BIG TEN FOOTBALL OSU is struggling on both sides of the line

Consecutive losses have the players searching for their superiority complex.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Two games ago, the Northwestern football team opened things up and had Ohio State's defense guessing all night. Last week, Wisconsin dominated both lines and ran at will.
Heading into Saturday's game at Iowa, the Buckeyes are trying to channel their anger into a surly attitude after being knocked back on their heels by back-to-back losses.
"We need to do a better job up front, maybe go back to old school and just get nasty and kick peoples' butts," tight end Ryan Hamby said.
That's particularly true on a defense that was a bankable commodity the past 2 1/2 years but has been more of an undependable liability the past two weeks.
"I don't dwell on [the losses]," linebacker Anthony Schlegel said. "You really can't. It's done. [But] we're going to use the frustration of the two losses and carry it over to doing everything it takes to prepare for Iowa."
October reversal
Northwestern came into its game with Ohio State on Oct. 2 having won just one of its four games. The Wildcats had been porous on defense and erratic on offense.
But they converted 12-of-20 third-down plays, amassed 444 yards and averaged almost 5 1/2 yards on every play in a 33-27 overtime victory. Noah Herron rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns and Brett Basanez passed for 278 yards and two more scores.
The Buckeyes said it was Northwestern's spread offense -- which features multiple receivers and one or no running backs -- that led to that forgettable night. They said they welcomed playing Wisconsin, which had an unproven first-year starter at quarterback (John Stocco) and a straight-ahead running game that didn't rely on tricks or subterfuge.
Stocco, however, looked like Johnny Unitas in his prime, passing for two scores with almost no mistakes. Tailback Anthony Davis played keepaway from Ohio State in the second half, finishing with 168 yards and a TD.
Embarrassed defenders
"We've kind of been embarrassed the last two games on defense," linebacker Bobby Carpenter said. "We picked up our effort last week but it got away from us at the end."
Now Ohio State's rushing, passing and total defense is near the bottom in Big Ten stats. No longer can losses be blamed solely on the Buckeyes' impotent offense.
"We've got to outplay their [the other team's] defense and we didn't," Schlegel said. "We've got to take care of our business before we can say anything to anybody [on offense]."
Cornerback Dustin Fox, out since game two because of a broken arm, returns for the Buckeyes. His experience -- and steadying presence in the huddle -- will give the defense a boost.
It's an attitude as much as a style that the Buckeyes are trying to recapture. Ohio State defenders used to take the field with a swagger that all but declared a win before the opening kickoff. No more. Now, just like their counterparts on offense, they are struggling to regain that superiority complex.
"We're trying to get back to what we used to do and the way we used to play," strong safety Donte Whitner said. He said the problem lies in "people not being in position to make plays, I mean, they are in a position to make plays, but they're not making them. That goes for our entire defensive unit."