Buckeyes Deliver ‘a Dose of Reality’ : Big Ten: Ohio State defense dominates in 51-3 victory over seemingly improved Northwestern.

Northwestern’s football motto is “Expect Victory.”

When it comes to playing Ohio State, the opposite is true.

The seventh-ranked Buckeyes defeated Northwestern for the 18th consecutive time, rolling to a 51-3 victory in the Big Ten opener for both schools Saturday.

The Wildcats had looked improved in their nonconference games, but this time they looked a lot like the 17 teams that Ohio State overpowered by an average score of 45-10 since 1971.

“It’s embarrassing,” Northwestern Coach Gary Barnett said. “It’s embarrassing for our players and our fans. . . . We got a solid dose of reality, right between the eyes.”

Ohio State’s defense was the biggest reason for the lopsided score, intercepting five passes and recovering a Northwestern fumble. The Buckeyes had 158 return yards; the Wildcats had 162 yards of offense.

The margin of victory was the largest in John Cooper’s six seasons as Ohio State’s coach.

“The margin of victory didn’t surprise me,” Ohio State defensive lineman Dan Wilkinson said.

But Cooper was surprised.

“This is the best Northwestern team we’ve played since I have been here,” he said.

Ohio State moved to 4-0 overall. Northwestern, which was seeking its first three-game winning streak since 1971, fell to 2-2.

The score was 3-3 after one quarter, but Ohio State’s defense dominated the second quarter in piling up a 20-3 lead at the half. On the Wildcats’ first five possessions of the second quarter, Lorenzo Styles and Chico Nelson intercepted passes and the other three times Northwestern ran three plays and punted.

Northwestern gained 52 yards on its first possession of the game, but managed minus-one yard and had two interceptions on its next 15 plays.

“I think this is the best football team we’ve ever had,” Cooper said. “I like the chemistry.”