Herron nearly lost redshirt

The freshman from Warren Harding almost got the call to play Saturday.

By TOM WILLIAMS

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

COLUMBUS — Perhaps the biggest decision Ohio State coach Jim Tressel had to make during Saturday’s 58-7 blowout of Northwestern concerned freshman Dan Herron from Warren.

With the Buckeyes ahead 45-7, starting tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells came out of the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury.

Freshman tailback Brandon Saine didn’t play because of an injury, prompting 15 carries for junior Maurice Wells (48 yards) and three for redshirt freshman Marcus Williams (5 yards).

Tressel said he considered inserting Herron, a 2007 Warren Harding graduate, into the game, then used Williams.

“We decided to play Marcus rather than take the redshirt off Danny Herron,” Tressel said. “I was told that Beanie is fine.”

Saine, however, will miss Saturday’s game at Minnesota.

“If there ever comes that moment where the situation calls for it, Danny Herron can be a contributor as well,” Tressel said.

Ohio State’s spin through the bottom of the Big Ten standings began with a whirlwind performance. Junior quarterback Todd Boeckman completed 11 of 14 passes for 179 yards. Chris Wells rushed 12 times for 100 yards against the Wildcats (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten).

Saturday at 8 p.m., the Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0) will be in the Metrodome to play Minnesota (1-3, 0-1).

Robiskie leads way

Leading the offense was junior flanker Brian Robiskie, who caught three touchdown passes covering 89 yards.

“He’s a great receiver and he has great hands,” said Boeckman of Robiskie. “I have a lot of confidence in what he’s doing, not just ‘Robo’ but all the receivers.

“They can make plays if I get the ball into their hands as fast as I can,” Boeckman said.”

Robiskie’s first two scores put the Buckeyes ahead 14-0 about four minutes into the game. On both plays, Robiskie raced past a Wildcats defender to await the ball near the goal line.

“Robo is a kid who really studies the game. He’s very disciplined in his route running,” Tressel said.

“He’s long — he goes out with those hands and he can reach out and pluck the ball out of the air in a lot of different ways, whether they are coming over the top or they’re going side to side or they are going down to the ground,” Tressel said. “He has excellent eye-hand coordination.”

Robiskie suggested it’s important for Boeckman, the successor to Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, to excel.

“Todd’s been throwing a great ball and it’s helping his confidence,” Robiskie said.

Defense gets five sacks

Defensively, the Buckeyes harassed Wildcats quarterback C.J. Bacher, sacking him five times, intercepting two passes and forcing a fumble that defensive lineman Vernon Gholston recovered for a 25-yard touchdown.

“It’s fun to see a big guy like that running with the ball,” linebacker Marcus Freeman said of Gholston. “It was a great thing for us.”

Safety Anderson Russell made the first-quarter hit on Bacher that jarred the ball free.

“The quarterback wasn’t looking,” Russell said of the impact. “We were flying around and making big plays. We want to fly and hit people.

“One of our goals as a defense is to keep attacking the quarterback and forcing him to make plays that he doesn’t feel comfortable making,” Russell said.

While complimenting Boeckman for a strong play, Tressel expressed concern about a deep pass intercepted by Wildcats cornerback Sherrick McManis at the Ohio State 2 late in the first quarter.

“I sure wish we had gone and broken that up,” Tressel said. “We always say to the receivers [that] we’ll throw it to you deep as long as you catch it or break it up. We didn’t get that done.”

williams@vindy.com