COLUMBUS, Ohio -- He'd never admit it, but Ohio State coach Jim Tressel had to have had an interesting thought pop into his head before Saturday's game.

Maybe the key to beating Penn State is to keep its defense off the field.

After all, the defense was the Nittany Lions' main scoring threat against Iowa the previous week, helping force two safeties, and the offense had been in shambles.

And as it turns out, that's exactly what the Buckeyes did, scoring 14 points in the first quarter with the Lions defense having only been on the field for three plays.

"It's a good bunch of people," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "They fell behind 14-0 in two quick plays and they hung in there, played hard right to the end. So far they've responded very well. I have no complaints with them."

Penn State forced a three-and-out on Ohio State's first drive and after the Buckeyes returned the favor on the next possession, freshman speedster Ted Ginn Jr. returned a punt untouched 67 yards for a touchdown.

Three plays later, Buckeyes safety Tyler Everett took a Michael Robinson pass back 24 yards for a score. The Lions defense was barely able to blink and it was already facing a 14-0 deficit because of the offense and special teams.

Compared to what the defense has had to put up with in recent weeks though, this was nothing.

"It's not about frustration," safety Calvin Lowry said. "You see what Ohio State did. As a defensive player, you gotta believe you can do the same thing. And that's what we strive in practice every week, to be the best."

At the end of the day, the defense turned in another strong showing, holding the Buckeyes to just 202 yards of total offense and forcing two fumbles. It surrendered only seven points to Ohio State's offense on a 4-yard touchdown run by Branden Joe in the third quarter, but even that came after a 62-yard kickoff return by Maurice Hall set the Buckeyes up at the Penn State 35.

With that kind of performance, the Lions defense tries not to worry about what the scoreboard reads when it takes the field.

"You just gotta keep fighting," defensive tackle Scott Paxson said. "Coach didn't raise no quitters and we're wearing blue and white. We just gotta keep fighting, battle back, hope the offense keeps and maybe punch one in or two."

Infirmary report

Both sides had to have players taken off the field Saturday, three of note for Penn State. Tailback Austin Scott missed most of the second half after taking a hit on the head and had trouble remembering plays in the huddle, according to Penn State sports information, which said the back will have tests run on him early this week.

After rushing three times for 13 yards, Scott remained on the bench, hunched over at times and with a towel draped over his head. He left the field early and went to the locker room with about five minutes remaining in the game.

Safety Andrew Guman missed the final three defensive series of the game for the Lions with what was described as a chest contusion. He was replaced by Nolan McCready.

Finally, Rodney Kinlaw, who saw his most extensive work in the offense against the Buckeyes, had a scary moment when he went down with an ankle injury that prompted trainers to work on him out on the field. It looked initially as if they were working on his knee, the one in which he had torn the anterior cruciate ligament just before the start of the 2003 season.

"I was scared to death it was the knee he had operated on," Paterno said.

Kinlaw said after the game that he didn't think it was anything serious.

"[The ankle's] pretty good," Kinlaw said. "I just twisted it a bit, the left one. I just kind of fell and rolled on it. I wasn't worried."