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No. 2 Ohio St. 45, Minnesota 0

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Andy Katzenmoyer's 42-yard interception return for a touchdown helped second-ranked Ohio State rebound from a disastrous first half to beat Minnesota 45-0 Saturday.

The Buckeyes (8-0 overall, 5-0 Big Ten) lost four turnovers and two key players in the first half, yet still led 10-0 over the hapless Gophers (3-5, 0-5).

The loss was Minnesota's fifth in a row this year and 12th straight in the Big Ten. The Gophers haven't won in Columbus since 1949, losing 14 in a row at Ohio Stadium and the last 13 meetings anywhere.

Pepe Pearson ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries for the Buckeyes, who won their 14th straight home game.

Ohio State had a 231-33 yardage advantage at the half after outgaining the Gophers 168-0 in the opening quarter. But the Buckeyes failed to score on three trips inside the Minnesota 12 and Josh Jackson's 22-yard field goal attempt clanged off the left upright.

Starting quarterback Stanley Jackson was intercepted on Ohio State's first two possessions, then sprained an ankle and was helped off the field. Backup tailback Joe Montgomery, who gained 160 yards in last week's 38-26 victory at Iowa, twisted a knee while trying to avoid a tackle at the Minnesota 8 in the second quarter. Both were to be evaluated by team doctors.

Minnesota never advanced beyond its own 32 in the first two quarters and managed just 104 yards for the game.

The Buckeyes finally broke through late in the second quarter when Pearson carried on all six plays of a 47-yard drive, capped by a 10-yard touchdown run.

On the last play of the half, walk-on kicker Andy Stamp converted his first field-goal attempt, a 47-yarder. It was the first field goal longer than 39 yards by a Buckeye kicker in more than two years.

The Buckeyes didn't wait as long in the second half, scoring on Matt Calhoun's 5-yard touchdown catch from Joe Germaine on their first possession.

Five plays later, Katzenmoyer, a freshman middle linebacker, picked off a Cory Sauter pass and returned it untouched for the score and a 24-0 lead.

Jermon Jackson and Pearson each added 2-yard touchdown runs and Michael Wiley caught a 28-yard scoring pass from third-team quarterback Tom Hoying to round out the scoring.

Stanley Jackson completed 8 of 15 passes for 93 yards with the two interceptions before leaving, while Germaine completed 6 of 11 for 75 yards with another interception. Hoying completed both of his attempts.

Sauter had three passes picked off, completing 11 of 28 for 57 yards. Spergon Wynn III had his only attempt intercepted as the teams combined for seven interceptions. Each team also lost its only fumble.

Minnesota was limited to 47 yards rushing on 34 attempts, while Ohio State gained 230 on 45 carries.