By Rusty Miller
The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has always said that he will never have a quarterback who regularly coughs up the ball to the other team.

Maybe now he has no choice.

Committed to weathering a learning curve with sophomores Justin Zwick and Troy Smith, Tressel says he just hopes his young quarterbacks learn from their mistakes. In other words, the unacceptable has become almost unavoidable.

"We're committed to growing through the process and there's no doubt about it, our quarterback being mistake-free is huge," Tressel said Tuesday. "There are some mistakes that we're not going to be able to live with, but Justin knows that, Troy knows that. You learn from those experiences."

Zwick threw two interceptions and had four fumbles in the No. 9-ranked Buckeyes' 27-6 lashing of Cincinnati on Saturday, but kept the starting job over Smith heading into Saturday's game against Marshall.

Zwick completed 14 of 26 passes for 213 yards and Smith came on to complete 2 of 3 passes for 29 yards. Each had a touchdown pass. Smith gained 7 yards on five rushing attempts and Zwick lost 8 yards on four carries, including the only sack of the game.

"You've got to win. That's what it's all about," Zwick said after Tuesday's practice. "I really just wanted to come out with a win on Saturday. We were able to do that. So it's going to be hard to bring me down. It's a good feeling. I'm just glad to have that one under our belts."

Smith said he accomplished what he set out to do.

"I felt pretty good with the chances and opportunities I had," he said. "I felt I capitalized on the pass plays I did get. So I felt pretty good."

Regardless of who is behind center, the Buckeyes are beginning to recognize they are far from the steady offense that seldom put up big numbers in recent years but also seldom dug a hole for the defense.

Two-year starter Craig Krenzel, who graduated to the NFL after last season, threw interceptions and lost fumbles but made few errors in judgment. He would take a sack rather than throw into double coverage or might toss a pass into the cheap seats rather than attempt to throw a 30-yard dart to a wide-out with a half-step on a defender.

"The reason Craig was so successful was because he had that experience," backup tailback Maurice Hall said. "He got better and better as he went on. It should be the same thing with our (current) quarterbacks."

Based solely on efficiency ratings - a measure derived from a quarterback's stats alone - Smith turned in the better performance, 257.87 to 119.97.

Yet Zwick will retain the starting job unless something big happens this week in practice. Not even the quarterbacks know if there has been any kind of shift in playing time or emphasis.

"He (Tressel) keeps it pretty well hidden with us," Smith said.

Tressel was asked if Smith - who led the Buckeyes to 10 points in his three complete series - had closed the gap on Zwick for the starting spot.

"As far as have gaps narrowed and this and that, we just go, try to get better, all of us, and we need better quarterback play," Tressel said. "That's not a slam on our quarterbacks. We need to get better at everything we do. I think our quarterbacks will work to do that."

Smith didn't face the fire that Zwick did, so it's difficult to rate them based on numbers alone. Yet it's hard to believe Zwick improved his status based on his performance.

Zwick was in for eight possessions (not counting one cut short because the first half ended) and produced 17 points on his 52 plays. He led 80- and 57-yard touchdown drives and was on the field for a 70-yard drive that ended in a field goal.

His one interception gave Cincinnati the ball at the Ohio State 25 and his fumble put the Bearcats in business at the Buckeyes 32. Those two mistakes led to all of Cincinnati's points.

Smith's 23 snaps included the longest drive of the day in the number of plays, distance and time, an 11-play, 84-yard march that ate up 5:49 and was capped by his 23-yard scoring pass to Santonio Holmes. That fourth-quarter score smothered any lingering Bearcat hopes of an upset.

Both quarterbacks averaged right around 6 yards per play, although Zwick's numbers were skewed somewhat because he was on the field when Lydell Ross broke off a 68-yard run.

It was only one game, but the Cincinnati experience may prove that Tressel is adapting to his new personnel.

"People are going to make mistakes," said receiver Bam Childress, who had four catches for 67 yards. "There's not a game you can really say somebody went a whole game without making one mistake. Mistakes are going to happen.

"The thing I was happy about was that they never got down, even after they made a mistake. They were like, 'That was my fault. Let's get it next time,' or 'Coach, we can still run that play. I can get that guy.'"