COLUMBUS -- Saturday's season opener had an intriguing sideshow. Ohio State's Ted Ginn Jr. and Miami of Ohio's Ryne Robinson are arguably the top two punt returners in the country.

The showdown never materialized because the Buckeyes didn't have to punt until they led 34-0, and Robinson had one return for 10 yards. While Robinson is equ- ally dangerous as a receiver, his only big play Saturday came on a 35-yard touchdown catch with 1:11 left, long after Ohio State's starters were gone.

"We stayed within our scheme and tried to throw underneath passes," Robinson said. "Today, we executed our game plan for the most part with the exception of the first half. You have to give credit to their defense. They came up and made some big plays."

Safety Donte Whitner made one of those big plays. He turned an underneath pass into an interception and a 26-yard touchdown return to give the Buckeyes a 20-0 lead right before halftime.

Robinson's numbers were deceptive: eight catches for 96 yards and a 14-yard run. Ginn had 121 yards on 11 touches, but his yards meant more. He caught five passes for 75 yards, including a 42-yard TD late in the third quarter to give the Buckeyes a 34-0 lead.

The RedHawks spent much of the first half throwing short outside passes to Robinson and all-MAC performer Martin Nance. The OSU secondary kept them under wraps -- Ashton Youboty was second on the team with eight tackles from his corner spot.

"All day, we were catch and tackle," Robinson said. "We hardly ever saw a play today where Martin or I or one of the slot guys were catching passes and running for 10 yards before they were at least putting a hand on us or pushing us out of bounds."

Originally published Sunday, September 4, 2005