Devon Torrence #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes intercepts a pass in the third quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium on November 13, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. Torrence returned the interception 34-yards for a touchdown in the Buckeyes' 38-14 win over the Nittany Lions.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As [...]]]> Associated Press

Devon Torrence #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes intercepts a pass in the third quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium on November 13, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. Torrence returned the interception 34-yards for a touchdown in the Buckeyes' 38-14 win over the Nittany Lions.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As the Ohio State Buckeyes left the field trailing 14-3 at halftime on Saturday, their fans really let them hear it.

By the end of the game, those boos had turned to cheers.

Devon Torrence tipped and snagged an interception and returned it 34 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, and the Buckeyes (No. 9 BCS, No. 8 AP) ran off the final 35 points for a 38-14 win.

“We know how much our fans are obsessed with Ohio State football,” said wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, who caught a ricochet off a defender for a quirky 58-yard score in the 21-0 fourth quarter. “Booing us? I probably would have booed us.”

Travis Howard added another interception and brought it back 30 yards for a TD, also in the fourth.

“Obviously, I didn’t pay attention to it,” defensive end Cameron Heyward said of the boos. “It’s going to happen. But we had to respond in the second half.”

They certainly did. The two defensive scores gave Ohio State six interception returns for touchdowns in the last seven meetings with Penn State (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten).

The victory sent the Buckeyes (9-1, 5-1) into a critical showdown at Iowa next week tied for first place in the conference with Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Instead of win No. 401 for Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno, the second-half scores tagged him with his 133rd loss.

“There were a lot of things involved,” he said of his team’s second-half collapse. “I didn’t think they [the Buckeyes] did much different in the second half.”

The comeback from an 11-point deficit was the biggest in coach Jim Tressel’s 10 years in Columbus.

“They played their fannies off in the second half,” Tressel said of his Buckeyes. “I’m awfully proud of them.”

The game swung on one play.

With a 14-10 lead on second-and-9 at the Nittany Lions 37 midway through the third quarter, Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin fired a pass into the left flat meant for Michael Zordich. Torrence, a former outfielder in the Houston Astros system, had slipped off coverage of another receiver, sliding inside and streaking in front of Zordich.

“I saw it and jumped it,” Torrence said. “I had to tip it to myself.”

He flicked the ball up in the air once, juggled it off his shoulder and then finally collected it, racing for the touchdown and a 17-14 lead.

“He kind of baited me,” McGloin said. “At first he was rolling with Derek [Moye] and he came off. He just made a nice play.”

Ohio State then forced a punt and on second-and-23 from his own 42, Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor lobbed an arching pass down the middle of the field for DeVier Posey, with D’Anton Lynn and Drew Astorino pounding him as the ball arrived. But the ball squirted directly to Sanzenbacher trailing the play.

Lynn stood, hands on his hips, stunned as the Buckeyes celebrated in the end zone.

Howard then stepped in front of McGloin’s pass to end any drama.

Pryor, who was 8 of 13 for 139 yards with one interception and two scores, also hit Jake Stoneburner with a late TD pass.

The Buckeyes, down 14-3, were pinned deep in their own territory in the third quarter. But they covered 96 yards — actually 98 because they had a false start penalty before they ran a play. For the most part, they stayed on the ground, with Boom Herron, who had a career-best 190 yards on 21 carries, going the final 5 yards through a gaping hole for a TD.

Then came the interception that flipped the game.

Tressel improved to 27-4 in November games as Ohio State’s head coach — and 3-4 in the week after a bye.

The Nittany Lions, angry that they were listed as 2 1/2-touchdown underdogs, appeared to be the team that was rested and focused early.

McGloin, who finished 15 of 30 for 159 yards with the two interceptions, hit Justin Brown on a 23-yard score and Moye on a 6-yarder. They were the first touchdown passes Penn State had thrown in Ohio Stadium since joining the Big Ten in 1993, and gave the Lions the most points they’ve scored there in that span.

Torrence’s return helped the Buckeyes forget about the ugly first half and the torrent of boos.

“The halftime locker room was not a fun place,” Tressel said. “But it was not a place that looked like there was any quit in anybody.”

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Ohio State defensive lineman Cameron Heyward returns an interception against the Miami in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, in Columbus, Ohio.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Miami quarterback Jacory Harris and the 12th-ranked Hurricanes came into their showdown with No. 2 Ohio State confident and comfortable.

Four [...]]]> Associated Press

Ohio State defensive lineman Cameron Heyward returns an interception against the Miami in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, in Columbus, Ohio.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Miami quarterback Jacory Harris and the 12th-ranked Hurricanes came into their showdown with No. 2 Ohio State confident and comfortable.

Four interceptions later, they were deflated and defeated.

Terrelle Pryor ran for 113 yards and a touchdown and passed for another score Saturday as the Buckeyes took advantage of Miami’s miscues to hang a 36-24 loss on the Hurricanes.

“Feeling good doesn’t always end up good,” Harris said.

Eight seasons after the Buckeyes and Hurricanes played a classic game for the 2002 national championship, the rematch wasn’t nearly as close. In the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, the Buckeyes earned a dramatic and controversial 31-24 victory in double-overtime against a Miami team trying to repeat as national champs.

This one was no work of art, with numerous sloppy plays and bad tackling. But it kept the Buckeyes (2-0) perfect and prevented the Hurricanes (1-1) from making a case they belonged back among the nation’s elite.

It all came down to the mistakes.

“When you can create four takeaways, you’re going to have a chance,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. “And when you have zero giveaways, you’re going to have a real good chance.”

In what was billed as a Heisman Trophy showcase, Pryor completed just 12 of 27 passes for 233 yards but kept alive drives with many of his 20 carries and scored on a 13-yard run. Harris was 22 of 39 passing for 232 yards and a touchdown but had the four interceptions — three of which could easily have been caught.

“Two of them the receivers ran the wrong route,” Miami coach Randy Shannon said. “But, still, if the receiver runs the wrong route then throw the ball out of bounds.”

It was the last interception which proved to be particularly costly for the Hurricanes.

Trailing 26-17 at the half, Miami took the kickoff and drove to a first down at the Ohio State 6. But on third-and-goal, Harris’ pass over the middle was wide of the mark and intercepted by burly Buckeyes defensive end Cameron Heyward, who had dropped back into pass coverage. He rumbled 80 yards with the ball.

“I was trying to take it to the house,” said the 6-foot-5, 288-pound Heyward, the son of former NFL running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward. “They caught me. That shows they didn’t give up, and shows I’m not that fast.”

That was OK with his coach.

“They were going to bring it down to a one-score game,” Tressel said. “I was shocked how far he got. I kept thinking that someone was going to catch up to him and strip the ball. Oh, man I was petrified. That was a long run for a big guy.”

It set up Pryor’s touchdown run. He rolled right, looking to pass, then reversed field and scored untouched.

The Hurricanes, whose earlier TDs both came on kick returns, scored on Harris’ 9-yard pass to Chase Ford on the first play of the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 36-24.

Miami got the ball just once more, marching down the field only to lose it on downs at the Ohio State 39 with 7½ minutes left. The Buckeyes, with Pryor picking up big yardage on runs, then played keep-a-way the rest of the game.

Devin Barclay tied an Ohio State record with five field goals.

The first half had to leave both coaches exasperated.

The Buckeyes dominated, piling up 260 yards to just 104 with three turnovers for the Hurricanes. But Miami twice returned kicks for long scores. The first was Lamar Miller’s 88-yard kickoff return.

After Ohio State seemed to grab control at 20-10 on Dan Herron’s 4-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter, Travis Benjamin brought a punt back 79 yards for another score.

It was the first time in 121 years of football that the Buckeyes surrendered a touchdown on punt and kickoff returns in the same game.

The first interception Harris threw was tipped by Ohio State’s C.J. Barnett, into the hands of Nathan Williams, setting up Barclay’s field goal.

The second was a result of receiver Benjamin not even looking for the ball, with Chimdi Chekwa grabbing it to set up Herron’s TD run. Then Harris hit Benjamin with a pass along the right sideline, but he bobbled the ball into Chekwa’s hands to set up yet another Barclay field goal.

Three times in the half, Miami defenders got their hands on one of Pryor’s passes but none of them were intercepted.

“Today was the most calm I’ve ever been,” Pryor said. “I was really comfortable. I feel like I made good decisions and I was thinking about not making turnovers — and I got that done.”

Harris couldn’t say the same.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University says former football star Maurice Clarett has been granted re-entry to pursue his degree after he spent more than three years in prison.

Ohio State spokesman Jim Lynch says in a statement that Clarett started classes on Monday after he was readmitted by the College of Education and [...]]]> Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University says former football star Maurice Clarett has been granted re-entry to pursue his degree after he spent more than three years in prison.

Ohio State spokesman Jim Lynch says in a statement that Clarett started classes on Monday after he was readmitted by the College of Education and Human Ecology, where he was originally enrolled.

Clarett says in a statement that it is a “surreal feeling to be back at Ohio State” and that he doesn’t want to be a “distraction or nuisance” to the football team or other students.

Clarett led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship in his only college season. He pleaded guilty in 2006 to aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon, and served 3½ years in a Toledo prison, where he took college-credit courses.

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Terrelle Pryor is among 30 of the nation's top collegiate quarterbacks who were selected to the 2010 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award watch list.

COLUMBUS– Ohio State junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor is among 30 of the nation’s top collegiate quarterbacks who were selected to the 2010 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award watch [...]]]> Associated Press

Terrelle Pryor is among 30 of the nation's top collegiate quarterbacks who were selected to the 2010 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award watch list.

COLUMBUS– Ohio State junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor is among 30 of the nation’s top collegiate quarterbacks who were selected to the 2010 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award watch list. Preseason consideration is based on player performance during the previous year and expectations heading into the 2010 college football season.

Last season Pryor passed for 2,094 yards with 18 touchdowns and led the Buckeyes with 779 yards and seven TDs on the ground. The Rose Bowl MVP passed for a season-high 266 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 72 more and set an Ohio State bowl game record with 338 yards of total offense as the Buckeyes upset the Oregon Ducks on New Year’s Day, 26-17. He enters his junior year with more than 4,800 yards of total offense and is the fifth Buckeye quarterback to rush for more than 1,000 career yards with two years of eligibility remaining.

Pryor is one of 13 juniors to make the list and joins counterparts Ricky Stanzi (Iowa) and Scott Tolzien (Wisconsin) from the Big Ten.

Appearing on the Watch List is not a requirement for a player to be awarded The O’Brien. Quarterbacks from all 120 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools are eligible for the award until the field is narrowed to 16 semifinalists Monday, Oct. 25. The Foundation and the Selection Committee will announce three finalists Monday, Nov. 22. The 2010 winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show Thursday, Dec. 9.

The 34th Annual O’Brien Awards Dinner will be held Feb. 21, 2011 at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio—Receiver Duron Carter has left Ohio State and enrolled at a community college in Kansas.

Carter is the son of former Ohio State and NFL star Cris Carter. He has had academic problems and was declared ineligible for the Rose Bowl when semester grades were released in December. Coach Jim Tressel announced his [...]]]> Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Receiver Duron Carter has left Ohio State and enrolled at a community college in Kansas.

Carter is the son of former Ohio State and NFL star Cris Carter. He has had academic problems and was declared ineligible for the Rose Bowl when semester grades were released in December. Coach Jim Tressel announced his departure Monday.

Carter caught 13 passes for 176 yards as a freshman last season. He’s enrolled at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College.

Ohio State also announced that defensive end Keith Wells will not be part of the team in 2010. No reason was given. Wells saw limited action for the Buckeyes as a freshman in 2008 and redshirted in 2009.

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Ohio State recruit’s condition upgraded after shooting

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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio—An Ohio State football recruit was shot and wounded twice in two months, and authorities believe the cases are unrelated.

Jamel Turner, 18, was left in critical condition by a shooting early Saturday in Youngstown. A 17-year-old girl was killed in the shooting.

Police Capt. Rod [...]]]> Associated Press

Ohio State recruit’s condition upgraded after shooting

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio—An Ohio State football recruit was shot and wounded twice in two months, and authorities believe the cases are unrelated.

Jamel Turner, 18, was left in critical condition by a shooting early Saturday in Youngstown. A 17-year-old girl was killed in the shooting.

Police Capt. Rod Foley said Monday the case apparently was unrelated to a drive-by shooting on April 16, when Turner was wounded.

Foley declined to discuss a possible motive for the latest shooting, but said Turner and Tracy Banks, who was killed, apparently were intended victims of a shooter who fired from outside a house.

Police were trying to determine Turner’s relationship with Banks.

Foley said detectives had identified a possible suspect, but no charges had been filed.

Turner was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where he was listed in critical condition Saturday night with multiple wounds. Officials at the health center didn’t immediately return calls seeking a condition update for Turner.

In the April shooting, Turner was riding in a vehicle with two others on Interstate 680 in Youngstown when a dark car with tinted windows pulled alongside their vehicle and began shooting. Turner sustained a gunshot wound to the lower left ankle and another to the right hip.

Turner was a defensive standout for Ursuline High School in his hometown of Youngstown, but was declared academically ineligible last August. He enrolled in Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia, but left earlier this year.

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel issued a statement over the weekend saying that he was praying for Turner.

Shelly Poe, a spokeswoman for the football program, said there would be no further comment Monday.

Asked if Turner was still a recruit in good standing, Poe said, “He signed in February. That’s really where that is. Until he would report to campus we can’t really, I mean we don’t grade them by one way or another.”

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State Buckeyes and the Ohio Bobcats will kick off at noon on Sept. 18. This will be the seventh meeting between in-state rivals.

Dan "Boom" Herron dives for a touchdown in the 2008 win over Ohio.

The two schools announced Wednesday that the game, played at Ohio Stadium, [...]]]> By M.Bowman, Staff Contributor

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State Buckeyes and the Ohio Bobcats will kick off at noon on Sept. 18. This will be the seventh meeting between in-state rivals.

Dan "Boom" Herron dives for a touchdown in the 2008 win over Ohio.

The two schools announced Wednesday that the game, played at Ohio Stadium, will be shown on the Big Ten Network.

The Buckeyes have won all six previous meetings with the Bobcats.

Five other 2010 Ohio State games now have confirmed kickoff times: Sept. 2 vs. Marshall (7:30 p.m.); Sept. 11 vs. Miami, Fla. (3:40 p.m.); Oct. 16 at Wisconsin (7:15 p.m.); Oct. 23 vs. Purdue (noon); and Oct. 30 at Minnesota (8 p.m.).

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CLEVELAND—The wife of Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel is recovering from surgery to repair a heart valve.

Wife of Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has heart surgery

Norma Watson, Tressel’s mother-in-law, tells The Associated Press on Wednesday that her daughter, 56-year-old Ellen Tressel, had the operation at the Cleveland Clinic on Tuesday in [...]]]> Associated Press

CLEVELAND—The wife of Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel is recovering from surgery to repair a heart valve.

Wife of Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has heart surgery

Norma Watson, Tressel’s mother-in-law, tells The Associated Press on Wednesday that her daughter, 56-year-old Ellen Tressel, had the operation at the Cleveland Clinic on Tuesday in hopes of improving blood flow through the heart.

Watson says the procedure went well and her daughter is likely to leave the hospital this weekend. She says the coach plans to stay with his wife for the duration. He’s missing Big Ten league meetings in Chicago.

Ellen Tressel’s mother says doctors detected a problem when she was tested for a heart condition (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) that runs in the family. She wasn’t ill but had noticed shortness of breath.

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. —The New England Patriots have released veteran cornerback Shawn Springs,  who played sparingly after being signed to a three-year, $10.5 million contract with the team prior to last season.

Patriots release veteran CB Shawn Springs

The 35-year-old Springs appeared in 12 games and had 39 tackles and one interception for the Patriots.

The [...]]]> Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. —The New England Patriots have released veteran cornerback Shawn Springs,  who played sparingly after being signed to a three-year, $10.5 million contract with the team prior to last season.

Patriots release veteran CB Shawn Springs

The 35-year-old Springs appeared in 12 games and had 39 tackles and one interception for the Patriots.

The 13-year veteran has also played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins.

The Patriots drafted Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty in the first round of last month’s draft and re-signed veteran cornerback Leigh Bodden. They also have Darius Butler, a second-round choice last season, and third-year player Jonathan Wilhite.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Big Ten Conference says Ohio State will kick off against Purdue at noon on Saturday, Oct. 23.

Ohio State will kick off against Purdue at noon on Saturday, Oct. 23.

The game will be at Ohio Stadium in Columbus and will serve as Ohio State’s 2010 Homecoming game. Television coverage [...]]]> Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Big Ten Conference says Ohio State will kick off against Purdue at noon on Saturday, Oct. 23.

Ohio State will kick off against Purdue at noon on Saturday, Oct. 23.

The game will be at Ohio Stadium in Columbus and will serve as Ohio State’s 2010 Homecoming game. Television coverage will be announced later.

Four other games on the 2010 football schedule have confirmed starting times.

the Buckeyes’ opener on Thursday, Sept. 2, against Marshall will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium.

The conference game at Wisconsin on Oct. 16 will begin at 7:15 p.m. Two weeks later, the Buckeyes, five-time defending Big Ten champions, travel to play Minnesota at its new TCF Bank Stadium at 8 p.m.

The highly anticipated matchup with the Miami Hurricanes on Sept. 11 will start at 3:40 p.m.

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