ts offense.The Pistons signed guard Ish Smith in the offs | Forum

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The problems that have bogged down Ohio States offense put the Buckeyes in a bind again. Alexei Ramirez Jersey . J.T. Barrett and Ohio State did enough in the fourth quarter against Northwestern to avoid a second consecutive upset loss.Curtis Samuel ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 9:43 left to give No. 6 Ohio State a lead, and Barrett converted two third downs on the game-sealing drive in a 24-20 victory Saturday.After being upset by Penn State last week, the Buckeyes offense struggled against another multi-touchdown underdog. Ohio State (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) punted on five straight drives in one stretch, but responded to Northwestern tying it at 17 with a touchdown drive, capped by Samuels run.Northwestern (4-4, 3-2) then got to the Ohio State 3, but settled for a 33-yard Jack Mitchell field goal to close to 24-20 with 3:31 left. The Buckeyes mounted a final clock-eating drive. Barrett hit Noah Brown for 16 yards on third-and-8 and then took off on a 35-yard run to convert a third-and-10 and put the Buckeyes in the clear.It was a pretty good chess match back and forth, and I just loved the way we finished it off, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said.Barrett, who has struggled finding open receivers and whose offensive line had difficulty protecting him last week, was 21 for 32 for 223 yards, but he didnt complete a pass over 19 yards until the fourth quarter when K.J. Hill turned a sideline completion into a 34-yard gain.Im comfortable where were at, Barrett said. I know theres things we can absolutely be better at as far as our offense. Were executing.Mike Weber rushed 14 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns, the first coming on Ohio States opening drive. He found the end zone again in the second quarter, chugging around the right end for a 23-yard score.Samuel ran the ball seven times and caught seven passes for 99 total yards.Clayton Thorson was 25 for 42 for 256 yards with a touchdown and a first-quarter interception for Northwestern. Austin Carr, the Big Tens leading receiver, caught eight passes for 158 yards.It obviously didnt start the way we wanted it to, spotting them a couple scores, but the guys didnt flinch and kept swinging, Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. And, you know, we ended up one punch short.THE TAKEAWAYNorthwestern: The Wildcats continue to improve and showed their Big Ten wins werent a fluke. They nearly pulled off another one in Ohio Stadium. Still, the Wildcats have not won in Columbus since 1971.We came here to win, and not getting it done is bitterly disappointing, Fitzgerald said.Ohio State: Smarting from last weeks upset, the Buckeyes at least escaped with a win over a big underdog. But problems with their passing game persist, and they need to improve to get through the rest of the schedule unscathed.Were a project, were still working things out, Meyer said. But I promise you, Im going to enjoy this win.POLL IMPLICATIONSOhio States effort might cost it a spot or two in the AP Top 25.AT THE DOOR STEPNorthwestern had a chance to take the lead with first-and-goal on the Ohio State 3 with 4:36 left in the game. But a 2-yard loss on a keeper by Thorson, a holding penalty and two incomplete passes forced a field goal try from the Ohio State 15. Fitzgerald said it was a long fourth-and-goal so he opted to kick the field goal and try to stop the Buckeyes on the next drive, which backfired.We had two chances to get stops on long third downs, and we didnt get it done, he said.INJURY REPORTStarting Ohio State wide receiver Parris Campbell left the game after he was injured blocking for Samuel in the fourth quarter. Meyer said hes got a sprained ankle. X-rays showed its not broken.UP NEXTNorthwestern: The Wildcats return home to play No. 11 Wisconsin.Ohio State: The Buckeyes host No. 7 Nebraska.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.orgFollow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacy Tony Gwynn Jersey . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Rollie Fingers Jersey . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. http://www.mlbpadresstore.com/authentic-matt-kemp-padres-jersey/ . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Detroit Pistons are preparing to be without standout point guard Reggie Jackson at the start of the season.Jackson is expected to miss about six to eight weeks with knee and thumb problems. The team said Monday that the 26-year-old Jackson had platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to treat left knee tendinosis and a sprained right thumb.I dont think you can say how it went, coach Stan Van Gundy said in bemused fashion. I mean, they injected him and the stuff went in him. I guess thats successful.Detroit opens the regular season Oct. 26 at Toronto, so Jacksons timetable could keep him out for at least the first month. He did not play in the teams preseason opener at Brooklyn on Thursday. Yellow Rollie Fingers Jersey. Jackson averaged 18.8 points and 6.2 assists last season for the Pistons, who made the playoffs for the first time since 2009. He and center Andre Drummond form an impressive combination, and Jacksons ability to drive at the basket is a big part of Detroits offense.The Pistons signed guard Ish Smith in the offseason, so his role will likely increase with Jackson out. Smith averaged a career-high 12.6 points in 77 games with Philadelphia and New Orleans last season.Smith has been in the NBA six seasons, and Detroit is his 10th team. Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '