COLUMBUS, Ohio — It took five big plays to give Ohio State an unprecedented fifth straight win over rival Michigan.

Noted Wolverines nemesis Chris "Beanie" Wells had two of those, including a 59-yard touchdown run and 134 yards rushing to help the 10th-ranked Buckeyes beat their archrivals 42-7 today, the first time in 105 meetings that they've strung together five wins.

Ohio State's margin was its biggest since Woody Hayes was prowling and growling on the sidelines in a 50-14 rout in 1968.

Freshman phenom Terrelle Pryor threw two TD passes and Dan Herron ran for two more scores to give the Buckeyes (10-2, 7-1) their third win in a row and a share of their fourth straight Big Ten title.

Coach Jim Tressel beat Michigan for the seventh time in eight meetings, and put a fitting cap on the worst season in Michigan's 129 years of intercollegiate football.

In coach Rich Rodriguez's first season, the Wolverines (3-9, 2-6) lost the most games in school history, missed a bowl trip for the first time in 34 years and had the first losing season in 41 years.

Michigan largely held its own — except for those five big plays.

After the Buckeyes' first three possessions ended in an interception and two three-and-outs, Wells burst through a hole on the first play and went untouched 59 yards for the score.

Early in the second quarter, Pryor looped a deep ball over the middle that Brian Hartline ran under and took 53 yards past safety Stevie Brown for a 14-0 lead.

Michigan punched it in on fourth-and-goal to go into halftime down just 14-7, but two long drives to start the first half ended with punts.

After the first punt pinned Ohio State at its 9, Wells went 42 yards on the first play, and Herron went for a 51-yard score on the next play.

Zoltan Mesko's second punt of the half, a low line drive, was returned 80 yards by Ray Small — who missed the last two games while in Tressel's doghouse for unspecified problems. Pryor threw an 8-yard scoring pass to Brian Robiskie on the very next play and the Buckeyes were up 28-7 after just three offensive snaps in the second half.

Michigan quarterback Nick Sheridan, who struggled to throw the ball accurately all day, left briefly with an injury and was replaced by Justin Feagin, who was also ineffective.

Sheridan completed eight of 24 passes for 87 yards, and was sacked twice.

The Wolverines made life tough on Pryor early. Brown intercepted a weak pass in the left flat and returned it 34 yards, but the offense went backward and K.C. Lopata shanked a 35-yard field-goal attempt.

Pryor was sacked three times, including once on a violent blindside hit by Brandon Harrison, and never got loose running the ball. He finished just 5-for-13 for 120 yards and two TDs, and was held to minus-7 yards rushing.

But with Ohio State making the most of its big plays, that was more than enough.

The Buckeyes added two more fourth-quarter scores, on Herron's 2-yard run and an 18-yard TD pass from senior Todd Boeckman — who was replaced as starting quarterback by Pryor in the fourth game of the season.