DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS — Ohio State will meet Wisconsin on Saturday in a game that will impact the Big Ten race and national-title picture, but most fans won't get to see the action from their favorite recliner.

OSU announced Sunday that the game will be broadcast at noon by the Big Ten Network, which isn't available to basic-cable subscribers in the Miami Valley.

Each Big Ten team is required to play one league game on the fledgling network. The Buckeyes already have appeared three times on the BTN, all non-conference contests.

OSU's game against Illinois on Nov. 10 will be carried by ABC-TV at 3:30 p.m., while the season-finale against Michigan also will be shown on ABC at noon.

Beanie feeling good

Ohio State tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells is usually his toughest critic, but even he couldn't deny he had a fruitful outing against Penn State.

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound sophomore plowed his way to 133 rushing yards — one week after racking up 221 against Michigan State.

"I did feel pretty good," he said. "I did the little things right, and I was running real low."

Wells, who has 996 yards this season, said his gimpy left ankle is still an issue, but defenders are usually in need of ibuprofen after tangling with him.

"When his pad level is low, he's tough to handle," coach Jim Tressel said. "People have a tough time dealing with him.

"Our line did a good job. Obviously, they got Beanie to the line of scrimmage, and he made some good cuts from there."

Reception reversed

Tressel admitted he was shocked when a replay review overturned a Brian Robiskie reception near the end-zone pylon in the third quarter.

Before play was halted by the officials for a second look, Robiskie was credited with a 22-yard grab. And Tressel began conferring with quarterback Todd Boeckman about what to run on first-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

"I told (one official) when the review was happening, 'Are we trying to figure out if he scored?' " Tressel recalled. "And he said, 'Yeah, I think so.'

"I said to Todd, 'Worst-case scenario, they're going to tell us we were out of bounds, so go tell those guys to be ready.' I got another play ready. I thought I was just being thorough."

The catch was waved off — the replay official decided Robiskie was still bobbling the ball while going out of bounds — but the Buckeyes scored two plays later.

Ballard burns defense

Tight end Jake Ballard caught a 15-yard TD pass on third-and-2 after Boeckman duped the Nittany Lions with a fake hand-off.

"When I was coming off the line, I saw the cornerback bite a little bit," Ballard said. "He was there a second too long, and I knew I had him beat."

The sophomore from Springboro had two catches for 20 yards and has nine receptions and two TDs this season.

Buckeye QB shines

Although he's just a first-year starter, Boeckman's poise and accuracy against the Nittany Lions made him look like a seasoned veteran.

The 23-year-old junior has 21 TD passes this year, the fourth-highest total in OSU history, and has four games to catch Troy Smith, who set the school record with 30 in 2006.

"Todd is maturing every game," Ballard said, "and we're definitely going to follow him wherever he goes."

Connor produces

The Nittany Lions' Dan Connor made the most of a showcase game against the Buckeyes, racking up 18 tackles with one interception. Of course, the star linebacker and the rest of the defense was on the field for nearly 38 of the game's 60 minutes.

OSU All-American James Laurinaitis had a quiet outing, getting just two tackles. But teammate Marcus Freeman had 14 tackles, including two for loss, with one forced fumble.