EVANSTON, Ill. -- Was there too much hype too soon?

Did Ohio State freshman Maurice Clarett crack from the mounting strain of being on everyone's Heisman Trophy "watch" list as a mere 18-year-old? From coming back as quickly as he did from arthroscopic knee surgery? From confronting his fear of flying on OSU's first plane trip of the season?

Or was he simply careless in fumbling away the football three times in Saturday's 27-16 victory at Northwestern?

"We got some guys to put their hat on the ball," Northwestern coach Randy Walker said. "It's tough, no matter how good a back you are to (hold on to the ball) when someone gets a helmet on the ball. But I'm amazed at how mature and complete a player he is."

Clarett overcame fumbles on OSU's second and third series to rush for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries. Fortunately, his final fumble came late in the fourth quarter when the clock and deficit (11 points) were working against the Wildcats.

Northwestern scored a total of three points on the three turnovers, even though one occurred at the OSU 9. On the flip side, the other two fumbles killed potential scoring opportunities for the Buckeyes near midfield.

All future Ohio State opponents will study the Wildcats' tactics against Clarett and put more emphasis on punching the ball loose from his grasp.

"One thing we noticed on film that we talked about all week was how well (Northwestern) stripped the football," coach Jim Tressel said. " But you have to say that he was sloppy with the ball because I have never seen Maurice in practice allow the ball to be on the ground. That cannot continue."

Clarett was man enough to face the media after his troubling performance and, despite having little to say, described his effort as "horrible."

Not coincidentally, OSU leaned heavier on backup Lydell Ross (83 yards, 18 carries, 1 TD). Yet Clarett remained Tressel's workhorse even though most coaches treat a fumble like a cardinal sin that can't be tolerated.

"We try to do the best we can at putting guys in the game who we think will help us," Tressel said. "I've never been one to make a guy who makes a mistake go think about it for a month.

"I think Maurice and Lydell both did good jobs of running the football. We have to eliminate the fumbles, though."

Clarett has now lost four fumbles on 113 carries. He's also gained 715 yards for the 6-0 Buckeyes and has scored 12 touchdowns. He has rushed for two or more TDs in four games this season and has scored in all five games in which he has played.

"He's obviously disappointed and he'll work on (not fumbling)," Tressel said. "Here's a guy everyone expects a lot from and someone who has done a lot, and all of a sudden he didn't do what was needed. That would be hard for anybody, but I've said all along he's a competitor and passionate about being good and helping us win."

EARNING PRAISE: Tressel thought one of the bright spots was the play of quarterback Craig Krenzel. He didn't have one of his better passing games percentage-wise (11 of 22), but he did throw for 170 yards and rushed for a career-high 66 yard on 9 carries.

"In general, I thought Craig had good control of the game and a good job of getting us in the right plays," Tressel said. "He threw the ball fairly effectively and stepped up and ran when the opportunity was there."

Krenzel tied a career-best by connecting with wide receiver Chris Gamble on a 48-yard bomb in the second quarter. The pass was also the longest reception of Gamble's career and led to OSU's second touchdown.

PINCH ME: Mike Nugent's dream season continued. He kicked field goals of 41 and 30 yards against Northwestern, making 11 for 11 this season and running his streak to 12 straight dating back to last year's win over Michigan. It is the second-longest streak in school history, behind Vlade Janakievski's 15 in a row during the 1979-80 seasons. Nugent also kicked three PATs on Saturday and has been successful on his last 47 attempts.

Originally published Monday, January 27, 2003