Carlos Hyde leads Ohio State to 40-30 victory against Northwestern

Senior running back, Carlos Hyde (34), runs past a Northwestern defender. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Redshirt-junior cornerback Bradley Roby (1) blocks a punt and recovers it for a touchdown during a game against Northwestern Oct. 5 at Ryan Field. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Senior running back, Carlos Hyde (34), runs into the end zone for a touchdown. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Senior kicker, Drew Basil (24), lunges forward for a tackle. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Junior cornerback, Doran Grant (12), wraps his arm around a Northwestern player to make the tackle. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Freshman punter, Cameron Johnston (95), punts the ball. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Junior wide receiver, Evan Spencer (6), turns after a caught pass from junior quarterback, Braxton Miller (5). OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Kaily Cunningham / Multimedia editor

Senior wide receiver, Corey Brown (10), is pulled down by a Northwestern defender. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Senior running back, Carlos Hyde (34), grabs his helmet during the game. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Kaily Cunningham / Multimedia editor

Freshman punter, Cameron Johnston (95), runs the ball during a fake punt. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Senior running back, Carlos Hyde (34), tries to shake off a Northwestern defender. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Senior safety, C.J. Barnett (4), tackles a Northwestern player. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Junior wide receiver, Corey Brown (10), jumps for a catch and runs down the field with the ball. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Junior quarterback, Braxton Miller (5), tries to shake off a tackle. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Junior linebacker, Ryan Shazier, wearing No. 2 for injured teammate Christian Bryant, hugs Kerry Coombs, cornerback coach and special teams Coordinator. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Junior quarterback, Braxton Miller (5), looks for an open teammate to throw to. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Senior wide receiver, Corey Brown (10), is grabbed by a Northwestern defender. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Freshman safety, Vonn Bell (11), tries to pump up the fans during the game. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Kaily Cunningham / Multimedia editor

Senior running back, Carlos Hyde (34), celebrates after a touchdown. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Junior quarterback, Braxton Miller (5), gets hit by a defender. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Junior quarterback, Braxton Miller (5), carries the ball down the field. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Junior linebacker, Ryan Shazier, wearing No. 2 for injured teammate Christian Bryant, slaps the hands of fans at the end of the game. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Junior running back, Rod Smith (7), cuts down the field looking for extra yardage. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Shelby Lum/ Photo editor

Junior wide receiver, Evan Spencer (6), turns to run after a catch. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Kaily Cunningham / Multimedia editor

Junior quarterback, Braxton Miller (5), scans the field for an open teammate. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Kaily Cunningham / Multimedia editor

Junior defensive lineman, Michael Bennett (63), tries to tackle a Northwestern defender. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Kaily Cunningham / Multimedia editor

Senior running back, Jordan Hall, who was out with tweaked knee, stands next to fellow senior running back, Carlos Hyde (34). OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Kaily Cunningham / Multimedia editor

Freshman running back, Dontre Wilson (1), returns a kickoff. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Kaily Cunningham / Multimedia editor

Senior running back, Carlos Hyde (34), looks across the field after the game. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Kaily Cunningham / Multimedia editor

Junior quarterback, Braxton Miller (5), and junior linebacker, Curtis Grant (14), hug after the game. OSU beat Northwestern, 40-30, at Ryan Field Oct. 5. Credit: Kaily Cunningham / Multimedia editor

EVANSTON, Ill. – The Ohio State Buckeyes rode the powerful legs of senior running back Carlos Hyde to victory Saturday night, beating the Northwestern Wildcats 40-30 for their 18th straight victory.

Hyde ran for 168 yards on 26 carries and scored three touchdowns, the last of which gave OSU the lead 34-30 with 5:22 left in the game.

Hyde’s go-ahead score came after Northwestern redshirt-junior quarterback Trevor Siemian connected with redshirt-sophomore wide receiver Cameron Dickerson on a 12-yard touchdown pass to put the Wildcats ahead.

The Buckeyes fed the senior from Naples, Fla., the majority of the second half, looking to wear down the Wildcats.

“I definitely felt like me and the offensive line wore them down,” Hyde said. “We didn’t run anything crazy, we stuck to our basic runs and our O-line was having success in our blocks and I was having success in the reads. They were just making it easy for me.”

OSU was able to hold the Wildcats on their ensuing drive, stopping them on fourth down at the Buckeyes’ 33-yard line with 2:43 remaining. The Buckeyes were unable to run out the clock, though, and Northwestern got the ball back with 21 seconds to go.

The Buckeye defense was able to stop the Northwestern offense, as OSU freshman defensive lineman Joey Bosa sacked Siemian for a loss of eight yards. After a Wildcat spike, Bosa recovered a Northwestern fumble in the end zone to secure the victory.

The Wildcats (4-1, 0-1) took a 23-13 lead into halftime after a pair of touchdowns by senior quarterback Kain Colter, a nine-yard reception from Siemian in the first quarter and a two-yard run in the second.

OSU coach Urban Meyer blamed himself and the offense for putting the team in a hole early.

“I went for a fake punt, I felt like we need to swing momentum at the end of the first half,” Meyer said. “That was an error though, error by me.”

OSU’s lone touchdown in the first half came off a blocked punt by redshirt-junior cornerback Bradley Roby, who recovered the ball in the end zone for the score.

“They didn’t block me, I thought they were going to try to block me but they didn’t so I just went to go get it,” Roby said. “You’ve got to make plays somehow, if you don’t get action at corner you’ve got to make plays somehow and I just wanted to affect the game.”

OSU junior quarterback Braxton Miller struggled offensively, throwing one interception and fumbling twice. He finished the game 15 of 26 passing for 203 yards. Miller, though, never was taken out of the game. He said fighting through the tough plays is something he’s used to.

“It happened to me a couple times in my career so, I know how to fix my mistakes and just come back-adversity,” Miller said. “Just shake it off and come back stronger.”

The Buckeyes (6-0, 2-0) are off next weekend, but return to Columbus Oct. 19 to host Iowa at 3:30 p.m.