Tony Ding / AP

Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis celebrates with fans after the No. 7 Buckeyes beat the Wolverines 14-3 to earn a likely trip to the Rose Bowl.

Wells put Ohio State ahead with a 1-yard run early in the second quarter and a 62-yard score made it 14-3 on the Buckeyes’ first snap after halftime.

The Wolverines struggled on offense in part because Henne was ineffective with a shoulder injury. Hart was unable to find room to run against a defense that didn’t have to respect the pass and could concentrate on stopping Hart.

When the Wolverines did try to throw, Gholston made life miserable for them with three of Ohio State’s four sacks.

“I’m sure Chad Henne will be seeing him in his sleep,” Tressel said.

Henne, whose throws were usually high or wide, left the field for one series in the third quarter and returned in the fourth. When he made accurate passes, star receiver Mario Manningham and teammates didn’t hold on frequently enough.

Henne finished 11 of 34 for 68 yards and didn’t speak to reporters after the game.

Hart had 18 carries for 44 yards, his first game this year under the 100-yard mark. He seemed to be relatively healthy after being sidelined with a badly sprained right ankle.

“We have no excuses here,” Carr said. “But I think it’s fair to acknowledge Chad didn’t throw the ball like he has and Mike Hart was not at full speed.”

Hart said he was fine.

“It was good enough to play and it definitely wasn’t a problem,” he said.

Ohio State has claimed three Big Ten titles in a row, earning the last two outright for the first time since 1954-55. Its the longest streak of conference championships since Michigan won five in a row from 1988-92.

The Buckeyes last won four straight against Michigan in 1960-63 and also did it from 1934-37.

“It’s special for our kids,” Tressel said.

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