By JON SPENCER
(Mansfield, Ohio) News Journal

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Troy Smith is 3-0 as Ohio State's starting quarterback, but there seemed to be ominous signs against Michigan State that his streak of perfection was coming to an end.

Ohio State flanker Ted Ginn Jr. (7) outruns Michigan State safety Eric Smith (36) and cornerback Roderick Maples (17) en route to the go-ahead touchdown at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. (AP photo)

The first sign was when he slightly overthrew a wide-open Santonio Holmes in the first quarter on what should've been a 54-yard TD pass. Instead, the catchable ball tipped off Holmes' fingertips with the Buckeyes leading 14-0 and trying to deliver a knockout blow.

The second came in the third quarter when Tony Gonzalez got open inside the 5. Again the pass, although catchable, forced Gonzalez to turn around and was bobbled along the sideline amidst the Spartans' comeback.

That was when Ohio State was in the process of seeing a 17-0 lead fizzle into a 19-17 deficit. But then Ted Ginn Jr. converted a short slant pass into the decisive 58-yard touchdown, the Buckeyes walked away with a 32-19 victory and fate was smiling kindly on Smith again.

"I asked my line to give me a little time (at the end) and they came through," Smith said. "We faced some lumps, but I got the ball in Ted Ginn's hands at the end."

Better Ginn's, apparently, than anyone else's.

"Those guys (Holmes and Gonzalez) come out day after day and work hard," Smith said. "I told them I'm not going to stop throwing them the ball.

"If the fans stick with us, we'll come through (offensively) eventually. The big thing today is that we're back to .500 (3-3) in the Big Ten."

After attempting only eight passes and throwing for 59 yards in last week's 21-10 win over Penn State, Smith was 13 of 21 for 138 yards against the Spartans. He hasn't thrown an interception this season in 70 attempts and was sacked just once Saturday.

"Obviously, (Smith) made a big play at the end," coach Jim Tressel said. "He did a good job of executing the gameplan and seeing what the chess match is all about.

"He was very comfortable. He's the type of guy, when he's in the huddle, the guys believe he's going to take them down the field - and he did."

Tressel liked the way Smith calmly considered his options on the game-winning throw to Ginn.

"That was the same play Santonio caught for a 15-yard gain a little earlier," Tressel said, "but it was different coverage this time. So when you ask, how did Troy do? He went away from his primary receiver, so he's coming along."

WHAT A RELIEF: To a man, the Buckeyes felt that finally winning a Big Ten road game after two failures was more important than locking up a bowl invitation with their sixth win.

"The biggest thing is we won on the road," linebacker Anthony Schlegel said. "It helps carry over to next week (at Purdue). We had great practices when we were losing. Now we are taking those great practices on the field Saturday and executing."

Saturday's win was OSU's third in a row on the heels of a three-game losing streak that dropped them to 3-3.

"It's very big to come into another team's stadium and come out with a victory," Holmes said. "We've been talking all along about our last five games being kind of our championship. We've won the first three. The challenge now is to win the last two (including a home game with Michigan on Nov. 20)."

The Buckeyes likely won't fall any lower than the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas on Dec. 29. They still have an outside shot at a New Year's Day game (Capital One or Outback) with wins over Purdue and/or Michigan.

"We needed to go on the road and win in this league. It's a relief," Tressel said. "We've done it once; now we have to do it twice. Relief lasts about four minutes.

"Bowl-wise, after 11 games, you get what you deserve. The rules say you have to win six games to get a bowl. OK, we're going to get a bowl. But we're not going to worry about that now."

NOTES: Ginn's punt return TD was the fourth this season by the Buckeyes (he has three and Holmes one), setting a school record. OSU had three punt returns for scores in 1973, 1979, 1983 and 1998 ... Mike Nugent's 53-yard field goal makes him 8 of 9 for his career and 5 of 6 this season from 50 yards and beyond. ... Devon Lyons caught his first career pass in the first quarter ... Fullback Dionte Johnson, guard T.J. Downing and offensive tackle Steve Rehring made their first career starts. Safety Brandon Mitchell made his first start of the season and the third of his career.