COLUMBUS - The Ohio State defense hung another goose egg on the scoreboard yesterday, keeping New Mexico State out of the end zone in a 45-0 rout of the Aggies. It was the third shutout of the season for the Buckeyes (7-2).

“The thing we’ve always felt good about is that we’ve got a good, solid defense,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. “And when you have a good defense, you’re probably going to get good field position, and you’ll maybe get some bonus points.”

The No. 17 ranked Buckeyes limited New Mexico State (3-6) to 62 total yards on 45 plays. The Aggies had just two first downs, and only 40 yards rushing on 30 attempts. Ohio State linebacker Brian Rolle recovered a New Mexico State fumble for a touchdown in the third quarter.

“We were unbelievable today - it just seemed like we were playing sky-high,” Ohio State linebacker Austin Spitler said.

The OSU defense has allowed just seven touchdowns over the past 31 quarters and has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 19 straight games. The Buckeyes forced the New Mexico State offense into three-and-out possessions 10 times.

“That boosts our confidence, to come out and get another shutout and really hold a team in check like that, regardless of who the opponent is,” Rolle said.

PRYOR REPORT: Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor had 83 yards rushing and 135 passing as the Buckeyes built a 28-0 lead, and did not play in the second half. Tressel said Pryor was “dinged up” from the nine times he ran the ball but was not injured to the point that he could not play.

“He probably got more runs in the first half than we might have designed for this game, and we felt as if he’d had enough of that,” Tressel said about his reasoning for turning the game over to backup Joe Bauserman for the entire second half. “He’s been tackled and banged around a little bit, and we had a significant lead.”

Pryor took off his equipment and watched the second half of the game from the sideline.

“It’s really not a big deal,” Pryor said. “I got a little bumped up, but I feel pretty good. I’ll be fine.”

Pryor’s teammates did not seem concerned about seeing the Buckeyes’ starter playing the role of spectator and cheerleader for the final two quarters.

“Terrelle - he’s going to be fine. He’s a warrior,” defensive end Thaddeus Gibson said.

PETTREY INJURY: The 17th-ranked Buckeyes led 21-0 in the second quarter when kicker Aaron Pettrey was laying back behind the coverage team after kicking off to New Mexico State. Pettrey got blocked low by an Aggie player and lay on the field for several minutes with an apparent injury to his right knee. He had to be helped off the field.

Since backup kicker Ben Buchanan did not dress for the game due to illness, the Buckeyes were forced to use junior kicker Devin Barclay. Barclay missed field goal tries from 47 and 36 yards out, hit from 29 yards, and converted all three extra point attempts.

Pettrey had twice missed badly from 52 yards out, but converted an onside kick early in the second quarter after Ohio State’s first touchdown of the game.

CROWD CONTROL: An announced crowd of 104,719 watched the Buckeyes throttle New Mexico State - the 54th straight crowd in excess of 100,000 to see Ohio State play in Ohio Stadium.

DREAM TIME: New Mexico State quarterback Trevor Walls had a rough outing - a lost fumble for an OSU touchdown, a sack, and no completions on his two passing attempts - but the experience of playing in Ohio Stadium will be the memory the Ohio native from Waverly takes away from yesterday’s loss.

“It was a dream come true,” Walls said. “I have always been a Buckeye fan. It was enjoyable being around friends and family. There were probably 200 people from my hometown here.”

BUCKEYE BITS: Ohio State freshman running back Jordan Hall carried the ball 10 times for a career-high 90 yards yesterday, including a 39-yard run in the third quarter ... the 39-yard touchdown pass from sophomore wide receiver DeVier Posey to junior Dane Sanzenbacher yesterday was the first touchdown throw by an Ohio State receiver since Ted Ginn, Jr., tossed a 38-yard scoring pass to tight end Rory Nicol on Oct. 21, 2006 against Indiana.

Contact Matt Markey at

mmarkey@theblade.com

or 419-724-6510.