OHIO STATE BUCKEYES Fans alarmed that wake-up call needed

Of the 117 teams, they're ranked 84th in rushing and 80th in offense.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Coach Jim Tressel has some words of warning for his players who think everything is OK because No. 7 Ohio State is unbeaten.
"We've had some progress, but that's all we've had," Tressel said. "We're just 3-0. We need a lot more progress."
That is particularly true of the offense, which has done just enough right to keep the Buckeyes unbeaten -- and just enough wrong to cause heart palpitations for the Buckeyes' fans heading into the Big Ten opener Saturday at Northwestern.
Heading into their bye week, Ohio State was worse than all but two teams in the conference in running the ball, averaging just 121 yards a game, and was a distant seventh in total offense.
Unbeaten or not, those are troubling signs for a team that used to pride itself on its efficiency and effectiveness with the ball.
Ross bashing
Vocal fans have blistered tailback Lydell Ross, the featured back in Tressel's please-don't-turn-the-ball-over offense that relies so heavily on the defense and kickers.
One letter to the editor in Sunday's edition of The Columbus Dispatch belittled Tressel's "dog eats the first-down playbook." Another accused sports writers of being too chummy with the team and making alibis for the poor effort and production. Still another said that with the team 3-0 no one wants to discuss the "elephant in the living room" -- the Buckeyes' inability to move the ball.
Some of that criticism is borne out by the numbers. Ross gained 141 yards on 17 carries in the opener against Cincinnati. In the two games since, he has matched that 141 yards -- on 49 carries.
Ohio State enters Big Ten play ranked 84th of the 117 teams in Division I-A in rushing, 80th in total offense and tied for 92nd in turnover margin.
Nick Mangold is literally the center of Ohio State's offense, so he has some perspective on what's wrong with the anemic running game.
"I don't think you can blame it on one thing -- either the running back or the offensive line or the play calling," he said. "It's just one little thing that didn't happen the right way that really hinders you as you try to run the ball. Not having that one thing kills the play. It's a group thing. You can't put it all on one guy."
QB erratic
Ohio State's struggles start but don't end with rookie quarterback Justin Zwick. The sophomore has hit on some big plays -- 80-, 47- and 20-yard scoring passes while throwing for 318 yards against Marshall -- but has also been erratic in both his passing and his decision-making.
"It's definitely frustrating," Zwick said. "You want to be able to move the ball up and down the field every game but you know it's not always going to happen that way so you take the good with the bad."
At some point, the lack of production cannot be justified by another narrow win. That's the point Tressel was making in his "just" 3-0 comment. The right instep of kicker Mike Nugent and the Buckeyes' rock-hard defense can only be expected to carry the team so far.
So much for "Just win, baby."
Some point the blame at the coaches. They say the Buckeyes are far too predictable on offense (then again, that's a common complaint whenever the team doesn't win every game by, oh, 100 points).