COLUMBUS — On a sleepy fall Saturday, Ohio State’s offense could’ve taken a day off against Purdue. Then again, maybe it did?

The Buckeyes failed to score an offensive touchdown and struggled mightily on offense as Ohio State not only continued to search for an identity, but also a rhythm and momentum.

Despite OSU’s shortcomings on offense, Purdue was mediocre enough to let the Buckeyes off the hook with a 16-3 Ohio State win. The 12th-ranked team in the country managed 222 yards on offense, converted just 4-of-14 third downs and threw for 97 yards against the worst defense in the Big Ten.

Long after Buckeye fans filtered out of a ho-hum stadium, OSU offensive players looked like they’d just lost a game at home. They didn’t help win it.

“Because we know we didn’t play anywhere near where we can,” tight end Jake Ballard said. “Offensive line, tight ends, receivers, everybody is down because we know we didn’t play to where we’re capable of.”

Perhaps, though, Ohio State should be content with just winning. Especially on a day when Michigan lost to one-win Toledo in the Big House and Illinois lost to conference afterthought Minnesota at home.

“Getting a win is good enough, but in a way we took a step forward last week and we took two back,” Ballard said. “We can’t afford to do that going into Michigan State next week.”

Freshman phenom Terrelle Pryor made few plays. He struggled for four quarters, the first time that’s happened since he became the Buckeyes starting quarterback. Pryor finished with 27 yards on 14 carries and was 10-of-14 for 97 yards passing. He did not throw an interception, duly noted by coach Jim Tressel, who searched high and low for an offensive bright spot before he unearthed a ray of optimism.

“It seems like I’m down, I’m not down,” Pryor said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to do great and I think I did bad today. The bright side is we won. That’s all I care about, and that’s all that matters. To hell with (style points). We came up with the win.”

Purdue dared the Buckeyes to beat them throwing the ball down the field. Pryor took two shots, one was about five yards over thrown and the second earned a 15-yard pass interference penalty near the end of the game.

OSU’s lackluster performance on offense did get the attention of running back Chris Wells, who called for a better game plan.

“We’ve got to pass the ball,” Wells said. “Being a running back, you wouldn’t expect me to say that, but it’s the truth. We’ve got to pass the ball.

“It’s not even about making more room for me, but to have a better game plan. You can’t just go in there running the ball ... eventually they’re going to stop it.”

Asked what he wanted to see happen, Wells said, “I’m not sure, but I’m expecting a change soon. We’ve got to start getting the ball down the field.”

Wells finished with 94 yards on 22 carries. He hit seams at times, and was smothered many others. His day was a picture of OSU’s offensive line inconsistency.