Ready and rolling! Ohio State unleashes powerful attack

BY MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

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The Ohio State Marching Band takes the field in the Buckeyes' season opener in Columbus. THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Ohio State's wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher scores a touchdown during the first quarter. THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH Enlarge | Photo Reprints

COLUMBUS - Ohio State spent most of the last month and a good portion of its spring workouts fine-tuning, tinkering with and test-driving its offense, installing a turbo-charger, and getting it readied to really roll.

The Buckeyes took this new model attack out for a test drive Thursday night, and after a few times around the block, they had dismantled Marshall 45-7 in front of an Ohio Stadium crowd of 105,040. Ohio State had 529 yards of offense, averaging close to eight yards per play.

Junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor, the MVP of Ohio State's Rose Bowl win over Oregon in January, spread the ball around to at least a half dozen different receivers Thursday night, and used the tight end, fullback, and tailback in the passing game. Pryor completed 17-of-25 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, without throwing an interception.

Senior running back Brandon Saine had 103 yards rushing - all in the first half - on just nine carries, including a 45-yard scoring run. Senior wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher had 113 yards on three catches, with one of them going for a 65-yard touchdown. Junior DeVier Posey caught a pair of scoring passes.

"Overall we played well, and you got to see that all of the off-season work really paid off," Sanzenbacher said.

"I thought the offense adjusted well. We knew Marshall was going to have a whole new defense, and we would have to adjust on the fly. I think we got it done."

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said he was satisfied with the lop-sided opening win, but said he expects the real trial for his team to come next Saturday when the No. 13 Miami Hurricanes visit Columbus.

"For what it was, it's a win," Tressel said. "I thought that we did some good things, and it's important that we did. There was a lot we got out of it, and now we have a chance to evaluate ourselves."

The Ohio State defense was just as dominant as its offensive counterparts, and did not allow Marshall an offensive touchdown.

Thursday night marked the 51st time since 2006 that Ohio State's defense has held an opponent to less than 21 points - the best among all the teams in Division I. The Buckeyes allowed just 12.5 points per game last season, fifth best in the nation.

"We have excellent quickness on defense and we've got those veterans in there, and to me their greatest strength is their quickness," Tressel said. "And to have that kind of quickness, you have to know what you're doing."

The Buckeyes opened the game with a big play on special teams as Nate Oliver recovered a fumble at the Marshall 22 yardline.

Pryor hit tight end Jake Stoneburner on first down, then three plays later tossed a six-yard touchdown pass to DeVier Posey for a 7-0 lead just over a minute into the game.

On Ohio State's second possession of the night, Saine broke into the open field, waited on his blockers, and rolled 40 yards to the Marshall four yardline.

He scored on the next play and Ohio State led 14-0 after another extra point kick from Devin Barclay.

Marshall stopped an Ohio State drive with under three minutes left in the first quarter, and Buckeyes' freshman kicker Drew Basil had his field goal try from the 39 yards out blocked, and then returned for a touchdown by Marshall's Ahmed Shakoor.

The Buckeyes answered right back with Pryor hitting Sanzenbacher on the run over the middle, and Sanzenbacher then spinning out of a tackle for a 65-yard touchdown reception and a 21-7 advantage near the end of the first quarter.

"We proved that we could deliver on what we worked on," Sanzenbacher said.

Saine made it 28-7 in the second quarter when he slipped behind the block of left guard Justin Boren, found some space in the middle of the field, and turned on the jets angling untouched into the endzone for a 45-yard score.

"Brandon Saine, when he hits that gear, he can go," Tressel said.

Marshall quarterback Brian Anderson threw into a crowd over the middle, and Ohio State senior linebacker Brian Rolle intercepted the ball, spun to the outside, and raced 30 yards for another OSU touchdown and a 35-7 halftime lead.

It was Ohio State's most productive scoring half since the Buckeyes led 35-0 in a 2007 win over Kent State.

The Buckeyes stretched the lead to 42-7 when Pryor hit Posey with an 11-yard scoring pass early in the third quarter, and Devin Barclay added a 34-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to close out Ohio State's scoring.

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Contact Matt Markey at:

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or 419-724-6510.

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