Curtis Samuel ran for a 3-yard touchdown with nine minutes and 43 seconds left to give Ohio State a lead and J.T. Barrett converted two third downs on the game-sealing drive in a 24-20 victory Saturday.
According to Fox 8, because the Buckeyes were upset by Penn State last week, their offense was affected during their match against another multi-touchdown underdog. Detroit News adds that Ohio State (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) had on five straight drives in one stretch, but reacted to Northwestern, tying it at 17 with a touchdown drive finished by Samuel's ran.
On the other hand, Northwestern (4-4, 3-2) settled for 1 33-yard Jack Mitchell field goal to close to 24-20 with 3:31 left. Barrett hit Noah Brown for 16 yards on third-and-8 and then took off on a 35-yard run to convert a third-and-10 and put the Buckeyes in the clear.
"It was a pretty good chess match back and forth, and I just loved the way we finished it off," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said.
Barrett, who struggled looking for open receivers and whose offensive line had a hard time protecting him last week, was 21 for 32 for 223 yards. However, he did not complete a pass over 19 yards until the fourth quarter when K.J. Hill turned a sideline completion into a 34-yard gain.
"I'm comfortable where we're at," Barrett said. "I know there's things we can absolutely be better at as far as our offense. We're executing."
Mike Weber rushed 14 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns, the first coming on Ohio State's opening drive. He saw the end zone again in the second quarter, continuing around the right end for a 23-yard score.
Samul ran the ball seven times and caught seven passes for 99 total yards.
As for Clayton Thorson, he was 25 for 42 for 256 yards with a touchdown and a first-quarter interception for Northwestern. The Big Ten's leading receiver, Austin Carr, caught eight passes for 158 yards.
"It obviously didn't start the way we wanted it to, spotting them a couple scores, but the guys didn't flinch and kept swinging," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "And, you know, we ended up one punch short."
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