Ohio St. holds NMSU to 62 total yards for third shutout of season

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• Ohio State Routs New Mexico State, 45-0

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• Ohio State kicker Pettrey sustains knee injury

Top 25 Overview

It was over when... The Aggies decided to take the trip up to The Shoe and pick up a big check. Gameball goes to... Ohio State's defense, which held the Aggies to only 62 total yards. Stat of the game... 30. OSU has won 30 straight against BCS non-AQ and FCS schools. Complete Top 25 Overview

Team Stat Comparison
1st Downs	2	24
Total Yards	62	559
Passing	22	249
Rushing	40	310
Penalties	2-30	4-25
3rd Down Conversions	2-13	10-19
4th Down Conversions	0-0	0-1
Turnovers	3	1
Possession	26:23	33:37

Air/Ground Leaders
New Mexico State Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Fleming 6/13 22 0 1 Walls 0/2 0 0 0	Ohio State Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Pryor 11/23 135 1 0 Bauserman 2/9 75 0 0
New Mexico State Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Fleming 7 31 0 13 Clay 10 16 0 5	Ohio State Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Hall 10 90 0 39 Pryor 9 83 1 27
New Mexico State Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Lee 2 12 0 10 Nelson 1 6 0 6	Ohio State Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Carter 3 82 0 40 Posey 5 79 0 43

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER				NMSU	OSU
	TD	14:56	Terrelle Pryor 8 Yd Run (Aaron Pettrey Kick)	0	7
	TD	13:01	Dane Sanzenbacher 19 Yd Pass From Terrelle Pryor (Aaron Pettrey Kick)	0	14
	TD	04:44	Dane Sanzenbacher 39 Yd Pass From DeVier Posey (Aaron Pettrey Kick)	0	21
	TD	00:56	Brandon Saine 3 Yd Run (Devin Barclay Kick)	0	28
THIRD QUARTER				NMSU	OSU
	FG	07:05	Devin Barclay 29 Yd	0	31
	TD	04:22	Brian Rolle Recovered Fumble In End Zone (Devin Barclay Kick)	0	38
	TD	00:05	Daniel Herron 53 Yd Run (Devin Barclay Kick)	0	45

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- New Mexico State didn't offer much of what No. 17 Ohio State will see the next three weeks. It just filled up an open date on the schedule.

Dane Sanzenbacher caught two touchdown passes and Terrelle Pryor threw for a score and ran for another in the Buckeyes' 45-0 victory on Saturday.

Fast Facts

• Ohio State is 7-2 and extended its win streak against BCS non-automatic qualifying conference teams to 30 games.

• Ohio State completed its third shutout of the season. It's the first time the Buckeyes defense has had three shutouts in a season since 1996.

• Terrelle Pryor struggled, completing 11 of 23 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.

• New Mexico State fell to 0-3 all time against the Big Ten.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

"I think we're ready for the last three games," Sanzenbacher said. "Today helped because it builds confidence. Everyone's excited about the fact that our goals are still intact."

The game was a respite for four-time defending Big Ten champion Ohio State (7-2), which closes the regular season with pivotal conference games at Penn State, against Iowa and at Michigan.

The Buckeyes had seven players who provided more offensive yards than New Mexico State did as a team in 45 plays. The defense throttled the overmatched Aggies, last among all Bowl Subdivision teams in total offense, by allowing just 62 yards -- and two first downs.

"Really, their offense never got on track," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said. "When you have a good defense, you're probably going to get good field position and you'll maybe get some bonus points, which we got."

Linebacker Brian Rolle took advantage of a fumbled snap, falling on the ball in the end zone for a score. By then the Buckeyes were already looking ahead to their showdown in Happy Valley next week.

"It will be fun going back to Pennsylvania," said Pryor, a native of Jeannette, Pa., who spurned Penn State and Michigan to come to Ohio State as the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the country two years ago. "We'll be ready to go. I always want to play in tough stadiums against tough teams. Those [Nittany Lions] fans will try to tear me up because they were one of my choices."

Rebuilding New Mexico State (3-6) received $850,000 to come to the Horseshoe. The defensive front for the 44-point underdogs was outweighed by almost 50 pounds by the Buckeyes' offensive line.

Just playing on a big stage seemed to be enough for the Aggies.

"Ohio State was my dream school coming out of high school," said linebacker Ross Conner, a native of NMSU's hometown in Las Cruces. "I made it to the 'Shoe."

By any measure, the game was a mismatch.

"As the game went on, we were just trying to get out of here healthy," NMSU coach DeWayne Walker said.

The Buckeyes felt the same way but they lost kicker Aaron Pettrey, third in the Big Ten in scoring, with an apparent knee injury to his kicking leg.

Tressel, frequently criticized for his ultraconservative play-calling, had his team onside kick after its first touchdown and later called a double-reverse wide receiver pass that resulted in DeVier Posey's 39-yard TD throw to Sanzenbacher.

Pryor completed 11 of 23 passes for 135 yards. The sophomore also ran for 83 yards on nine carries, scoring on an 8-yard run before taking off his pads and watching the second half from the sideline.

"I would take care of my superstar -- if I could find a couple of them," Walker said. "You've got to take care of your star player and get him ready for the big game."

Pryor ran for a TD and hit Sanzenbacher for a score after a surprisingly scoreless first quarter. The Buckeyes were just warming up.

Later, Dan Herron took a pitch and then lateraled back to the left-handed Posey, who tossed a 40-yard spiral to Sanzenbacher for a 21-0 lead.

Pettrey kicked the extra point and was covering the ensuing kickoff when he was blocked on his right knee and lay for several minutes on the field. He was helped off and stood on the sidelines in a warmup suit without crutches in the second half. Tressel would only say he was "banged pretty good."

It was one of the few negatives for Ohio State on a gray, chilly day.

"It's really important we had a good game this week so we could go into November ready to roll," defensive coordinator Jim Heacock said.