Beanie Wells returned after three weeks off, and the Buckeyes had a good start to the Big Ten season:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -Woody Hayes would have loved the Beanie and Terrelle Show.
Tailback Chris ”Beanie” Wells rushed for 106 yards in his first game in a month and quarterback Terrelle Pryor ran for two scores and threw for another as No. 14 Ohio State went old school to beat Minnesota 34-21 on Saturday.
It was the first time the two started in the same backfield. All the Buckeyes did was rush for a season-best 279 yards on 37 attempts.
”It’s incredible to be with Terrelle,” Wells said. ”What an athlete. We can provide a spark for the offense.”
In an era of everyone embracing the spread offense, the Buckeyes relied mainly on the option with some modern-day sets tossed in. They passed for just 135 yards, throwing the ball only 22 times - which would have thrilled Hayes, master of ”three yards and a cloud of dust.”
Call this version ”7.5 yards and a hint of black tire dust from the FieldTurf.”
Coach Jim Tressel didn’t sound thrilled that his team was so grounded.
”I hope that we throw it more effectively down the road than we did today,” Tressel said. ”It just didn’t feel as if we threw and caught and protected as well as we’re going to have to.”
Wells, out after injuring his right foot in the season-opener, carried 14 times and showed his old form by racing for 28 yards on his second attempt. He also vaulted a potential tackler on another big gainer that should make quite a few highlight shows.
In his second start as a true freshman, Pryor ran for 97 yards on eight carries, scoring on runs of 33 and 1 yard.
”Beanie makes us more confident,” Pryor said. ”It takes the pressure off me.”
Pryor completed 8-of-13 passes for 70 yards, including an 8-yard scoring hookup with Brian Robiskie . He also had a 31-yard touchdown catch from Todd Boeckman , who Pryor replaced as starter a week earlier.
So far, Pryor is impressive. Hopefully, he’ll hold up over the next two months.
