Ohio State football: Beanie Wells ready for big game burden
by Doug Lesmerises Wednesday October 22, 2008, 7:21 AM
APBeanie Wells, left, celebrates one of his two touchdowns against Michigan State last week.
The Buckeyes certainly aren't tiptoeing around Beanie Wells' right foot. His 31 carries against Michigan State on Saturday tied for the 20th most rushes in a game this season in NCAA Division I, topped in the Big Ten only by beast of burden Javon Ringer, who has five games this season of 34 carries or more for Michigan State.
"Beanie was sorer after 31 carries than he was after 20, which is understandable," Jim Tressel said Tuesday. "You get hit 11 times by a truck, it hurts more. But he's fine."
Just not as fine as he thought he'd be by now.
"It's pretty sore, it's like that every week," Wells said Monday. "Nothing different at all."
And that's part of the surprise.
"I hoped to be healthier (by now) but it's something I know I have to deal with," Wells said.
Saturday night against Penn State, the Buckeyes will need Wells as much as they ever have, and that's fine with him. He considers himself a big game back, and the stats show the Buckeyes treat him that way.
"All my life I've loved big games," Wells said. "It's something that I guess you can say I'm made for. I like to think that I'm made to play on the big stage."
As a backup to Antonio Pittman his freshman year, Wells really introduced himself to the nation with a 52-yard touchdown run in the 1 vs. 2 showdown against Michigan, spinning away from a tackler in the backfield before busting toward the endzone.
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