COLUMBUS

-- Ohio State's top fullback was arrested on a drunken driving charge.

An off-duty campus police officer found Branden Joe asleep in a car about 3:45 a.m. Friday on a ramp that connects Highway 315 and Lane Avenue, near campus, said Columbus police spokeswoman Sherry Mercurio.

Joe, a sophomore from Westerville, refused to take a breath analysis test, Mercurio said. He was released pending a court appearance.

Ohio State spokesman Steve Snapp said coach Jim Tressel is aware of the situation but has few details. Both Snapp and Tressel are in Chicago for a Big Ten meeting and were scheduled to return to Columbus Friday night.

Football practice starts for freshman on Monday and upperclassmen on Thursday. The Associated Press