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Penn State entered the game having scored just two touchdowns in its four Big Ten games this year, so the two quick scores by the Buckeyes all but ended the game before their second possession.
''We could tell their heads were down a little bit,'' linebacker Anthony Schlegel said. ''That's when we have to put the knife in.''
Or in the case of Ohio State's offense, the spork. But the Buckeyes jabbed and needled enough to keep the Nittany Lions out of the game.
With winds blowing at over 20 mph, Tressel took the ball out of the air and left it primarily in the hands of Maurice Hall and Smith -- as long as he was running with it.
Smith was 6-of-8 passing for 59 yards, the fewest attempts for Ohio State since the 1977 Orange Bowl, when Rod Gerald and James Pacenta combined to throw seven passes in a win over Colorado.
''We didn't really think too much about being careful that didn't have to do with what we normally think of,'' Tressel said. ''That's we can't turn it over, regardless of leads. It was a little bit windy down there and to throw it all over the place every down was not going to be the easiest thing.''
Neither was watching a game where the two quarterbacks combined for just 128 passing yards, compared to 84 on the ground.
Aside from a fumble when he was hit from the blind side, Smith was efficient in what he was allowed to do. Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson, subbing for the injured Zack Mills, was brutal anytime the Nittany Lions were forced to throw.
Robinson consistently missed open receivers and even soared a screen pass high and out of bounds. Since it went behind the line of scrimmage, it was ruled a lateral, a fumble and a 7-yard loss.
Robinson doubles as the team's best receiver. But on this day, he could've never even caught his own passes.
''He showed that he was a little rusty,'' Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. ''He had not been playing quarterback all year.''
It showed.
After Penn State drove 45 yards on the game's opening possession, primarily on the ground, Ashton Youboty intercepted Robinson and returned it near midfield.
Following a quick three-and-out series, Kyle Turano punted the ball back to Penn State. By the time the offense ran another play, nearly six more minutes had ticked off and the Buckeyes had scored 14 points.
Ginn started it by fielding the punt on the 33 and running untouched to the end zone. It's Ohio State's third punt return for a touchdown this year and the second for Ginn, the first time a Buckeye has returned two punts for touchdowns in one year since Jeff Graham did it in 1991.
''Like our punt returns have been all year, they've given us some energy and electricity,'' Tressel said. ''That's why we have two (returners) back there, because we don't really care who they punt it to because either one of them can make the play. And the other guy normally makes the key block for whoever caught the ball.''
Ginn didn't need much blocking. He made the catch, cut twice and was gone, amending an earlier error when he dropped a third down pass on a slant that would've been a first down and possibly a touchdown.
''I had a drop so I had to make up for it,'' Ginn said. ''If I would've caught that ball, it's a first down. So I knew I had to do something special.''
Everett followed that less than two minutes later when he stepped in front of receiver Terrance Phillips and returned Robinson's second interception of the quarter for another score. After Penn State players complained last week that Iowa's defense knew what plays were coming before the snap, Everett basically confirmed it.
''We knew their tendencies when they get in that formation, so we kind of knew what to expect,'' Everett said. ''I think (Phillips) thought I was going to hit him. He dove for the ball and it went high.''
Branden Joe ended the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter, the first of his career, and the Buckeyes were shut out in the second half on 29 running plays and five passes.
But as per usual with Ohio State, it did just enough to win. The defense held Penn State to 89 yards and three points in the second half.
''I'm upset we weren't able to (score more),'' Smith said. ''We need to do that. We're going into hostile environments on the road at Michigan State and Purdue and we're going to need to score points to win.''
jlloyd@morningjournal.com
