COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After Saturday's win against Penn State, no one asked Ohio State running back Lydell Ross if he'd be challenging the NFL's policy about entering the draft.
And no one mistook sophomore Maurice Hall for that other Maurice, the freshman, the one that gets all the attention.
The questions still came their way, though, because the two backs that have spent the season ignored thanks to freshman sensation Maurice Clarett found themselves in the spotlight during the Buckeyes' 13-7 victory thanks to a separated shoulder Clarett suffered on Ohio State's first offensive drive.
Though neither Ross nor Hall were mistaken for the Heisman Trophy candidate, after 21 carries, Ross finished the game with one more yard than Clarett did on his four carries. Both backs provided stability to Ohio State's all-around sluggish offense.
"Everyone talks about the need for depth in college football because playing in 13 games is physical," Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel said. "They get pounded, and that's why Maurice Hall is just as important as anyone else."
After Clarett left the game, Ross initially emerged as the Buckeyes' go-to-guy, getting handed the ball four times on the remainder of the drive, something that ended when Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel fumbled the ball on the Nittany Lions' one-yard line.
Ross was never able to break any big plays, thanks in part to a swarming Lions defense that was playing its best together all season. Nevertheless, Ross was able to grind out the two- and three-yard gains that may not have marched the Buckeyes downfield but did help them win the lopsided time of possession battle (Ohio State held the ball for 37:29 to the Lions' 22:31). And, at least one Lion thinks Ross has a leg up on the much-hyped Clarett.
"I honestly think [Ross] is a faster running back than Clarett," defensive end Michael Haynes said. "He actually caught the corner on me once, coach looked at me, and I'm like, 'He's fast, what do you want me to do?' "
For his part, Hall, who finished the game with 23 yards on eight carries, served much the same purpose as Ross, eating clock and maintaining possession.
"It's definitely different playing in a big game like this," Hall said. "I mean, you always have to be ready, but these guys are bigger, stronger and faster. I knew that maybe I'd have to play and do the things needed to help us win."
In a game where offense took a back seat to punters and defensive backs, that meant plodding along for two clock-munching yards at a time. Of course, if Clarett did more than shake hands for three quarters of the game, the most important numbers on the scoreboard would have been the score, and not the seconds ticking away toward the Lions' fifth straight loss in the Horseshoe.
