BIG TEN Wildcats' remarks fire up Buckeyes

A Northwestern player referred to OSU's "mediocre offense."
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) -- It's hard enough facing a well-rested No. 7 Ohio State.
Then Northwestern had to go and rile up the Buckeyes.
It didn't take long for the Buckeyes (3-0) to get wind of a remark Northwestern defensive tackle Luis Castillo made Monday. Asked about differences between the various Ohio State teams he's seen, Castillo said, "They've always been a great defense and a mediocre offense that finds ways to make plays when they need points. They know how to win. That's just Ohio State for you."
Castillo really didn't mean it as an insult. But teams look for motivation anywhere they can find it, and this was good enough for the Buckeyes.
"We heard it. We've got bulletin boards in there," fullback Branden Joe said. "Our goal is to not have them say that after the game. They can say anything they want before the game, but at 12 a.m. when the game's over and they're still saying we have a mediocre offense, then we did something wrong."
The game kicks off Saturday at 9 p.m. (ESPN2, WKBN-AM 570).
Defense leads way
The Buckeyes are built on defense, holding opponents to 261 yards of offense per game and just 3.9 yards per play. They've allowed four offensive touchdowns in their first three games.
They already have six sacks and three interceptions, and also have forced two fumbles. Against North Carolina State two weeks ago, they scored 16 points off five turnovers.
And Ohio State's offense hasn't exactly been awe-inspiring. The Buckeyes needed a 55-yard field goal from Mike Nugent as time expired to beat Marshall, and Nugent kicked five field goals in the victory over N.C. State.
Ohio State's average of 334 yards of total offense a game doesn't put the Buckeyes in the top 50 in the country. The Wildcats (1-3), meanwhile, are 12th in the nation with 479 yards of offense a game.
"I'll be flat honest, the numbers don't lie," Joe said. "We definitely haven't put up the numbers that other teams in the nation are putting up. But we have the personnel to do that.
"I guess you say number-wise we are mediocre right now," Joe added. "But this is Ohio State. We have talent. We get talent here. I don't think we're mediocre in the talent aspect."
Where its coming from
It's also one thing if someone from Oklahoma or Southern California calls the Buckeyes mediocre. But not only are the Wildcats 1-3, they haven't beaten Ohio State since 1971.
"Sometimes teams at a Northwestern or an Indiana, they get caught up playing the traditions," running back Noah Herron said. "The tradition of Ohio State. The tradition of Michigan. The tradition of Penn State. We're not playing those years of tradition. We're playing the 2004 Ohio State Buckeyes, so we can't look at it like we haven't beat them in 33 years. What's that matter? Thirty-three years we were unlucky, so we've got to go out and change that."