BIG TEN Ohio St. overruns Indiana for win

The Buckeyes amassed 603 total yards in a 35-6 romp past the Hoosiers.
By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- It was the kind of game you'd design on paper and hope it was followed through.
That sums up Ohio State's 35-6 victory over Indiana that pushed the Buckeyes' record to 7-1 and 3-1 in the Big Ten.
First of all, an offense that was anemic got healthy on the heels of Lydell Ross and Craig Krenzel, and Ohio State's defense was minutes from its second shutout of the season.
"I thought our defense did a good job of controlling the tempo of the game," said coach Jim Tressel. "It gave us great field position all day and gave us lots of possessions."
As a result, the Buckeyes amassed 603 total yards against the Hoosiers (1-7, 0-4).
OSU doubled-up on first downs on Indiana, 26-13, and controlled every facet of the game.
Carter is injured
The only drawback was a knee injury suffered by receiver Drew Carter in the second quarter. He was carried off the field, but the injury isn't believed to be serious.
The Buckeyes took a 21-0 lead into the locker room on the strength of Ross' two touchdown runs and Krenzel's 15-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes. The freshman was one of two helping to fill Carter's shoes. The other was Bam Childress.
Ross had three touchdown runs on the day.
OSU scored on its first possession of the game after a 79-yard eight-play drive, with Ross making gains of 13 and 24 yards on his first two touches. He scored from 11 yards out.
"That was good to get that one and get rolling," Tressel said of OSU's first series.
Ross finished with 167 yards on 23 carries, while a combination of other ball carriers pushed the Buckeyes' total on the ground to 216. Prior to Saturday, Ohio State was rushing an average of only 108.7 yards a game.
Shows confidence
"He wants the ball a lot and believes he can do something with it, and I think he made a step today," Tressel said of Ross. "I felt good about the way he performed."
The running game was more the subject of discussion, but passing was a big part of the victory during Ohio State's second road trip of the season.
Krenzel was clicking as the senior quarterback completed 19-for-26 passes for 272 yards. He was intercepted once.
Holmes was OSU's top receiver with 153 yards on six catches, although his longest was a late-game 47-yard pass thrown by substitute QB Scott McMullen.
Childress had 41 yards on four receptions, while Carter made three catches for 75 yards before his misfortune.
McMullen completed 5-of-5 aerials for 111 yards.
Good day for fans
It all made for smiles on the faces of many of the Buckeyes fans among the 51,240 at Memorial Stadium.
After Ohio State took a 7-0 lead, Indiana didn't have the ball but three plays before it punted. OSU didn't have a negative-yardage play until its second possession when Krenzel was tackled on third down for a 1-yard loss.
The Hoosiers were strapped on their next series and the Buckeyes, again, got the ball back -- but not for long.
That's because former Cleveland St. Ignatius standout Joe Gonzalez recovered a fumble by Ross. Indiana was able to pick up its initial first down late in the first quarter to help dig out of a hole. However, the Hoosiers were forced to punt.
Taking over on its own 34, Ohio State got 6-yard pick-ups from Ross on two consecutive plays before Krenzel found Carter open down the middle.
Over-the-shoulder catch
The 6-4, 200-pound fifth-year senior made an over-the-shoulder 49-yard catch to bring the ball to the Hoosiers' 2-yard line. Ross scored on the next play.
Indiana had its second sustained drive, but only reached its 38 before punting. The Buckeyes then marched to the 18 before Mike Nugent's 35-yard field goal attempt was wide left.
Thanks to Donte Whitner's interception at OSU's 47, the Buckeyes were able to advance to the 15 from where Krenzel hit Holmes with eight seconds remaining in the half.
"That was a big drive, I thought," Tressel said of the late first-half tally. "We called a couple timeouts when they had the ball with the hopes of getting it back and having enough time. They made a first down, but we came up with an interception.
"I was really just trying to get down there to get a field goal, so I'm glad that we got a score," he added. "That was big for us."
Ohio State71477--35
Indiana0006--6
First Quarter
OSU--Ross 11 run (Nugent kick), 12:04.
Second Quarter
OSU--Ross 2 run (Nugent kick), 14:01.
OSU--Holmes 15 pass from Krenzel (Nugent kick), :08.
Third Quarter
OSU--Ross 1 run (Nugent kick), 6:17.
Fourth Quarter
OSU--Holmes 47 pass from McMullen (Nugent kick), 6:23.
Ind--Taylor 17 pass from McFarland (kick failed), 3:28.
A--51,240.
OSUInd
First downs2613
Rushes-yards39-21632-(-12)
Passing387143
Comp-Att-Int25-33-117-26-1
Return Yards401
Punts-Avg.2-368-44
Fumbles-Lost3-22-0
Penalties-Yards9-803-18
Time of Possession31:5028:10
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Ohio St., Ross 23-167, M.Hall 5-19, Guilford 4-16, Krenzel 4-12, Joe 1-2, Zwick 2-0. Indiana, B.Lewis 9-20, Taylor 6-16, Grosfield 1-6, Green-Ellis 5-4, McFarland 1-0, team 1-(minus-1), LoVecchio 9-(minus-57).
PASSING--Ohio St., Krenzel 19-26-1-272, McMullen 5-5-0-111, Zwick 1-1-0-4, team 0-1-0-0. Indiana, LoVecchio 11-20-1-89, McFarland 6-6-0-54.
RECEIVING--Ohio St., Holmes 6-153, Childress 4-41, Carter 3-75, Ross 3-33, Jenkins 2-18, Hamby 2-6, Gamble 1-21, Joe 1-18, R.Hall 1-12, Hartsock 1-7, Schnittker 1-3. Indiana, Roby 6-47, Johnson 4-43, Pannozzo 3-16, Taylor 1-17, B.Lewis 1-11, Rudanovic 1-6, Green-Ellis 1-3.
bassetti@vindy.com