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Ohio State opens Big Ten slate vs. undefeated Minnesota

Sep 27, 2008 - 10:08 AM Minnesota (4-0) at (13) Ohio State (3-1), 12:00 pm EDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- Terrelle Pryor gets his introduction to Big Ten Conference football on Saturday.

The highly-touted true freshman will make his second collegiate start as 13th-ranked Ohio State hosts Minnesota in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

After getting embarrassed by Southern California, 35-3, two weeks ago, the Buckeyes (3-1) kicked off the Pryor era in last Saturday's 28-10 triumph over Troy.

Pryor finished with impressive numbers, but he took a while to get the Buckeyes' offense rolling against the underdog Trojans.

The dual-threat quarterback passed for 139 yards and four touchdowns with one interception and 66 rushing yards, but Ohio State took just a four-point lead into the final period.

Pryor and the Buckeyes might not have the luxury of a slow start against the Golden Gophers (4-0), who have not beaten their conference foes since 2001. Minnesota enters the contest with plenty of momentum after manhandling Florida Atlantic, 37-3, last week.

Ohio State will have running back Chris "Beanie" Wells back in the lineup to take some pressure off Pryor. Wells had been sidelined since injuring his toe in the season-opening win over Youngstown State.

A preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, Wells has fallen out of contention for the award after missing the last three games. But his value to the Buckeyes was clearly shown over the past few weeks.

Freshman Daniel Herron has taken over the majority of the carries in Wells' absence, collecting 212 yards and one score on 48 carries this season.

Minnesota is led by sophomore quarterback Adam Weber and freshman running back DeLeon Eskridge, and neither have experienced a Big Ten win.

Against overmatched competition, Weber passed for 967 yards and seven TDs with one interception and Eskridge rushed for 204 yards and five scores.