By Chris GentilvisoThe Daily Northwestern

Fourty-eight hours after enduring a beating of heavy proportions at Ohio State, Northwestern had only one place to look for answers.

Buried in the depths of the worst loss experienced by the program in five years, coach Pat Fitzgerald saw no reason to look past the tough experience.

“At times you need to go through difficult games,” Fitzgerald said. “It gives you an opportunity to refocus to exactly who you are and exactly how you win. You go about your business and that’s the attitude our football program will take this week to getting back to successful football.”

Figuring out how to beat Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, has been a problem for more than three decades. Since a heroic victory over the Buckeyes under the lights at home in 2004, Ohio State has outscored the Cats 160-24 in three contests.

But the Buckeyes are in the past. And Fitzgerald’s players believe the solution stands from within, headed by a meeting among the team’s seniors Monday.

The Wildcats’ offensive line saw a strong, speedy defense that closed the door on their ground game. Averaging 168 yards in the first three contests, the Cats registered a goose egg which senior center Trevor Rees believes is fixable.

“We didn’t give ourselves a chance to win the football game,” Rees said. “We have a great understanding of what we need to do and can carry it into this week.”

That understanding begins with making big plays – an element the Buckeyes ran away with early on Saturday. Ohio State quarterback Todd Boeckman needed just three completions in the first quarter to register 86 yards, reaching the end zone twice. On the flip side, NU quarterback C.J. Bach