Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells can't explain it.
He just knows his results in big games.
"I love playing the big games," Wells said. "Honestly, talking with one of the guys earlier, I told him I love the big games. I guess you could say I'm made for them. I love to think I'm made for the big stage."
Wells has good reason to believe so.
His stat lines in Ohio State's biggest games speak to Wells' reputation as a player who steps up when needed the most.
His introduction to the country came when he broke loose for a 52-yard touchdown in the No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash between Ohio State and Michigan, when he spun away from a tackler in the backfield.
During a three-game stretch last season against Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin, Wells ran for 523 yards on 79 carries and scored four touchdowns.
Then, when Ohio State needed to beat Michigan to play for the national championship, Wells ran for 222 yards on 39 carries and scored both of the Buckeyes' touchdowns in a 14-3 win.
That set the stage for 146 yards on 20 carries in a 38-24 loss to LSU.
"In big situations where the team needs me, I feel I can be the workhorse and carry the team on its shoulders," said Wells, who was the middle child of 11 siblings growing up in Akron, Ohio.
Wells will have another opportunity to shine on the national level when Ohio State hosts Penn State in an 8 p.m. kickoff Saturday.
He was considered a Heisman Trophy candidate before this season began after rushing for 1,609 yards, but that campaign has been derailed by a right foot injury that sidelined him for three games.
Wells gashed Wisconsin's defense for 168 yards three weeks ago, and he saw his most significant workload of the season last week at Michigan State with 31 carries, nine more than in any other game this season.
"Beanie was sorer after 31 carries than he was after 20, which is understandable," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "You get hit 11 times by a truck, it hurts more. But he's fine."
Wells said he hoped to be healthier than he is at this point in the season, but sore foot aside, linebacker Tyrell Sales knows the challenge Ohio State's bruising running back presents.
"He's big, he's fast and he's strong," Sales said. "He's one of those guys you've got to hit him square and get him down to the ground. You can't allow him to get any post-contact yards."
Wells weighs 237 pounds.
That's more than Navorro Bowman (228 pounds), Josh Hull (231 pounds), Aaron Maybin (236 pounds) and Sales (233 pounds).
"That's a little freakish, to be honest," defensive end Josh Gaines said. "The only thing we can do about that is we have to get at him. We can't let him in our secondary against our little safeties and corners."
