COLUMBUS — What looked to be a solid start for Heisman hopeful Chris “Beanie” Wells, turned into a nightmare when Wells injured his foot early in the third quarter of Ohio State’s 43-0 win over Youngstown State on Saturday and had to be carried off the field.
“Your heart jumps,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. “You feel for anyone that goes down, especially when it looks like a leg injury. At first you think, ‘Oh, is it a knee?’ and then, ‘Is it an ankle?’
“From what I gather it’s more of a foot thing and X-rays were negative.”
The running back is coming off a sophomore season in which he rushed for 1,609 yards and 15 touchdowns, and many national analysts had him and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow as co-favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.
Wells got down to business early Saturday, running four times for 55 yards and a touchdown in Ohio State’s opening drive of the 2008 season. He finished with 111 yards on 13 carries, and caught three passes for 10 yards.
“I told him to keep his head up,” Ohio State receiver Brian Robiskie said. “(OSU defensive end) Lawrence Wilson had an injury last season and to see Beanie or any player go down, your heart just goes out to them.”
“I went out there to check on him and told him to relax and take a deep breath,” said Wilson, who missed the entire year after breaking his leg in last season’s game against Youngstown State. “I was crushed to see that kind of player go down, but I have a lot of confidence that he will be back. He’s one of those guys who is hungry and wants to play.”
The injury to Wells was the lone hiccup for the No. 2 Buckeyes, who looked good on both sides of the ball during the dominating victory.
“It was a good day for us,” Tressel said. “Our guys came out and they were business-like as to what they wanted to do. The issue wasn’t Youngstown State, it was, ‘What can Ohio State do to execute and get better?’”
The Buckeyes defense was the shining star of the game, holding the Penguins to 74 yards of offense and not allowing them into Ohio State territory until Youngstown State receiver Donald Jones got to the Buckeyes 45-yard line on the final play of the game.
The Penguins finished with minus-11 yards rushing and 85 yards passing, and managed just five first downs — one as a result of an Ohio State penalty — compared to the Buckeyes’ 24.
“I’ve gained more respect for the Ohio State defense,” Youngstown State coach Jon Heacock said. “This is one heck of a team that has a lot of great talent. Ohio State’s defensive line controlled our line of scrimmage throughout the game.
“Our team was humbled today.”
While the Penguins’ offense never got started, the Buckeyes couldn’t be stopped. Ohio State rolled up 495 yards of offense — 251 rushing and 244 passing — and scored on all six of its first-half possessions.
Wells and Terrelle Pryor ran for touchdowns, while Todd Boeckman threw touchdown passes to Robiskie and DeVier Posey. The offense used three quarterbacks, seven running backs and 11 receivers during the victory.
“It’s always nice to have so many options,” Boeckman said. “We have a lot of great wide receivers and (running) backs. It’s a great luxury to have.”
“Overall, I thought we clicked on all cylinders,” said Brian Hartline, who hauled in a 47-yard reception — the game’s longest — from Boeckman. “If I had to pinpoint something, I think we could work on our red-zone offense.”
The Buckeyes were held out of the end zone four times after marching past the Penguins’ 20-yard line. Three times they settled for field goals, and they fumbled on the other drive when Wells suffered the foot injury and lost control of the ball.
Fans at The Horseshoe didn’t have to wait long to see Pryor, the team’s heralded freshman quarterback, take his first snaps as a Buckeye. Tressel sent Pryor in during the Buckeyes’ third possession of the game — with Ohio State holding a 10-0 lead — and Pryor connected on his first three passes to move the offense down to the Penguins 5-yard line.
It was then that Pryor looked like a freshman — getting stuffed for a 2-yard loss on a run to the right side, then getting sacked for an 8-yard loss on third down.
“I didn’t see the blitz coming and I panicked,” Pryor said. “It’s one of the little things that I need to get better at.”
Pryor redeemed himself in the second half with a pair of play-fakes to Maurice Wells that ended in 21- and 18-yard gains for Pryor, the last one ending with his first career touchdown.
“He makes everything look so easy,” tailback Brandon Saine said. “He really is a fast guy.”
Ohio State will need Saine and plenty of other fast guys if “Beanie” goes missing from the lineup. He immediately went to see a doctor after the game and it’s uncertain whether he’ll miss time on the practice field or be unavailable for next weekend’s game against Ohio University.
Paulette Wells, Beanie’s mother, told a sideline reporter that her son had suffered “turf toe” — which is a joint sprain involving the big toe. Healing time for turf toe can be one to two months.
Tressel said he hadn’t heard that phrase used by Ohio State’s medical staff, but wouldn’t elaborate on what he did know about the injury other than, “it’s a foot thing.”
After the superstar was hauled off the field and taken to the locker room on a golf cart, many thought Wells suffered a serious injury and that he might be out for the season. But those worries were put to rest when he returned — limping — to the Ohio State sideline.
“That was great,” wide receiver Ray Small said. “When he came out, the team’s attitude sort of changed. He had a big smile on his face.”
Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com.

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