COLUMBUS, Ohio _ Northwestern entered having won three straight games _ and eight of its last nine Big Ten contests. But that did little to alter the public perception that the Wildcats would get overwhelmed at Ohio Stadium, where they had not won since 1971.
They entered as 26-point underdogs.
They exited with plenty of respect _ small consolation, perhaps, to a team stocked with impact players from Ohio _ and a 24-20 loss to Ohio State.
The Buckeyes took the lead with 9 minutes, 43 seconds to play on Curtis Samuel's 3-yard touchdown run.
Northwestern responded with a remarkable drive, converting long third downs with a Clayton Thorson option keep and a Thorson strike to Austin Carr, who remained the Big Ten's leading receiver by adding eight catches for 158 yards.
But a first-and-goal from the 3 devolved into a fourth-and-goal from the 15 after a holding call.
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald opted for a field-goal try, and Jack Mitchell knocked it through. Northwestern never got the ball again. The back-breaker was quarterback J.T. Barrett's 35-yard run.
The Wildcats (4-4, 3-2 Big Ten) need two more victories to go to a bowl. The remainder of the schedule appears manageable _ Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota and Illinois.
Ohio State (7-1, 4-1) kept alive its hope to enter its Nov. 26 Michigan game with one loss _ and, thus, remain alive for a spot in the playoff.
You can't argue that Ohio State took Northwestern lightly.
After the Buckeyes returned home following their stunning loss at Penn State, they were greeted with "Beat Northwestern" signs plastered all over their workout facility.
As if that didn't get the message home, the Buckeyes' season-long schedule board listed only one opponent: Northwestern. The others were covered by red construction paper.
"You lose a game, you're not a loser," coach Urban Meyer said. "If you lose a game, you accept it. It happened. Move on. Get ready for a very good team coming in here."
The Buckeyes did just enough to win.
