COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Curtis Samuel ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 9:43 left to give Ohio State a lead and J.T. Barrett converted two key third downs on a game-sealing drive to give the sixth-ranked Buckeyes a 24-20 victory Saturday against Northwestern.After being upset by Penn State last week, the Buckeyes offense struggled against another multi-touchdown underdog. The Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) punted on five straight drives in one stretch, but responded to Northwestern tying it at 17 with a touchdown drive, capped by Samuel.Northwestern (4-4, 3-2 Big Ten) then got to the Ohio State 3, but settled for a 33-yard Jack Mitchell field goal to close to 24-20 with 3:31 left. The Buckeyes mounted a final clock-eating drive. Barrett hit Noah Brown for 16 yards on third-and-8 and then took off on a 35-yard run to convert a third-and-10 to put the Buckeyes in the clear.It was a pretty good chess match back and forth, and I just loved the way we finished it off, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said.Barrett was 21 for 32 for 223 yards, but didnt complete a pass over 19 yards until the fourth quarter.Mike Weber rushed 14 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns, the first coming on Ohio States opening drive. He chugged around the right end for a 23-yard score in the second quarter.Samuel ran the ball seven times and caught seven passes for 99 total yards.Clayton Thorson was 25 for 42 for 256 yards with a touchdown and a first-quarter interception for Northwestern. Austin Carr, the Big Tens leading receiver, caught eight passes for 158 yards.It obviously didnt start the way we wanted it to, spotting them a couple scores, but the guys didnt flinch and kept swinging, Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. And, you know, we ended up one punch short.THE TAKEAWAYNorthwestern: The Wildcats continue to improve and showed their Big Ten wins werent a fluke. They nearly pulled off another one in Ohio Stadium. Still, the Wildcats have not won in Columbus since 1971.We came here to win, and not getting it done is bitterly disappointing, Fitzgerald said.Ohio State: Smarting from last weeks upset, the Buckeyes at least escaped with a win over a big underdog. But problems with their passing game persist, and they need to improve to get through the rest of the schedule unscathed.Were a project, were still working things out, Meyer said. But I promise you Im going to enjoy this win.POLL IMPLICATIONSOhio States effort might cost it a spot or two in the AP Top 25.PASSING GAME WOESBarrett, who had trouble getting the vertical passing game to click in the loss to Penn State as receivers struggled for separation, didnt complete a pass that gained over 15 yards until K.J. Hill turned a sideline completion into a 34-yard play in the fourth quarter. The vertical passing game still isnt clicking.INJURY REPORTStarting Ohio State wide receiver Parris Campbell left the game after he was injured blocking for Samuel in the fourth quarter. Meyer said hes got a sprained ankle. X-rays showed its not broken.UP NEXTNorthwestern: The Wildcats return home to play No. 11 Wisconsin.Ohio State: The Buckeyes host No. 7 Nebraska.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.orgFollow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacy New York Mets Pro Shop .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. New York Mets Shirts . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/ . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. New York Mets Store . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was stellar in making 39 saves in his home province and Lars Eller got credit for a bizarre short-handed winner as the Canadiens defeated the Canucks 4-1. Cheap Mets Jerseys .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Warrnambool trainers may need to compromise after having access to beaches in the area restricted.Horses will be banned from working on two of the beaches during the summer months while horse numbers will be restricted at other locations.Jane Baker, secretary of the South West Owners, Trainers and Riders Association, says local trainers are yet to fully understand how the new restrictions, effective December 1, will work.She said a meeting on Thursday with Warrnambool Racing Club (WRC) chief executive Peter Downs may help them better understand the situation.Baker said the only information she had to work with was a Victoria government media release last week which outlined the closure of the beaches and said a licence would be issued to the WRC which in turn would issue permits to individual trainers.Obviously theres not going to be enough to cover the trainers and the horses that we have here currently, Baker told RSN927.There will have to be some sacrifices. Not everybody will get what they apply for.She said indications were 50 horsses per day would be allowed access to beach training, a 50 per cent reduction.dddddddddddd.Those trainers who miss out on permits will need to find alternative training methods.Group One-winning trainers Ciaron Maher and Darren Weir are among the trainers who use the beaches.A $600,000 grant has been given to the WRC to build a $1.2 million sand fibre training track although work is yet to commence.Baker said there were a number of trainers with less than six horses in work in the Warrnambool area and she was not sure whether they would be able to access the beach, or use it every second day.And she is worried the restrictions may force up unemployment in the Warrnambool area.If some trainers reduce their numbers and theres less horses in work that means jobs may have to go, she said.Warrnambool already has a high rate of unemployment.I certainly dont want to have to tell my staff there is no work for them. 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