• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Boeckman, Robiskie help Ohio State slam Northwestern

Sep 23, 2007 - 12:51 AM COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- Todd Boeckman, Brian Robiskie and Ohio State continued to rip through their regular-season opponents.

Boeckman threw four touchdowns - three to Robiskie - as the eighth-ranked Buckeyes ambushed Northwestern, 58-7, in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon.

Maurice Wells ran for two TDs for Ohio State (4-0), which recorded a school-record 22nd consecutive regular-season victory. The Buckeyes' last loss came in last January's BCS Championship Game against Florida.

"We got off to a great start, obviously," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "That first TD was something that Darrell (Hazell), Joe Daniels and Jim Bollman came up with this week.

"We thought we could give them a nice play action. Then the defense took over and created unbelievable field position. It was a decisive win that hopefully we can go back and learn a great deal from."

Despite winning their first three games impressively, Tressel was just looking for his team to get better on Saturday.

"You try to continue to improve," Tressel said. "You try to get more experiences and put people in situations that you want them to experience and try to keep a handle on how your opponent is going to change their tactics."

One of the premier programs in the nation, Ohio State won all 12 of its regular-season contests in 2006 - capped by an emotional three-point victory over then-No. 2 Michigan.

Despite the loss of Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, game-breaking wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and a host of other contributors, the Buckeyes have not let up this season.

Ohio State outscored its first three opponents this campaign, 91-20 - including a 33-14 road victory against Washington last week.

However, in those contests, the Buckeyes started slowly.

"The last few weeks we didn't come out as strong as we wanted to," Boeckman said. "Today, we had a good game plan and we came out and executed."

Boeckman wasted no time getting the Buckeyes on the board in this one, connecting with Robiskie on a 42-yard strike on just the third play of the game. The duo made it 14-0 with a 28-yard throw and catch with 11:31 left in the opening period.

"We wanted to establish ourselves on the first drive and set the tone early," Wells said. "That is exactly what we did and we are really happy that we could do that early."

Robiskie capped a three-play, 38-yard drive with his third TD catch of the afternoon to make it 35-0 just 58 seconds into the second quarter. The junior wide receiver had three catches for 89 yards.

Boeckman was 11-of-14 for 179 yards, giving way to reserves Antonio Henton and Rob Schoenhoft in the third quarter.

Ryan Pretorius had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for the Wildcats (2-2), who were outscored, 28-0, in the first quarter.

"This is not the way that we wanted to start Big Ten play," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "Now, we have the opportunity to change things and get back to work Monday."