IS ON THE TRADE RUMOR TRAIL
But Wells relishes the thrill of a big game, especially when he's black and blue.
That will come tomorrow night when No. 10 Ohio State hosts No. 3 Penn State in a game that could decide the Big Ten championship.
"All my life I've loved big games," Wells said. "It's something that I guess you could say that I'm made for. I like to think that I'm made to play on the big stage."
Last weekend Wells rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-7 rout of the 20th-ranked Spartans. It was the first time he carried more than 22 times in a game this season.
"Beanie was sorer after 31 carries than he was after 20, which is understandable," coach Jim Tressel said. "You get hit 11 times by a truck, it hurts more."
Wells, one of 11 kids who grew up in a scarlet-and-gray house in Akron, Ohio, is used to taking and inflicting hits.
"He's a great back," Penn State running back Evan Royster said. "He's got speed and power. He's the whole package. It's going to be tough to stop him."
The 6-1, 225-pound junior is averaging 124 yards rushing per game, just like a year ago when he had 1,609 yards despite playing with a twisted ankle and a broken bone in a hand for most of the season.
"Even that little bit of time when he was hurt, I could definitely see that he was still into it, that he was still involved," wide receiver Brian Robiskie said. "Just these past couple of weeks watching him get back out there, you can really see he's getting comfortable. It's exciting."
Wells is wearing a pair of "lineman's cleats" with a special steel insert that is supposed to help protect the foot he injured in the season opener against Youngstown State. They're heavier than his preinjury pair, which were similar to track shoes.
Any lingering aches and pains don't worry Tressel.
"He seemed a little sore on Sunday because he'd carried it 31 times. That's a bunch," Tressel said yesterday. "I'm sure that [two-time Heisman Trophy winner] Archie Griffin could tell you that on Sundays and Mondays and Tuesday, sometimes it's, 'I don't know if I'm going to be ready.' Then Wednesday comes around, and you get that little burst of adrenaline and your body has quieted down from those hits. [Beanie] looked to me like he was ready to go." *
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