DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS — Every time Chris "Beanie" Wells hears a slight about Ohio State football, he becomes like a snorting rodeo bull waiting for the chute to open.

Wells' body may have needed some time off before meeting LSU for the national championship, but the Buckeyes' star running back was ready to kick up some dust as soon as the pairings were announced.

"I am tired of people talking about how Ohio State has no speed. 'Ohio State's not this, Ohio State is this,' " he said recently. "It really is tough to wait. You've got guys that are so anxious to play football and so anxious to get at LSU, it's incredible."

Much of the Buckeyes' motivation comes from the analysis they hear about the game, much of it centering on their soft schedule. While LSU played seven top-20 opponents, beating six, OSU went through the regular-season without meeting a single top-20 foe — the first time that's happened since 1936 (Purdue, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan were ranked between 23 and 26 when they played OSU).

The one-sided loss to Florida in the national title game last year also is fresh in the minds of many. That shellacking dropped the Buckeyes' all-time bowl record against Southeastern Conference teams to 0-8.

"This year, I think, we're a lot more focused," Wells said. "We're not 12-0 as we were last year. We're 11-1, and we know what it feels like to lose. We don't like that feeling at all, and we don't want to feel that (again).

"It is a shot of redemption ... just not from last year, but from all the SEC teams we've played here at Ohio State. We're 0-8 against all of them. It's redemption for all of us here now and the past players."

Much of the Buckeyes' hopes for a turnaround rest on Wells. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound sophomore has rushed for 1,463 yards this season — the seventh-best mark in OSU history — and racked up 821 yards in the last five games.

But while the Tigers have one of the most rugged defenses in the nation, Wells believes he's detected a weakness.

"I think if you really look at the film, teams could run on LSU," he said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or

dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.