It turns out Luis Castillo and Noah Herron were right. A mediocre offense and a 33-year tradition weren’t enough for Ohio State to take down Northwestern.

“We weren’t scared of them,” said Castillo, a senior defensive tackle. “We came in and we played like we weren’t scared of them. And it worked.”

Castillo provided Ohio State with bulletin- board material last week when he said the Buckeyes have “always been a great defense and a mediocre offense.”

Herron, a senior running back, added: “We’re not playing those years of tradition. We’re playing the 2004 Ohio State Buckeyes.”

Castillo said after Saturday’s 33-27 win that the comments about the Buckeyes’ mediocrity “didn’t hurt.”

“There was so much talk about it and how it would fire them up, but you know, it’s been 33 years and nothing has worked,” Castillo said. “We just needed something to get us going. It was something that was in the back of our minds all week. We saw things we could get after and we did. And it’s not trash-talking when you win, I guess.”

Although this is his last year of eligibility, Castillo got a head start on the Buckeyes’ bulletin board for the 2005 season.

“I think they didn’t expect us to play as hard as we did,” Castillo said. “We gave them a great game two years ago, and if they took us lightly, shame on them.”

Trading places

A last-minute change in NU’s defensive lineup provided the Wildcats with their best performance of the season.

Senior John Pickens, who missed the first three games of the season recovering from shoulder surgery, made an unexpected start at outside linebacker.

“(Pickens is) a guy that’s going to come out every play and play incredibly hard and have so much juice and so much heart and emotion, and he’ll get guys going and playing harder,” Castillo said. “He did, and he had a great game too.”

Sophomore Nick Roach started in the other linebacker spot, and the Cats showed their best pass rush of the year.

NU finished with four sacks, more than it has had in any game this year, and Pickens and Roach combined for three of those four.

Tim McGarigle led the team in tackles with 13.

“We were able to get after their quarterback, trying to keep him out of his mode as far as when he was passing the ball,” Pickens said. “So I think it was a good day physically.”

Lucky number

After 33 years, the Cats scored 33 points to finally beat Ohio State.

Maybe all NU needed was No. 33, Herron, who scored the game-winning touchdown on his 33rd carry.

Coach Randy Walker said last week Herron and junior Terrell Jordan would split time at running back for the remainder of the season.

But Jordan didn’t play against the Buckeyes. Herron had all 33 running back carries, finishing with 113 yards and two touchdowns rushing. The senior also added a receiving touchdown.

“(Walker) said I was going to start, and if I’m hot and I’m playing well, he’d try and let me get into a rhythm,” Herron said. “If I wasn’t working, he’d put Terrell in and give him a chance. So rather than switching by series, he kind of let me get into a rhythm and see what’s going on. I just happened to be pretty rhythmic.”

Walker said he will continue to play Jordan but didn’t say the two rushers would split time.

“I just said, ‘I think we need to stick with him.’ But the ball’s going to come back to Terrell. It just will.”

Reach Teddy Kider at [email protected].