DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS — Take a bye, then kiss the next game bye-bye.

That's been a common refrain for the Ohio State Buckeyes in recent years. In games that follow a week off, they are 1-4 since Jim Tressel took over as head coach in 2001.

"We haven't done wonderful with byes since we've been here," Tressel said Tuesday, Nov. 4, as he reflected on not having a game last week and what's in store on Saturday at Northwestern.

The 12th-ranked Buckeyes (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) have had an extra week to stew over a 13-6 loss to No. 3 Penn State on Oct. 25. They took a few days off last week, rested up and recuperated, and now have returned to a typical week of practice. It's the same procedure they have always followed under Tressel — and which has been far less than successful.

In Tressel's first season in Columbus, they won their opener and were ranked No. 21 before taking a one-week hiatus. They came back to lose 13-6 at UCLA.

The only time they have won after a week off was in 2002 — a 51-17 win over Kent State. That also was the only time they've followed a bye week with a home game. The Buckeyes have not had the luxury of taking a week off in the past two seasons.

Wide receiver Brian Robiskie feels the team needed time to heal, both physically from the bumps and bruises of a hard-hitting season, and also to mend its psyche after the loss to Penn State.

"At this point in the season, guys are obviously hurt, guys are obviously banged up," he said. "So any bye week you have is going to be beneficial."

The Buckeyes practiced last Tuesday through Friday. That gave them an opportunity to look at mistakes.

"We went back to the basics," safety Kurt Coleman said. "That was probably the best thing because there were some things that we weren't doing well."

Coleman, a Northmont High School graduate, said he used the time to catch up on schoolwork, in addition to getting himself prepared for the Buckeyes final games at Northwestern and Illinois and at home against Michigan.

"It was a good time to just relax and get my mind right," he said.

How Ohio State has fared after bye weeks under Jim Tressel: