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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The problems that have bogged down Ohio States offense put the Buckeyes in a bind again. J.T. Barrett and Ohio State did enough in the fourth quarter against Northwestern to avoid a second consecutive upset loss.Curtis Samuel ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 9:43 left to give No. 6 Ohio State a lead, and Barrett converted two third downs on the game-sealing drive in a 24-20 victory Saturday.After being upset by Penn State last week, the Buckeyes offense struggled against another multi-touchdown underdog. Ohio State (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 Samuels run.Northwestern (4-4, 3-2) 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 and 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, who has struggled finding open receivers and whose offensive line had difficulty protecting him last week, was 21 for 32 for 223 yards, but he didnt complete a pass over 19 yards until the fourth quarter when K.J. Hill turned a sideline completion into a 34-yard gain.Im comfortable where were at, Barrett said. I know theres things we can absolutely be better at as far as our offense. Were executing.Mike Weber rushed 14 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns, the first coming on Ohio States opening drive. He found the end zone again in the second quarter, chugging around the right end for a 23-yard score.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.AT THE DOOR STEPNorthwestern had a chance to take the lead with first-and-goal on the Ohio State 3 with 4:36 left in the game. But a 2-yard loss on a keeper by Thorson, a holding penalty and two incomplete passes forced a field goal try from the Ohio State 15. Fitzgerald said it was a long fourth-and-goal so he opted to kick the field goal and try to stop the Buckeyes on the next drive, which backfired.We had two chances to get stops on long third downs, and we didnt get it done, he said.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 Custom Philadelphia Phillies Nike Jerseys . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Custom Texas Rangers Nike Jerseys . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/?tag=custom-colorado-rockies-nike-jerseys . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Custom Baltimore Orioles Nike Jerseys . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Custom Houston Astros Nike Jerseys . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team.NBA star Stephen Curry has revealed that Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has shown the team videos of Lionel Messi and Barcelona to draw similarities in their style of play. Curry has played an instrumental part in helping the Warriors set a franchise record for most wins in a season, with his team on a run of 20 consecutive victories in the Eastern Conference as they defend the title they won last season. Messi will be in El Clasico action this Saturday night And Curry revealed that he will be watching El Clasico with keen interest as Messi goes up against Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo at the Nou Camp on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports 2 HD, from 7pm. Theyre two very talented guys with different styles so there will usually be some dramatics and something very entertaining going on in that game, he said. Coach Kerr showed us films of some soccer greats, especially Messi. We watched how they play, the style and what they do every single game, how they score.He drew a lot of similarities to how we play, movinng the ball, using each other.dddddddddddd Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr [right] shows videos of Messi and Barcelona Messi and Currys style of play are easy on the eye and invite comparisons with the undoubted MVP of the NBA this season adding: Both of us have a creative style of play. I try to do nice things with my hands, to be creative like Messi. I love watching him play because you never know what he is going to do with the ball and I love the talent he has.Dont miss Barcelona take on Real Madrid, live from 7pm on Sky Sports 2 HD, this Saturday night.By purchasing a Sky Sports Day Pass for £6.99 or Sky Sports Week Pass for £10.99, you can enjoy access to all seven Sky Sports channels and watch on a TV with a NOW TV Box or on a range of devices. Also See: Messi v Ronaldo WATCH: Ronaldo v Messi Clasico goals Curry reaches new NBA landmark Clasico: The key issues ' ' '