Matt Critton/The LanternOhio State junior running back Chris ‘Beanie’ Wells is tackled by Michigan’s Stevie Brown to end his 59-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of Saturday’s game. OSU won 42-7.Some of the biggest games of Wells’ career have come against the Wolverines and Saturday was no different. He finished with 134 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown, the seventh 100-yard game of the season and the 16th of his career.
“Coach Tressel always preaches that every yard versus Michigan is worth two yards,” Wells said. “It feels great.”
He left the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury he aggravated on the game’s first touchdown, a 59-yard run which ended with Wells being brought down awkwardly by Michigan’s Stevie Brown.
Coach Jim Tressel knew his star running back had been taking beatings all season and would do anything to play on Saturday.
Wells’ hamstring began bothering him last week but seemed fine during practices leading up to the Michigan game, Tressel said.
“Although [it is] Michigan Week practice, they want to make sure they’re alive for the game. You never know if they’re healthy,” Tressel said.
The first quarter touchdown was the 30th of Wells’ career and his third career touchdown of 50 or more yards against Michigan. He had a 52-yard score against the Wolverines in 2006 and a 62-yarder in 2006.
Wells credits the game planning of the coaches and blocking by the offensive line for his performance.
“We knew that they would be stacking the box coming in and that is exactly what they did,” Wells said. “In the second half, the offensive line did a great job at stepping up and the rest of the team picked it up.”
Ahead just 14-7 at halftime, the Buckeyes came out of the locker room determined to end the game early in the second half.
OSU started its first possession of the second half at its own nine yard line. Just two plays later the Buckeyes were in the end zone, thanks to the combination of Wells and freshman running back Daniel “Boom” Herron. The duo led the Buckeyes on a 91-yard drive that culminated with Herron scoring on a 49-yard run.
“‘Beanie’ and Boom did a good job keeping their shoulders square and came up with the big plays,” Tressel said.
It was the third straight game in which the freshman scored a touchdown for the Buckeyes.
When asked about Wells’ performance, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said, “He’s a first rounder. Is he a senior?” After Rodriguez was told Wells is a junior, he replied, “He’s a great player. A big physical guy like that [has had] a great career and he’s probably going be playing for a long time.”
Wells knows from experience that a strong performance against Michigan can launch a Buckeye onto the national stage, and spoke to Herron about it.
“I told him to fight for those seniors out on the field,” Wells said. “I also told him that this is a game where you make a name for yourself and he definitely made his name today.”
Herron finished with 80 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns. The second came on a two-yard run at the start of the fourth quarter.
The running back duo was the driving force in the Buckeyes’ record fifth-straight victory against the Wolverines, something Wells said he will always remember.
“It’s such an honor and a blessing to be able to say I’m a part of something,” he said. “I’m part of a team that beat Michigan five years in a row. It’s kind of unreal to me, it’s something that’s never been done before and you’re finally part of something that happens, and it’s great.”
James Crepea can be reached at [email protected].
