Buckeyes Need To Run Ball Better

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- What's brewing today with the 2009 Ohio State Buckeyes ...

BUCKEYES BUZZ: Several Ohio State O-linemen were asked last week what the one thing was they knew they could do on offense. Every one quickly and emphatically said, "Run the ball."

Yet that wasn't the case against a Navy defense that gave up 135 yards rushing and 212 passing per game last year.

The Buckeyes mustered just 153 yards on the ground on 38 attempts, an average of 4 yards per carry.

Individually, it appeared the Buckeyes missed Chris "Beanie" Wells a lot. Dan "Boom" Herron totaled 72 yards on 17 carries, Brandon Saine had 53 on nine attempts and Terrelle Pryor finished with 30 on six carries.

Mark this down: Ohio State will have to run the ball better, and defend against the run better, when it takes on No. 4 Southern California on Saturday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

MOVING ON DOWN: Four of the AP's preseason Top 25 teams lost last week, although none were earthshaking upsets. In each case, the victor was also ranked: No. 3 Oklahoma (lost to No. 20 BYU); No. 7 Virginia Tech (No. 5 Alabama); No. 13 Georgia (No. 9 Oklahoma State); and No. 16 Oregon (No. 14 Boise State).

THEY'RE COMING: USC will have a walkthrough at Ohio Stadium at 5 p.m. Friday.

WEEKLY AWARDS: The Ohio State coaching staff has selected its weekly award winners for the 31-27 win over Navy.

Safety Kurt Coleman was the Buckeyes' defensive player of the week, with an interception, a forced fumble and nine tackles. Dan "Boom" Herron, who rushed for 72 yards and a score, was the offensive player of the week. Nate Oliver, with two key tackles, was the top player on special units.

Scout team honorees included FB Zach Boren, RB K.C. Christian, RB Bo DeLande, RB Joe Gantz, FB James Georgiades, OL Chris Malone, B Rocco Pentello, OL Ryan Schuck, OL Scott Sika and TE Spencer Smith on offense, LB Tony Jackson on defense and Gantz on special teams.

LB Brian Rolle, who snagged the interception that preserved the win, was the top front seven defender. Justin Boren was the OL of the week and Oliver had the hit of the week.

BIG TEN BRIEFS: The second weekend of Big Ten non-conference action features seven opponents who appeared in bowl games last season and four that received votes in the preseason polls. ... Eight receivers had at least 100 yards receiving and five caught at least eight passes as the league went 10-1 (Illinois, which fell to Missouri, was the only team to lose). ... Minnesota hosts Air Force at the new TCF Bank Stadium, marking the first time since Nov. 21, 1981, that college football has been played on campus at Minnesota. It is the first Big Ten football stadium built in nearly 50 years, as Penn State's Beaver Stadium and Indiana's Memorial Stadium were both constructed in 1960. ... In Iowa's win over Northern Iowa, the Hawkeyes blocked two field goal attempts on consecutive plays in the final seven seconds to secure the victory. Iowa is the first team in NCAA history to block field goals on back-to-back plays and just the fourth school to block two field goals in the same quarter, a feat also accomplished by USC (1994 and 2008), Wyoming (1995) and Central Michigan (2004). ... Purdue's Carson Wiggs set a school record by booting a 59-yard field goal as time expired in the first half of a win over Toledo. ... The first trophy game of the season beckons, with Iowa and Iowa State battling it out for the Cy-Hawk Trophy on Saturday.