Northwestern's mistakes lead to easy scores for Ohio State.

Byline: Terry Bannon

EVANSTON, Ill. _ It wasn't that sea of red that seemed to envelope Ryan Field. It wasn't those black pants Northwestern donned for the first time in a home game.

Something much more basic launched No. 1 Ohio State into next Saturday's showdown with No. 2 Michigan and doomed Northwestern to a 54-10 loss Saturday, its worst in four years.

"When you're playing the No. 1 team in the nation you can't afford to make that many mistakes. We turned the ball over five times, and we turned it over early too," quarterback C.J. Bacher said. "And you can't expect to do that and win."

The Buckeyes turned all five turnovers and a blocked punt into touchdowns, the kind of efficient work one would expect from a team that is 11-0 overall, 7-0 in the Big Ten.

Troy Smith tossed four touchdown passes, two to Brian Hartline and one each to Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez, much to the delight to the Buckeyes fans who appeared to be the majority in the sellout crowd of 47,130.

The Buckeyes didn't have to work all that hard, as only one of their seven scoring drives covered more than 55 yards.

It was the third time this season the Wildcats (3-8, 1-6) turned the ball over five times, and they lost to Nevada and No. 2 Michigan as well. Bacher threw two interceptions and fumbled once, and receivers Shaun Herbert and Rasheed Ward each coughed up the ball.

"We had turnovers, then we had opportunities to get stops, and in the kicking game, I don't know if we executed a kick all day," NU coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "You can't gift wrap it for `em. Christmas isn't for a month and a half. Merry Christmas."

The Wildcats played their way out of the game in the first quarter, turning the ball over on three of their first four possessions to stake the Buckeyes to a 21-0 lead.

It all began on the game's third play, when Bacher hit Herbert for 21 yards. But linebacker James Laurinaitis pried the ball loose and safety Brandon Mitchell recovered at the Buckeyes 45. Five plays later Smith hit Hartline for a 14-yard score.

"My first fumble," said Herbert, a senior.

Northwestern's second possession ended after two plays when Bacher dropped the snap and kicked the ball trying to pick it up. Defensive back Antonio Smith recovered at the Northwestern 27 and five plays later Antonio Pittman ran 1 yard for a score.

Northwestern's fourth possession ended on the fifth play when Mitchell returned an interception 46 yards to make it 21-0.

With three seconds left in the half, the Buckeyes got Ginn one-on-one against freshman Sherrick McManis and the result was a 34-yard touchdown pass on third-and-20 and a 33-10 halftime score.

"I'd put him up against anyone in the country," Fitzgerald said of McManis.

"He did a good job of not showing his hands until the ball was right there," said McManis, who had an interception earlier.

Everything else was for show, though Fitzgerald benched Bacher in favor of Mike Kafka in the second half. Afterward he indicated Bacher likely will start against Illinois.

Next Saturday, while Ohio State and Michigan are playing for a berth in the BCS title game, the Wildcats and Illini will end their seasons fighting to avoid last place in the conference. The Wildcats will be trying to bounce back from their worst defeat since a 62-10 home loss to Iowa on Nov. 9, 2002.

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