Ohio State rolls, but takes a hit with injury to Wells

It was as if a stadium full of more than 105,000 people was suddenly empty.

An eerie silence descended on Ohio Stadium when Ohio State's Heisman Trophy prospect Chris "Beanie" Wells went down with a foot injury in the third quarter of the second-ranked Buckeyes' 43-0 victory over Youngstown State yesterday in Columbus.

The star tailback was hurt after taking a handoff from Todd Boeckman at the Youngstown State 2. His feet slipped underneath him as he planted to make a cut, with the ball rolling free as he hit the turf. Wells was helped off the field, and later returned to the bench in the fourth quarter wearing a boot on his right foot.

"I may have rolled it or planted wrong a play or two before," Wells said through spokeswoman Shelly Poe. "But the X-rays are OK, so we'll see how it feels in a day or two."

Before the injury, Wells ran for 111 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown run. Boeckman tossed two TD passes and freshman QB Terrelle Pryor added a TD run in his college debut.

Georgia 45, Ga. Southern 21 - Knowshon Moreno ran for three TDs and the Bulldogs, ranked No. 1 to start a season for the first time, beat the visiting Eagles.

Oklahoma 57, Chattanooga 2 - Sam Bradford threw for 183 yards and two TDs, Chris Brown ran for three scores, and only an hourlong rainstorm could slow down the fourth-ranked Sooners in Norman, Okla.

Florida 56, Hawaii 10 - Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow passed for 137 yards and a score as the fifth-ranked Gators handed new Hawaii coach Greg McMackin a lopsided loss.

Missouri 52, Illinois 42 - Sean Weatherspoon bailed out a leaky defense with two takeaways late and Jeremy Maclin had a 99-yard kickoff return and 45-yard punt return as the No. 6 Tigers outscored the No. 20 Illini in St. Louis.

West Virginia 48, Villanova 21 - Pat White threw a career-high five TD passes and the No. 8 Mountaineers routed the visiting Wildcats.

Auburn 34, La.-Monroe 0 - Ben Tate ran for 115 yards on 13 carries and the No. 10 Tigers beating the visiting Warhawks.

Texas 52, Fla. Atlantic 10 - Colt McCoy passed for three TDs and ran for another, leading the 11th-ranked Longhorns.

Texas Tech 49, E. Washington 24 - Graham Harrell threw for 536 yards and two TDs and also ran for another score as the No. 12 Red Raiders won in Lubbock, Texas.

Wisconsin 38, Akron 17 - P.J. Hill ran for 210 yards and two TDs, but the 13th-ranked Badgers needed a pair of third-quarter scores to escape the visiting Zips.

Kansas 40, Fla. International 10 - Todd Reesing threw three TD passes to Dezmon Briscoe and the No. 14 Jawhawks cruised before a school-record crowd of 52,112.

Arizona St. 30, N. Arizona 13 - Dimitri Nance ran for two early TDs and the 15th-ranked Sun Devils coasted after building a 27-0 halftime lead at home.

BYU 41, N. Iowa 17 - Max Hall threw for 486 yards and two scores and the No. 16 Cougars overcame four turnovers in the second half to put away the visiting Panthers.

South Florida 56, Tenn.-Martin 7 - Matt Grothe threw for two first-half TDs and the No. 19 Bulls scored on their first four possessions and rolled past the Skyhawks.

Oregon 44, Washington 10 - The No. 20 Ducks cruised at home behind two TD throws by Jeremiah Masoli and a pair of TD runs by Jeremiah Johnson.

Penn St. 66, Coastal Carolina 10 - Evan Royster ran for three TDs and Joe Paterno tied Florida State's Bobby Bowden atop the career wins list for major college coaches with 373 as the No. 22 Nittany Lions rolled in State College, Pa.

Bowling Green 27, Pittsburgh 17 - Tyler Sheehan ran 11 yards for a TD on a quarterback draw in the fourth quarter as the visiting Falcons rallied to upset the No. 25 Panthers.