Lantern File Photo“When the stakes are higher, he plays better,” said senior cornerback Malcolm Jenkins. “I expect him to play at his best.”
When Beanie was only a freshman, he made a play against Michigan that helped propel No. 1 OSU over No. 2 Michigan in what people consider the “Game of the Century.” With 12:29 left in the second quarter, Wells came into the game and broke through the middle for a 52-yard touchdown run. The score gave OSU a 14-point lead, but, more importantly, gave Buckeye fans a look at a running back that could make big plays in big games.
In his sophomore year, in a cold and rainy game, Wells improved his performance from 2006, rushing for 222 yards and scoring two touchdowns as OSU beat Michigan 14-3 in Ann Arbor. Wells provided the entire offense for OSU and helped the Buckeyes reach a second straight BCS title game.
“Beanie’s a player,” Jenkins said. “He can change the game at any moment.”
During last year’s Michigan game, it was a 63-yard touchdown run with 13:40 left in the third quarter that changed the game and gave the Buckeyes all the momentum.
This year, Wells was long abated by a foot injury, but has been in good health the past few games and is expected to play well against Michigan. He is also only 43 yards away from 1,000 for the season, giving him more motivation to step up his game.
“Beanie will play well as long as he’s healthy, like anyone else, but he, in my opinion, has a little bit more than most and he even takes it up another notch,” coach Jim Tressel said.
Even Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez knows that “Beanie” Wells is different from any other running back his defense has faced so far.
“He’s got the speed, but he’s such a big, physical player,” Rodriguez said in Michigan’s media day on Monday. “A lot of times he just stiff-arms guys and breaks out of tackles, and he can outrun you, so that is probably the base of it. He’s a big, big physical guy that can really run.”
And don’t think that Michigan’s 3-8 record is going to make Wells and the rest of the Buckeyes take this game any less seriously.
“Ohio State versus Michigan trumps everything,” Tressel said. “It trumps your record. It trumps whether it’s dangerous or you don’t have a chance or any of those kinds of things. It trumps all things because it’s the Ohio State-Michigan game.”
Pundits in the sports world have been speculating whether “Beanie” will to go to the NFL or stay for his senior year. But don’t expect that looming decision to affect Wells’ play Saturday.
“[Wells] is probably most concerned about being successful against Michigan more than anything else,” said senior tight end Rory Nicol. “He’s committed to Ohio State.”
Matt Lang can be reached at [email protected].
