Ohio State led 20-7 at halftime and came out in the second half sluggish offensively, which let the Midshipmen get back into the game. Navy (0-1) outscored the Bucks 20-11 in the second half primarily due to three turnovers—a fumble, an interception and a failed fourth-down conversion.

“We knew (Navy) would fight to the last play and they did just that,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. “We gave them a little help along the way in that fourth quarter by doing some things that obviously you wish you could have back.”

Terrelle Pryor was 14-for-21 for 174 yards and had a touchdown and an interception in the win. The Buckeye offense was balanced with 156 yards in the air and 186 yards on the ground.

Prior spread the ball around, with seven receivers grabbing receptions. Dane Sanzenbacher had two catches for 57 yards and a touchdown and Jake Ballard had three receptions for 51. Ballard had a total of five catches last year.
 

The running game was effective at times. Dan Herron rushed 17 times for 72 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Saine had 53 yards on nine carries. But in tight situations, the line either did not open the holes, or the backs did not run as aggressive as they could have.

“We feel good about how (the offense) played,” Pryor said. “We have some things to clean up. I’m happy that we won and I’m happy for the guys in the locker room.”

Ohio State wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, scoring on its first possession. Pryor, on a scramble, found Sanzenbacher in the middle of the field for a 38-yard touchdown pass at 17:37.

“It was actually a broken play,” Sanzenbacher said afterwards. “Once he (Pryor) pulls it down, it turns into backyard football. We count on him to make plays like that”

The Midshipmen came right back and scored to tie the game with a 15-play, 80-yard drive capped off with a 16-yard run from Ricky Dobbs. Using their triple option formation, they were 4-4 on third down conversions on the drive.

After a stalled possession, Aaron Pettrey kicked a 23-yard field goal to put the Bucks back up 10-7 late in the first.

The Buckeyes took advantage of a Navy fumble to extend its lead. After Dobbs fumbled the ball and Ross Homan recovered, Ohio State went 56 yards and Pryor ran in from two-yards to extend the lead to 17-7.

As expected, Joe Bauserman saw time calling plays towards the end of the first half and led the Buckeyes on a 11 play, 54-yard drive capped off by a Pettrey 25-yard field goal.

The Midshipman, starting on their own one-yard line, chewed 8:38 off the clock, capping the drive when Dobbs found Marcus Curry for a 16-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to make the score 20-14.

Pettrey kicked a 52-yard field goal to make it a two-possession game early in the fourth, 23-14.

Ohio State took advantage of another Navy turnover to extend its lead to 29-14 with 11:56 remaining. The Buckeyes drove 30 yards and Dan Herron scored from 6-yards out off a pitch from Pryor.

“Turnovers killed us,” Navy coach Ken Nimmatalolo said. “In camp, we focused on taking care of the ball, but when you turn the ball over four times you aren’t going to win any games.”

Tressel made a call to go for a fourth-and-two conversion at the Navy 15 on the next possession instead of kicking a field goal and making it a three-possession game. It’s a decision he whishes he could remake. Herron only gained a yard and the Midshipmen took over—both with the ball and momentum.

“I probably let the emotion of wanting to score and wanting our offensive guys to knock a hole in it get the best of me,” Tressel said. “When we didn’t make it, I was hoping the next voice on the phone wasn’t (Athletic Director) Gene Smith’s because, you know, it was a poor decision.”

Navy scored twice in a four-minute span after the Buckeyes’ missed opportunity. Pryor’s pass to Sanzenbacher was high, tipping off his hands for a Navy interception. Right away, Dobbs found Marcus Curry for an 85-yard pass and then later scored on a 24-yard run to get to 29-27.

“As soon as I made the catch I made the move and had enough gas to get all the way there, but I was dying at the end of it,” Curry said.

They attempted to tie the game with the two-point conversion, but Rolle’s interception iced the game

“Brian Rolle just came under the route and popped out in front of the receiver. I tried to squeeze it in there by throwing it low but he just made a great break on it,” Dobbs said.

“We actually went over that play in practice this week,” Rolle said. “I’d seen it on film, but I was surprised he actually threw it. I was like, ‘Wow.’”

Dobbs ended his day going 9-13, 156 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 83 yards. Curry had a pair of receptions for 101 yards.

The Buckeyes host No. 4 Southern Cal Saturday at 8 p.m. If they are to win that game, they must refocus and get the offensive line working more in tandem, opening holes for the running game and allowing Pryor more time to look for the open receiver downfield.

“It was the first game,” offensive lineman Justin Boren said. “Obviously, there is still work to do. We need to work hard in practice this week and watch film. We’ll take it from there.”

“It’s going to be a great game next week. Everybody is going to be watching and the lights are going to be on. We are excited about that. We just need to get better as a team right now,” defensive end Thaddeus Gibson said. “I’m looking forward to this week to work on some things we need to get better at defensively.”