Saturday, October 2, 2004
Undefeated No. 7 Buckeyes hardly scare Northwestern
By Nancy Armour
The Associated Press
EVANSTON, Ill. - Two years ago, Northwestern was on its way to a 3-9 mark that would include one win in the Big Ten, while Ohio State was headed for an undefeated season and its fourth national championship.
But when the Buckeyes came to Evanston for a rare night game that year, the Wildcats gave them a real fight. The final score was 27-16, but Northwestern missed two field goals, had to settle for field goals on two other possessions inside the Ohio State 10 and had a touchdown wiped out by a questionable call in the second quarter.
"They were national champions that year and we were (3-9)," senior defensive tackle Luis Castillo said. "We gave them a great game, and that let us know they are beatable. Going into that game, I don't know if many guys believed we could (beat them).
"Going into this one, we know we can play with them."
Tonight's game at Northwestern would seem to be another lopsided matchup. The No. 7 Buckeyes are undefeated (3-0) and well-rested after having last week off. They also have a 24-game winning streak against Northwestern dating to 1972. The Wildcats are 1-3, and their defense has been hampered by injuries.
But Ohio State has its weaknesses. The Buckeye defense is holding opponents to 261 yards of offense per game and just 3.9 yards per play, but it has allowed 383 yards rushing in three games. Last year's defense gave up 810 yards on the ground the entire year.
The running game is a big part of Northwestern's spread offense. Noah Herron is averaging more than 90 yards rushing a game, while backup Terrell Jordan is averaging almost 5 yards per carry.
"We know as a defense we've given up too many yards, and that's always our first goal - stop the run and make them one-dimensional," Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk said. "In the Big Ten, stopping the run is a big priority."
Then there's the OSUoffense, described by Castillo as "mediocre" in a comment that set bulletin boards aflame all over Columbus.
The Buckeyes offense has been a little sluggish, needing a 55-yard field goal from Mike Nugent as time expired to beat Marshall. Nugent also kicked five field goals in the victory over N.C. State.
Ohio State's average of 334 yards of total offense a game doesn't put the Buckeyes in the top 50. The Wildcats are 12th in the nation with 479 yards of offense a game.
"I'll be flat honest, the numbers don't lie," fullback Branden Joe said. "We definitely haven't put up the numbers that other teams in the nation are putting up. But we have the personnel to do that. We have depth at receiver, running back, we have a young offensive line that continues to get better.
"I guess you say numberwise we are mediocre right now," Joe added. "But this is Ohio State. We have talent. We get talent here. I don't think we're mediocre in the talent aspect."
The Wildcats have talent, too, they just haven't used it very wisely in their first four games. Though this is Northwestern's most experienced team in several years - they return 18 starters - they still don't play with consistency.
Penalties are also hurting the Wildcats, both offensively and defensively.
"It's not a lack of effort. It's almost like we're trying to do too much," coach Randy Walker said. "I refuse to talk about injuries and use that as a reason not to be a good football team. Injuries, that isn't the reason we're not executing. ... We have good enough players."
Despite their early struggles, the Wildcats haven't lost confidence. They know most of their problems are their own doing, mistakes that are easily fixable.
"That's the light at the end of the tunnel," Castillo said. "It's not that we're getting driven through and our defense is getting killed on every play. It's a few little mental mistakes that we can get fixed up."
Besides, they've done more with less before. Just look at that game against Ohio State two years ago.
"We have so much more confidence and so much more experience, and we played them as well as we did," Castillo said. "Going into this game, Saturday night under the lights, prime time, we're as excited as we can be."
No. 7 Ohio State at Northwestern
