Buckeyes can't overlook danger Wildcats bring

Northwestern's top tailback is miffed that OSU didn't recruit him.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Ohio State defensive lineman Mike Kudla was jokingly asked who the Buckeyes play a week from Saturday.
"I'll have to look at the schedule," he said.
For the record, No. 10 Ohio State plays No. 21 Michigan Nov. 19 in their annual border war.
But Kudla's ignorance of the biggest game on the Buckeyes' schedule also says something about Ohio State's caution going into today's game with No. 25 Northwestern. It appears the Buckeyes know they cannot afford to look past the Wildcats.
Worried
"They're not afraid of anybody and they always hang around," guard Rob Sims said. "We've got to be worried about that."
Ohio State (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) is riding a four-game winning streak heading into its final home game of the season. The Buckeyes need to beat Northwestern and Michigan to claim a share of the conference title.
Northwestern (6-3, 4-2) isn't out of the race yet, either. If the Wildcats beat the Buckeyes and Illinois next week, and if Penn State should lose at Michigan State a week from Saturday, they would get a piece of the championship.
The Wildcats are 4-1 in games decided by five or fewer points, including last week's magic act when they won 28-27 despite trailing Iowa by 13 points with less than four minutes remaining.
"The last few years we've found ways to win some games," coach Randy Walker said. "It's a lot like a fight. We have to make sure it goes 15 rounds.
Down, out
"If they knock you out in the first round, they do not let you come back and keep fighting. We have to make sure the game goes four quarters."
The only time it wasn't the Wildcats who surged at the finish was when they gave up a late touchdown in a 34-29 loss to Penn State that now looms large in the Big Ten and BCS standings.
"You see that and you see you're going to have to play for 60 minutes," Ohio State center Nick Mangold said. "No matter what your lead might be, they can come back real quickly."
Northwestern has the best passing attack in the Big Ten and is seventh in the nation in total offense. Brett Basanez is contributing 352 yards a game while averaging 316 passing yards.
Freshman tailback Tyrell Sutton -- miffed that the Buckeyes didn't recruit him hard even though he holds the Ohio prep record with 9,426 career rushing yards -- has energized the running game. He's averaging 109 yards, fourth best in the conference.
"They had that great passing game and now they've got a great back to pick up yards for them, so it's kind of like that two-headed snake," Kudla said. "You've got to be real careful."
Formidable
Ohio State is no slouch on defense, however, surrendering just 77 yards on the ground and 280 overall per game. Linebacker A.J. Hawk is averaging 10 tackles a game and his running mate, Bobby Carpenter, is second in the Big Ten in sacks.
"We always like to peak toward the end, and the last couple of years we've done a decent job of doing that," Hawk said. "We just have to make sure that we keep that going. Playing a team like Northwestern, you have to be at your best or you're going to get beat."
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