Terrelle Pryor had his second straight solid
all-around game, throwing for 135 yards and a score while rushing for 83 yards
and another touchdown, as 17th-ranked Ohio State blanked New Mexico State,
45-0, in interconference action at the Horseshoe.
Pryor was 11-of-23 passing without a turnover, while even wide receiver DeVier
Posey got into the passing act, throwing a 39-yard touchdown pass for Ohio
State (7-2), which won its second straight after a stunning lose to Purdue.
The Buckeyes have won their last two contests by a combined score of 83-7.
Jordan Hall ran for 90 yards and Daniel Herron added 66 yards and a score.
Dane Sanzenbacher caught four passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns for Ohio
State, which racked up 559 total yards to just 62 for the Aggies.
"(The defense) was unbelievable today," said OSU linebacker Austin Spitler.
"It just seemed like we were playing sky high. It seems like when we play at a
high level, it carries over to the offensive side of the ball and boosts their
confidence, as well."
Jeff Fleming threw for 22 yards and an interception on 6-of-13 passing and ran
for 31 yards for New Mexico State (3-6).
"Teams like Ohio State score a lot of points," said New Mexico State head
coach DeWayne Walker. "Our defense was really hanging in there, but without
field goals and touchdowns from the offense, it's difficult to make
interesting. That has been our biggest enemy."
The slumbering Buckeyes offense didn't score in the first quarter but awoke to
a 28-point explosion in the second stanza. Pryor finished off a 13-play, 80-
yard march with an eight-yard burst in the opening seconds of the second
quarter.
Head coach Jim Tressel then rolled the dice with an onside kick, and Ohio
State recovered to keep the momentum. Pryor was razor sharp on the march,
completing three straight passes, including a 19-yard scoring toss to
Sanzenbacher.
Three straight turnovers and an Ohio State missed field goal kept the score at
14-0, but after a New Mexico State punt, the Buckeyes embarked on a five-play,
70-yard scoring drive. Posey, a wide receiver, completed a trick play with a
39-yard scoring toss to Sanzenbacher for a 21-0 edge.
Another New Mexico State punt led to another Ohio State touchdown, this one
coming via the ground game to conclude a nine-play, 53-yard drive. Pryor threw
an eight-yard strike to Sanzenbacher and a 12-yard pass to Posey on a march,
capped by Brandon Saine's three-yard jaunt to the end zone.
The four-touchdown lead stood to nearly the halfway point of the third quarter
when Devin Barclay banged home a 29-yard field goal for a 31-0 edge. The
Buckeyes added a defensive score to its highlight reel, stripping Trevor
Wallas in the end zone, with Brian Rolle recovering for a touchdown with 4:22
left in the third quarter.
Herron's 53-yard run to the end zone late in the third stanza opened up a 45-0
advantage and capped the scoring.
Game Notes
The Aggies had faced just two Big Ten teams since the program's inception in
1984...This was the first-ever meeting between the schools...New Mexico State
hasn't scored more than 21 points in any of its nine games this season.
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