By: MATT MARKEY (ToledoBlade.com) — COLUMBUS — Everybody down here connected with Ohio State’s football program said all the right things for the last month as the Buckeyes went through fall camp and then worked on the intricate preparations for Saturday’s season-opener against Navy.

The party line was all about Navy, and no one wandered from the script. But back in Annapolis, Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo was betting otherwise.

Anyone with a rudimentary understanding of the human psyche expected the Ohio State players to be partially preoccupied with No. 4-ranked Southern California, this week’s opponent. The Buckeyes would be thinking about the Trojans, thinking about the 35-3 beatdown Ohio State took in Los Angeles a year ago, and thinking about the comforts of getting even.

“We felt like if Ohio State came dialed in and totally focused [on us], we had no chance,” Niumatalolo said, “but we kind of had the ‘perfect storm’ situation with USC coming up. We knew that if they separated any of their preparation time, then we had a chance to win.”

The No. 6-ranked Buckeyes must have given Navy just enough of their attention — barely enough. Ohio State hung on to beat the Midshipmen 31-27 but needed an interception return of a two-point conversion attempt to prevent Navy from tying the score with about two minutes to play, and potentially forcing overtime.

“I’m not looking for ANY excuses or reasons why it was a close game. Navy’s a great team and they battled us every play,” Ohio State senior defensive tackle Doug Worthington said. “I don’t think guys were distracted or just thinking about USC. You can’t disrespect one opponent like that by thinking about some other team. Navy had all of our attention.”

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said Navy, and not the Trojans, was the only thing on his mind as the Midshipmen came back from being down 29-14 and trailed just 29-27 when they lined up to try that decisive two-point conversion.

“Was there ever a time where I reflected forward to the next week’s game — well — no,” Tressel said after Saturday’s win, Ohio State’s 31st straight victory in its home-opener. “Our guys gave excellent effort to prepare, and to come into the game, but we’re going to need to get much, much better. We know that.”

While the Buckeyes were in survival mode in the fourth quarter of their game with Navy, USC was beginning its 56-3 destruction of San Jose State. OSU senior safety Kurt Coleman said the struggle his team had with Navy could benefit Ohio State if the Buckeyes are involved in a tight contest with the Trojans or another opponent down the line.

“I think a lot of guys got good experience from close games, and that’s something we haven’t had in the past, going into the big games,” Coleman said. “This is a great game for us to take steps forward.”

Junior wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, who caught a 38-yard touchdown pass for Ohio State’s first score against Navy, said the 2008 USC game is not one you can easily set aside.

“Every guy in this room is a competitor, and it’s hard to take something like that loss to USC last year and….

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