Chris Beanie Wells

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It was as if a stadium full of more than 105,000 people were suddenly empty. An eerie silence descended on Ohio Stadium when Ohio State's Heisman Trophy prospect Chris "Beanie" Wells went down because of a foot injury in the third quarter of the second-ranked Buckeyes' 43-0 victory over Youngstown State on Saturday. All of a sudden, what seemed like a nice tuneup for the mammoth showdown in two weeks against No. 3 USC seemed secondary. "First and foremost, you really can't replace Beanie," wide receiver Brian Robiskie said.

Who is going to beat them? A game that was supposed to supply this year's USC football team with its first definitive answer instead ended with a roaring, resounding question. Who is going to beat them? You tell me, after watching the Trojans dismantle the country's fifth-ranked team by 32 points Saturday night, exactly who is going to be better than them? "If we practice and prepare as we have done, I don't think anybody," said beaming Trojan Kyle Moore, standing firm on the unscarred Coliseum field, saucer-eyed Ohio State players trudging around him. This supposed game of the century ended up being a referendum on the last eight years.

While the Beanie Wells watch continues in Ohio this week, USC's open date on Saturday allows the Trojans to turn inward. The focus, as per Pete Carroll's bye-week formula, will be on freshmen. Offensive linemen Tyron Smith, Khaled Holmes and Matt Kalil are expected to get extensive work with the first-team offense when the Trojans return to practice today. "We'll see how far they can take it," Carroll said. "I don't have any goal in mind." For all of the talk about competition and positions being up for grabs on a daily basis at USC, only one offensive lineman has gone from reserve to starter status based on merit during a bye week after an opener.

Time to leave the hype behind and see which team can win this week's Game of the Century and move into the driver's seat for a possible trip to the Bowl Championship Series title game. Times staff writer Gary Klein looks at some of the key issues and matchups when the Trojans play the Buckeyes for the first time since 1990: Well, well, Wells The Beanie watch is over. Unless Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells is planning to make like Willis Reed, fans will have to take Buckeyes Coach Jim Tressel, right, at his word that the junior running back won't play because of a foot injury.

After watching quarterback Mark Sanchez overcome injury to star for USC in its season-opening victory at Virginia, Coach Pete Carroll anticipates a similar recovery from a player who could hurt the Trojans. Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells suffered a foot injury Saturday in the Buckeyes' rout of Youngstown State, crumpling to the ground without being hit while taking a handoff. A school spokeswoman restated Sunday that Wells had no broken bones and that an update on his condition was pending treatments and therapy.

It's the toughest ticket in town, with prices ranging from $100 to $5,000 on one leading marketplace website. But fans are not the only ones scrambling for tickets to Saturday's showdown between top-ranked USC and fifth-ranked Ohio State at the Coliseum. USC players are allocated four tickets to each home game. Several Trojans said Monday that their phones have been ringing and buzzing with requests from friends and family members. "It's crazy," senior receiver Patrick Turner said.

Time to leave the hype behind and see which team can win this week's Game of the Century and move into the driver's seat for a possible trip to the Bowl Championship Series title game. Times staff writer Gary Klein looks at some of the key issues and matchups when the Trojans play the Buckeyes for the first time since 1990: Well, well, Wells The Beanie watch is over. Unless Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells is planning to make like Willis Reed, fans will have to take Buckeyes Coach Jim Tressel, right, at his word that the junior running back won't play because of a foot injury.

USC Coach Pete Carroll was not surprised. Carroll maintained for more than a week that Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells would recover from a foot injury in time to play against the top-ranked Trojans. So, Tuesday's announcement by Buckeyes Coach Jim Tressel that Wells would play barely registered. "He's dealt with injuries real well through his career and basically fought through it," Carroll said after Tuesday's practice. "We just kind of assumed he would do it again."

Doubtful? The official word from Columbus on Thursday regarding the status of Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells was interpreted by USC Coach Pete Carroll and his players to mean there was no doubt that Wells would play on Saturday against the top-ranked Trojans. "I'll be surprised if he's not out there," Carroll said. On Tuesday, Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel announced that Wells would play for the fifth-ranked Buckeyes. Tressel, however, downgraded that assessment the morning after Wells practiced in pads for the first time since suffering a foot injury in the season opener two weeks ago. "If I was him, I'm going to play," Trojans tailback C.J. Gable said.

One game does not qualify as a turnaround. But after an impressive drop-free performance in their opener, USC receivers are confident that the criticism that dogged the unit last season is behind them. Damian Williams, Patrick Turner, Vidal Hazelton and Ronald Johnson each made outstanding catches against Virginia. The receivers intend to continue their momentum next week against Ohio State and beyond. "It's going to be throughout the whole season," Hazelton said Thursday.

Doubtful? The official word from Columbus on Thursday regarding the status of Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells was interpreted by USC Coach Pete Carroll and his players to mean there was no doubt that Wells would play on Saturday against the top-ranked Trojans. "I'll be surprised if he's not out there," Carroll said. On Tuesday, Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel announced that Wells would play for the fifth-ranked Buckeyes. Tressel, however, downgraded that assessment the morning after Wells practiced in pads for the first time since suffering a foot injury in the season opener two weeks ago. "If I was him, I'm going to play," Trojans tailback C.J. Gable said.

USC Coach Pete Carroll was not surprised. Carroll maintained for more than a week that Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells would recover from a foot injury in time to play against the top-ranked Trojans. So, Tuesday's announcement by Buckeyes Coach Jim Tressel that Wells would play barely registered. "He's dealt with injuries real well through his career and basically fought through it," Carroll said after Tuesday's practice. "We just kind of assumed he would do it again."

It's the toughest ticket in town, with prices ranging from $100 to $5,000 on one leading marketplace website. But fans are not the only ones scrambling for tickets to Saturday's showdown between top-ranked USC and fifth-ranked Ohio State at the Coliseum. USC players are allocated four tickets to each home game. Several Trojans said Monday that their phones have been ringing and buzzing with requests from friends and family members. "It's crazy," senior receiver Patrick Turner said.

USC and UCLA had the weekend off, but it was all work and no play Saturday for the schools the Trojans and Bruins play next. In Columbus, Ohio State got the Freddy Krueger treatment from The Ohio University of Athens before pulling out a 26-14 win that set off Dom Perignon corks at ABC headquarters, which very much did not want to televise next week a game featuring No. 1 USC versus a 1-1 team coming off a tough loss to a team nicknamed the...

One game does not qualify as a turnaround. But after an impressive drop-free performance in their opener, USC receivers are confident that the criticism that dogged the unit last season is behind them. Damian Williams, Patrick Turner, Vidal Hazelton and Ronald Johnson each made outstanding catches against Virginia. The receivers intend to continue their momentum next week against Ohio State and beyond. "It's going to be throughout the whole season," Hazelton said Thursday.

Now that he is developing a role as a power back in USC's tailback rotation, Allen Bradford is about to take a star turn. Coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday that along with his regular repetitions with the first-unit offense, Bradford would likely serve as a model for Ohio State's Chris "Beanie" Wells when the top-ranked Trojans begin focused preparations for the third-ranked Buckeyes. Bradford, a 5-foot-11, 225-pound junior, had a career-high nine carries, scored a touchdown and caught two passes in the Trojans' 52-7 season-opening rout at Virginia.

Now that he is developing a role as a power back in USC's tailback rotation, Allen Bradford is about to take a star turn. Coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday that along with his regular repetitions with the first-unit offense, Bradford would likely serve as a model for Ohio State's Chris "Beanie" Wells when the top-ranked Trojans begin focused preparations for the third-ranked Buckeyes. Bradford, a 5-foot-11, 225-pound junior, had a career-high nine carries, scored a touchdown and caught two passes in the Trojans' 52-7 season-opening rout at Virginia.

USC and UCLA had the weekend off, but it was all work and no play Saturday for the schools the Trojans and Bruins play next. In Columbus, Ohio State got the Freddy Krueger treatment from The Ohio University of Athens before pulling out a 26-14 win that set off Dom Perignon corks at ABC headquarters, which very much did not want to televise next week a game featuring No. 1 USC versus a 1-1 team coming off a tough loss to a team nicknamed the...

While the Beanie Wells watch continues in Ohio this week, USC's open date on Saturday allows the Trojans to turn inward. The focus, as per Pete Carroll's bye-week formula, will be on freshmen. Offensive linemen Tyron Smith, Khaled Holmes and Matt Kalil are expected to get extensive work with the first-team offense when the Trojans return to practice today. "We'll see how far they can take it," Carroll said. "I don't have any goal in mind." For all of the talk about competition and positions being up for grabs on a daily basis at USC, only one offensive lineman has gone from reserve to starter status based on merit during a bye week after an opener.

After watching quarterback Mark Sanchez overcome injury to star for USC in its season-opening victory at Virginia, Coach Pete Carroll anticipates a similar recovery from a player who could hurt the Trojans. Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells suffered a foot injury Saturday in the Buckeyes' rout of Youngstown State, crumpling to the ground without being hit while taking a handoff. A school spokeswoman restated Sunday that Wells had no broken bones and that an update on his condition was pending treatments and therapy.