COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State considers last weeks stunning upset by Penn State an aberration, and recent history shows the Buckeyes probably arent going to lose two in a row.Teams coached by Urban Meyer have dropped consecutive games only four times in 15 seasons. And Northwestern comes to Columbus as a three-touchdown underdog. The Wildcats havent won here since 1971.But No. 6 Ohio State (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) is vulnerable. The passing game has been beset for the past three games with lapses on the offensive line, receivers who cant get open and an inability by quarterback J.T. Barrett to hit game-changing bombs. The running game, too, bogged down in last weeks loss.Offense always starts with protection, he said. That was not our best game in protection and giving (Barrett) time to go through his reads.Northwestern is playing well, having won four of its last five after a slow start. The Wildcats last three games have been victories over Iowa, Michigan State and Indiana.Thats as an improved team as Ive ever seen from the beginning until now, Meyer said. Outstanding. Three big wins, two on the road. Defining wins. The defense is outstanding, gigantic inside guys, so just a very good team.Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said Saturdays game is where the heavy lifting starts.You get to the end of October here, you get to November, this is when the rubber hits the road in the Big Ten, Fitzgerald said. Weve got a heck of a steep mountain to climb here these next five weeks, and nobodys got a stiffer challenge than us this week when weve got to take on the Buckeyes.Here are some things to watch when Northwestern visits Columbus for the first time since 2007:TALE OF 2 HALVES: Northwestern went up 24-3 at halftime against Indiana last week, but was shut out in the second half and had to hold on for a 24-14 win. Coach Pat Fitzgerald said hes addressing consistency issues and a lack of effort by some young players in the second half. Were an immature team, Fitzgerald said. Were a 4-3 football team for a reason. Weve just got to keep coaching the heck out of them, and thats what were going to do. Hopefully, well get better this week or well get killed in Columbus.ROTATING RECEIVERS: Meyer has been questioned about his rotating of outside receivers, most of them inexperienced before this season, and whether that could be contributing to the failure of Barrett to get the passing game clicking. Meyer said he likes the rotation and has no plans to change it because he wants to be able to have fresh players on the field late in the game. But hes still looking for one of the young receivers to emerge as the deep-ball threat the team sorely needs. Theres not a big differentiation in our group right now, he said. You kind of hope one would separate, and I dont see that quite happening. Noah (Brown) is a pretty reliable guy and had some nice plays, the other ones need to elevate.WHERE IS CURTIS?: Meyer has called hybrid back Curtis Samuel the teams most dynamic playmaker. Samuel ranks second in the Big Ten with 142.6 yards per game and 37 receptions. Hes the teams leading receiver. Still, he touched the ball only 10 times against Penn State -- eight passes and two rushes, one a breakaway 74-yard touchdown run. Meyer acknowledges Samuel should get the ball more but wont dictate that he be involved on specific plays, preferring instead to let Barrett continue to read the defense and take what it gives him.---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacyFor some of his other recent stories: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mitch-stacy Darius Butler Jersey . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. 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Darryl Morris Jersey .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. DES MOINES, Iowa -- Former Iowa All-American quarterback Randy Duncan has died after a lengthy fight with cancer. He was 79.Greg Brown, who along with Duncan started the Duncan, Green, Brown and Langeness law firm in 1992, confirmed to The Associated Press that Duncan died Tuesday night in Des Moines.Duncan was perhaps the best quarterback the Hawkeyes have ever had. He was a two-time All-Big Ten selection, winning the Walter Camp Trophy as the nations player of the year in 1958. Duncan capped his career by helping the Hawkeyes beat Washington 38-12 in the 1959 Rose Bowl. He was later named to the College Football Hall of Fame.Duncan, who was 15-2-2 in two years as a starter, is also one of just nine former Iowa players inducted into the Kinnick Stadium Ring of Honor.The word `legend is so often overused iin sports.dddddddddddd But in the case of Randy Duncan it fits perfectly, Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said. He was one of the true Hawkeye legends, who served as an outstanding representative of Iowa football and the University of Iowa.Duncan was the first pick in the 1959 NFL draft. He spurned the Green Bay Packers for the CFL, retiring in 1961 to pursue a law degree.Duncan practiced law in Des Moines throughout his career.Randy was a Hawkeye icon because of his athletic accomplishments. But more importantly, a great husband, family man, and community leader who fought a great battle over the last few years. Im honored to have known him, Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said. 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