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Ohio State looks for strong finish after loss to Penn State

Nov 8, 2008 - 11:20 AM (12) Ohio State (7-2) at (25) Northwestern (7-2), 12:00 pm EST

EVANSTON, Illinois (Ticker) -- For the first time in three years, Ohio State enters November out of the national championship picture and needing plenty of help to win the Big Ten Conference title.

Idle since their damaging 13-6 loss to Penn State on October 25, the 12th-ranked Buckeyes visit Northwestern on Saturday in the first of two straight road contests.

The inexperience of freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who suffered his first loss in six starts, may have showed against the Nittany Lions, as his late fumble helped Penn State drive just 38 yards for the winning score midway through the fourth quarter.

The undefeated Nittany Lions also held Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells to 55 yards on 22 carries.

Ohio State (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) has lost in the BCS title game in each of the last two seasons but with two losses, the Buckeyes won't be making a third straight appearance.

With only three weeks left in the season, the Buckeyes would need Penn State to lose two of its last three games to have a chance to capture a third straight outright conference title. If the teams tie, the Nittany Lions would win the conference based on their victory over Ohio State.

Penn State also has a favorable schedule with a road game at Iowa, followed by home contests against Indiana and Michigan State.

If the Nittany Lions, who have climbed to No. 2 in the BCS standings, play in the national championship game, Ohio State could play in the Rose Bowl if its finishes second in the Big Ten - as Illinois did last season.

"You always want to be the Big Ten champions," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "You always want to earn the opportunity to become the national champions. But this year's not over and there's three more football games for a lot of people."

The Buckeyes will look to take out their frustrations on a Northwestern team that is coming off a 24-17 upset win at Minnesota. The Wildcats (7-2, 3-2) pulled into a tie with the Gophers for fourth place in the Big Ten as they also look to improve their bowl position.

Northwestern was without quarterback C.J. Bacher, whose string of 25 straight starts ended due to a hamstring injury.

However, Mike Kafka picked up the slack by rushing for 217 yards, a school record for a quarterback. Kafka, who broke Zak Kustok's previous Northwestern record of 115 yards set in 2001, also threw a pair of touchdowns passes.

The Wildcats were embarrassed at Ohio State last season, suffering a 58-7 loss after trailing 45-0 at halftime. Wells rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries.