COLUMBUS - Ohio State junior receiver Ray Small figured out the best way to get out of coach Jim Tressel's doghouse is to just run out. Small's 80-yard punt return late in the third quarter got the Buckeyes out of a deep hole and set up their fourth touchdown against Michigan, and might have put Small back in good graces.

Small, who was stripped of his number earlier this year for violations of team rules, got suspended a couple weeks ago for reportedly missing class and showing up late for team meetings. His father spoke out at the time, publicly accusing the Ohio State coaching staff of "blowing" his son's career and his chances of playing professional football.

Tressel reinstated Small following last week's game at

Illinois, the second contest the Cleveland Glenville product had missed.

Small had five punt returns against Michigan for 110 yards, with the big shot setting the Buckeyes up at the Wolverines' 8-yard line. Ohio State scored on the next play to take a 28-7 lead.

"I thought Ray Small's return was huge," Tressel said. "I don't remember what the score was at the time - maybe 21-7 - but that was a huge return."

PREGAME POSTURING: Yesterday's game had a face-off, but not the hockey variety, and it took place well before the real action started.

As both teams completed their pregame warm-ups and started to head to the locker rooms, they brushed close together near midfield and words were exchanged along with a lot of gesturing and menacing looks.

"That's what makes it such a great rivalry - it's that we both hate each other, and that's the truth," Ohio State senior offensive lineman Alex Boone said. "When you put two teams that hate each other together out there in a 100-yard by 50-yard box, those kinds of things are going to happen. It was just a lot of words - nobody was stupid enough to throw a punch or anything like that."

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez was not pleased that his first OSU-UM game was

prefaced with that kind of incident.

"That was unfortunate. I think just the emotions and guys start talking and all that," Rodriguez said. "That shouldn't happen and I told the guys that. It's not a trash-talking or a talking contest, it's a football contest."

CROWD CONTROL: The 105th meeting between Ohio State and Michigan drew an announced crowd of 105,564 people, which made it the fourth largest in Ohio Stadium history.

CLASS ACT: Ohio State's

senior class of 28 players now has 43 wins during their time with the Buckeyes - tying the record set by the 1995-98 group and the 2002-05 group.

ALL WELLS: With a 134-yard performance, Chris "Beanie" Wells passed Keith Byars for fourth place on the Buckeyes' all-time rushing list.

Byars had 3,200 yards from 1982-85, and Wells has 3,276 yards with one game remaining in his junior year.

This season, Wells has moved past Byars, Pepe Pearson, Carlos Snow, Michael Wiley, Antonio Pittman, Raymont Harris and Calvin Murray.

Wells had his seventh 100-yard game this season and the 16th of his career. He has 1,091 this season and became the sixth OSU player with back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. The others are Archie Griffin (1973-75), Tim Spencer (1981-82), Byars (1983-84), Eddie George (1994-95), and Pittman (2005-06).

TRUST TRESSEL: Jim Tressel not only became the first OSU coach to beat Michigan five straight times, he is 7-1 against the Wolverines. His only loss was at UM in 2003.

- Matt Markey, Steve Junga