while the offense runs drills right now, so I can't make out his sweatervest color. Wait, I think it's gray.
The field does look a bit better than two weeks ago. That was the first home game with the new turf, and the grass experts here expected that the seams would be less visible over time, and that seems to be the case.
- Doug Lesmerises, [email protected]
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[FONT=arial,sans-serif]Doug Lesmerises' Kickoff Update
OHIO STATE KICKOFF UPDATE
DOUG LESMERISES
Plain Dealer Reporter
COLUMBUS - To everyone stranded without their Buckeyes thanks to ESPNU, take solace in the fact that everyone feels this way when their team isn't on big-time TV.
Mark Rudner, the Big Ten's boss when it comes to television, said the conference office didn't get any more complaints this week than it has all year when a team has been shuffled off to ESPNU. Earlier this year, Penn State played Youngstown State on ESPNU, and while Penguin fans were thrilled, Nittany Lions fans were angry.
Here at Ohio Stadium half an hour before kickoff, the Horseshoe is still rather empty on a bright football morning.
If you were worried, third-string quarterback Todd Boeckman is out warming up and would be ready for action today for the first time in several weeks, back now from an ankle injury.
I wanted to give you a sweatervest update, because I'd love for you to be able to picture this in your head while you're thinking about the game today, but Jim Tressel is wearing a scarlet warmup jacket while the offense runs drills right now, so I can't make out his sweatervest color. Wait, I think it's gray.
The field does look a bit better than two weeks ago. That was the first home game with the new turf, and the grass experts here expected that the seams would be less visible over time, and that seems to be the case.
- Doug Lesmerises, [email protected]
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[FONT=arial,sans-serif]OSU 44, IU 3: Doug Lesmerises' final update
Final update
Ohio State 44, Indiana 3
DOUG LESMERISES
Plain Dealer Reporter
COLUMBUS
* Getting Justin Zwick into the game with 11:50 to play was the right call. You can't take Troy Smith out before the start of the fourth quarter, but a 38-3 lead was enough. I'm sure he would have liked to set a career high with five touchdown passes, but he'll probably settle with tying his personal best with four and allowing that fifth TD pass to come from Ted Ginn Jr. on his reverse. Smith finished 15 of 23 for 220 yards and four scores.
* Antonio Pittman rushed 16 times for 105 yards. It was his fifth 100-yard game this season. His 12-game streak of games with a touchdown ended, though. Chris Wells got a rushing touchdown, his third of the season, once the second team came in.
* Ohio State's 15-game winning streak is the fourth longest in school history. Next up on the list is the 17-game win streak from 1915-17.
* Just when we had some confidence in Aaron Pettrey after his 51-yard field goal, he misses an extra point. Oh well.
- Doug Lesmerises, [email protected]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif]Third-quarter update: OSU 38, IU 3
Third-quarter update
Ohio State 38, Indiana 3
DOUG LESMERISES
Plain Dealer Reporter
* Rory Nicol made up for last week. Ted Ginn Jr. chided the tight end for dropping a catchable pass off Ginn's throw on a reverse against Michigan State. The Buckeyes came back with it again in the third quarter, and Ginn threw a 40-yard spiral to a covered Nicol. But miraculously, the defender fell down as the ball arrived and Nicol grabbed the pass and took it in for a 38-yard touchdown.
* Aaron Pettrey's 51-yard field goal near the end of the quarter was good by 5 or 6 yards. That's the kind of kick that will make fans breathe a little easier if he needs to make a big one against Michigan.
* Safety Jamario O'Neal was grabbing his hamstring between plays at one point, but he hasn't come out of the game.
* Troy Smith was the first OSU quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in a half since Bobby Hoying in 1994.
- Doug Lesmerises, [email protected]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif]Halftime Update: OSU 28, IU 3
Halftime update
BY DOUG LESMERISES
Plain Dealer Reporter
COLUMBUS
Ohio State 28, Indiana 3
* Troy Smith had four first-half touchdown passes, matching his career best for a game.
* Freshman tight end Jake Ballard made a great diving catch between two defenders in the end zone for his first career catch and first career touchdown for the final score of the half.
* Aaron Pettrey is back on kickoff duty again this week after giving way to Ryan Pretorius the last two games and has two touchbacks so far.
* Freshman defensive end Robert Rose saw action for a series in the second quarter, which might be the first time he's played in the first half this season.
* The second team offensive line got in for a series again, the one that finished with Troy Smith spinning away from pressure and finding Ted Ginn Jr. in the end zone for a 31-yard score.
* Indiana freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis is impressive, and you can see why some have compared him to a young Troy Smith. He had a tremendous run, leaping out of a Marcus Freeman tackle and evading tacklers down the sideline to pick up 16 yards on third and 10. He can also throw on the run, but the Hoosiers have dropped several passes.
* Indiana is starting true freshmen at left tackle and left guard, and senior OSU defensive end Jay Richardson has been chewing them up. They cannot block the Buckeyes when they run stunts, and Richardson has been on top of Lewis all day.
* First half total yards: Ohio State 272, Indiana 65
* On second look, the new grass doesn't look that great. You can see a lot of sand or dirt through the green, but it seems to be holding up OK.
- Doug Lesmerises, [email protected]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif]First-quarter update: OSU 7, IU 3
First quarter update
Ohio State 7, Indiana 3
BY DOUG LESMERISES
Plain Dealer Reporter
COLUMBUS
* Another slow home start for the Buckeyes. Jim Tressel had been on his team about that this week, but it didn't matter as the Hoosiers scored first. Indiana's special teams had a lot to do with it, as OSU started at its 2-yard line and its 13-yard line on two early possessions.
* Brian Hartline continues to stand out on special teams. He cracked Indiana's Marcus Thigpen on a kick return, drawing "Ooohs," from the crowd.
* Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis came into the game not having thrown an interception in 93 passes. But Ohio State dropped two possible picks early, one that hit Donald Washington in the chest and another that Brandon Mithcell dropped off a tip.
* Troy Smith had his first Heisman moment on an option right that he turned back left for a 29-yard run. But that was nothing compared to his 31-yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr. on the first play of the second quarter. You'll see the highlight.
- Doug Lesmerises
[FONT=arial,sans-serif]Doug Lesmerises' Kickoff Update
OHIO STATE KICKOFF UPDATE
DOUG LESMERISES
Plain Dealer Reporter
COLUMBUS - To everyone stranded without their Buckeyes thanks to ESPNU, take solace in the fact that everyone feels this way when their team isn't on big-time TV.
Mark Rudner, the Big Ten's boss when it comes to television, said the conference office didn't get any more complaints this week than it has all year when a team has been shuffled off to ESPNU. Earlier this year, Penn State played Youngstown State on ESPNU, and while Penguin fans were thrilled, Nittany Lions fans were angry.
Here at Ohio Stadium half an hour before kickoff, the Horseshoe is still rather empty on a bright football morning.
If you were worried, third-string quarterback Todd Boeckman is out warming up and would be ready for action today for the first time in several weeks, back now from an ankle injury.
I wanted to give you a sweatervest update, because I'd love for you to be able to picture this in your head while you're thinking about the game today, but Jim Tressel is wearing a scarlet warmup jacket while the offense runs drills right now, so I can't make out his sweatervest color. Wait, I think it's gray.
The field does look a bit better than two weeks ago. That was the first home game with the new turf, and the grass experts here expected that the seams would be less visible over time, and that seems to be the case.
- Doug Lesmerises, [email protected]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif]Doug Lesmerises' Kickoff Update
OHIO STATE KICKOFF UPDATE
DOUG LESMERISES
Plain Dealer Reporter
COLUMBUS - To everyone stranded without their Buckeyes thanks to ESPNU, take solace in the fact that everyone feels this way when their team isn't on big-time TV.
Mark Rudner, the Big Ten's boss when it comes to television, said the conference office didn't get any more complaints this week than it has all year when a team has been shuffled off to ESPNU. Earlier this year, Penn State played Youngstown State on ESPNU, and while Penguin fans were thrilled, Nittany Lions fans were angry.
Here at Ohio Stadium half an hour before kickoff, the Horseshoe is still rather empty on a bright football morning.
If you were worried, third-string quarterback Todd Boeckman is out warming up and would be ready for action today for the first time in several weeks, back now from an ankle injury.
I wanted to give you a sweatervest update, because I'd love for you to be able to picture this in your head while you're thinking about the game today, but Jim Tressel is wearing a scarlet warmup jacket while the offense runs drills right now, so I can't make out his sweatervest color. Wait, I think it's gray.
The field does look a bit better than two weeks ago. That was the first home game with the new turf, and the grass experts here expected that the seams would be less visible over time, and that seems to be the case.
- Doug Lesmerises, [email protected]
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Four games remain before Michigan faces No. 1 Ohio State, including Saturday at home against Iowa.
The Buckeyes' ranking keeps the Wolverines focused on winning and on the potential matchup between the top two teams in the country.
"It's a great feeling because that's what we want it to be when we go down there to Ohio State," Burgess said. "We want to be in that position and show people that it could be a real good game. We'll want to go out there and try to take that No. 1 spot from them. It's going to be hard doing it but we'll want to go do it."
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The Buckeyes' ranking keeps the Wolverines focused on winning and on the potential matchup between the top two teams in the country.
"It's a great feeling because that's what we want it to be when we go down there to Ohio State," Burgess said. "We want to be in that position and show people that it could be a real good game. We'll want to go out there and try to take that No. 1 spot from them. It's going to be hard doing it but we'll want to go do it."
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Dispatch
Business as usual for Buckeyes
Smith tosses four TD passes
By Tim May
The Columbus Dispatch
Saturday, October 21, 2006 3:37 PM
Troy Smith was high and wide on his first four passes this afternoon against Indiana. Talk about a start not being a harbinger.
The Ohio State quarterback, considered the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, went on to match a career high with four touchdown passes -- all in the first half -- in leading the top-ranked Buckeyes to a 44-3 Big Ten victory in front of 105,267 in sunny-but-cool Ohio Stadium.
Receiver Ted Ginn Jr., who caught one of those TD passes, also threw one in the third quarter, hitting tight end Rory Nicol for 38 yards after taking a reverse pitchout from left to right.
By the time Smith left the game at the end of the third quarter, he'd completed 15 of 23 passes for 220 yards. The Buckeyes gained more 500 yards of offense for the first time this season.
The hope for Indiana (4-4, 2-2) rested with its offense and quarterback Kellen Lewis. But a blitzing OSU defense, led by cornerback Antonio Smith, stuffed the Hoosiers, who had just 103 total yards after three quarters and trailed 38-3.
Malcolm Jenkins' interception of IU backup quarterback Blake Powers midway through the fourth quarter kept alive the Buckeyes' streak of getting at least one turnover in each game this year. Andre Amos added another one, with 4:29 left, upping the Buckeyes' Big Ten-leading total of interceptions to 15.
The Buckeyes fell behind 3-0 at 7:59 of the first quarter on a 34-yard field goal by Austin Starr. The OSU defense actually rose to the occasion there, holding the Hoosiers to no gain after Tracy Porter had returned a punt 34 yards to the Buckeyes' 15-yard line.
It took two more possessions before Troy Smith warmed up. Then there was no stopping him. He capped an 87-yard drive with a 23-yard TD lob to wide-open tight end Rory Nicol on a third-and-1 play, giving OSU a 7-3 lead at 2:55 of the first quarter.
Smith came right back on the next possession with a scrambling, 31-yard TD pass to Ginn in the left corner of the end zone on the first play of the second quarter. At 6:32 of the quarter, Smith found a wide-open Anthony Gonzalez for a 5-yard TD pass.
Then just before halftime, Smith capped a hurry-up, 49-yarrd drive with 1-yard lob to freshman tight end Jake Ballard to up the OSU lead to 28-3.
In the second half, after Ginn's pass to Nicol and a 51-yard field goal by Aaron Pettrey, freshman running back Chris Wells added a 12-yard TD run with 7:04 to play to up the lead to 44-3 (Pettrey missed the extra point attempt).
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Business as usual for Buckeyes
Smith tosses four TD passes
By Tim May
The Columbus Dispatch
Saturday, October 21, 2006 3:37 PM
Troy Smith was high and wide on his first four passes this afternoon against Indiana. Talk about a start not being a harbinger.
The Ohio State quarterback, considered the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, went on to match a career high with four touchdown passes -- all in the first half -- in leading the top-ranked Buckeyes to a 44-3 Big Ten victory in front of 105,267 in sunny-but-cool Ohio Stadium.
Receiver Ted Ginn Jr., who caught one of those TD passes, also threw one in the third quarter, hitting tight end Rory Nicol for 38 yards after taking a reverse pitchout from left to right.
By the time Smith left the game at the end of the third quarter, he'd completed 15 of 23 passes for 220 yards. The Buckeyes gained more 500 yards of offense for the first time this season.
The hope for Indiana (4-4, 2-2) rested with its offense and quarterback Kellen Lewis. But a blitzing OSU defense, led by cornerback Antonio Smith, stuffed the Hoosiers, who had just 103 total yards after three quarters and trailed 38-3.
Malcolm Jenkins' interception of IU backup quarterback Blake Powers midway through the fourth quarter kept alive the Buckeyes' streak of getting at least one turnover in each game this year. Andre Amos added another one, with 4:29 left, upping the Buckeyes' Big Ten-leading total of interceptions to 15.
The Buckeyes fell behind 3-0 at 7:59 of the first quarter on a 34-yard field goal by Austin Starr. The OSU defense actually rose to the occasion there, holding the Hoosiers to no gain after Tracy Porter had returned a punt 34 yards to the Buckeyes' 15-yard line.
It took two more possessions before Troy Smith warmed up. Then there was no stopping him. He capped an 87-yard drive with a 23-yard TD lob to wide-open tight end Rory Nicol on a third-and-1 play, giving OSU a 7-3 lead at 2:55 of the first quarter.
Smith came right back on the next possession with a scrambling, 31-yard TD pass to Ginn in the left corner of the end zone on the first play of the second quarter. At 6:32 of the quarter, Smith found a wide-open Anthony Gonzalez for a 5-yard TD pass.
Then just before halftime, Smith capped a hurry-up, 49-yarrd drive with 1-yard lob to freshman tight end Jake Ballard to up the OSU lead to 28-3.
In the second half, after Ginn's pass to Nicol and a 51-yard field goal by Aaron Pettrey, freshman running back Chris Wells added a 12-yard TD run with 7:04 to play to up the lead to 44-3 (Pettrey missed the extra point attempt).
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