Throwback BuckIQ: Beanie Wells built legacy with huge runs in The Game

COLUMBUS — Beanie Wells still laughs about the run that helped turn him into an instant sensation for Ohio State in the biggest matchup of them all.

The freshman tailback had been dealing with some fumble issues. So just for starters, Wells wasn’t sure how much of a role he would even have on a stage that huge in a battle between the two top-ranked teams in the country. And when he took the handoff in the backfield against Michigan back in 2006, the play had already broken down in front of him, leaving a rusher more known for his physical style than elusiveness staring at a loss — not a touchdown.

But Wells spun in the backfield, fell into a hole and suddenly saw a bunch of green grass in front of him at the Horseshoe. And even after he pulled away and finished that electrifying run in the end zone with an Ohio State touchdown in The Game, Wells wouldn’t stop holding that football high and tight to make sure his ball security wouldn’t be questioned by coach Jim Tressel.

That memory continues to stick with Wells even to this day, of course, since the chance to play in the most storied rivalry in college football isn’t something that anybody on either side ever forgets. Wells would go on to make more plays for Ohio State against Michigan and would have a similarly impressive touchdown to his credit in the Big House, and he sat down in the Lettermen Row film lab to relive both of those rushes for a throwback BuckIQ.

Wells has made numerous visits for BuckIQ episodes breaking down the Buckeyes this season. But the tables were turned ahead of The Game as he took out the laser pointer and evaluated the work he delivered when he was in the scarlet and gray now more than a decade ago.

Roll the tape!