Notes and Quotes From OSU’s Victory Over Cincinnati – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/19/1996 12:00:00 AM | Football
With the Win
Ohio State’s 34-20 win over Cincinnati, gives the Buckeyes a 4-1 record, while the Bobcats fall to 2-2. Ohio State has now won 21 consecutive non-conference games at home.
Cooper’s 100th win
In his 12th year, head coach John Cooper notched his 100th career win at Ohio State (100-34-4). Only the legendary Woody Hayes has topped that mark with 205 wins during his 28-year coaching tenure (1951-1978).
The Sellout
Today’s attendance of 93,407 marked the 14th consecutive sellout at Ohio Stadium.
Rambo’s Big Plays
Ohio State has five plays of 50-plus yards this season, four of them by junior receiver Ken-Yon Rambo. He caught a 68-yard TD pass against Ohio and had three receptions, a 59-yard TD pass and 55-yarder that led to 3-yard TD run by Michael Wiley and a 50-yarder from tailback Michael Wiley leading to a Steve Bellisari 11-yard TD run, against Cincinnati.
Bellisari’s Bolt
In his second career start, sophomore quarterback Steve Bellisari rushed for his first career touchdown late in the third quarter, giving Ohio State a 31-17 lead.
Ott’s First Career Pick-off
Jason Ott recorded his first career interception and his third take-away of the year in the third quarter. He has recovered fumbles against Miami and UCLA.
Combs’ Career Day
Tailback Derek Combs recorded his longest run of the season with a 39-yard dash. He followed it with a 5-yard TD run in the third quarter, his second of the season. He also rushed for a career high 80 yards (previous best was 42 yards against UCLA).
Back On Track
A fourth quarter 41-yard field goal by Dan Stultz, his fourth consecutive FG, was his longest of the season. It also was his first field goal of 40 or more yards since a 46-yarder against Illinois in 1998.
Shut The Door
After Cincinnati took a 17-3 lead, with 13:37 left in the second quarter, the Buckeyes scored 31 unanswered points to take a 34-17 lead, before Cincinnati scored a late fourth quarter field goal.
Bombs Away For Cincinnati
Cincinnati’s LaDaris Vann’s 75-yard TD reception is the longest since Oct. 19, 1996 when Purdue’s QB John Reeves connected on an 86-yard pass to Isaac Jones. Jones’ reception still ranks No. 3 for opponent’s longest pass play against OSU.
Buckeyes’ First Quarter Woes
Ohio State’s 14-point first quarter deficit was the largest at home since Sept. 29, 1990 against Southern California. The Trojans went on to win, 35-26, the Buckeyes’ last non-conference loss at home.
Another Cooper’s 100
Cincinnati’s Robert Cooper rushed for 100 yards. Illinois’ Robert Holcombe in 1997 (143 yards) was the last time an opponent rushed for over 100 yards against the Buckeyes.
Cincinnati Game Notes
Deontey Kenner’s 75-yard pass Robert Cooper was his longest of his career. He ended the day with 29 completions for 343 yards.
Jonathan Ruffin’s 46-yard FG in the first quarter was the longest in his career.
Head Coach John Cooper
“I don’t know if I have been in a tougher game. They had a good game plan. Cincinnati spread us out on defense. We did not tackle well. We gave them some opportunities and they took advantage of that.”
“Robert Cooper is a good running back. It helped us when he got hurt. They did do a good job passing. However, when Cooper got injured they had to rely on their passing game.
“We had to make big plays on offense. I am glad that we had Ken-Yon Rambo on our side. We did not play good ball security, because we put the ball on the ground to many times. We need to be more consistent on offense.”
“Steve Bellisari did not play his best game. However, he is a young football player and it will come with experience. We did put Austin Moherman in, however he had an interception. We decided to go back to Steve. We wanted to win this game and went with his athletic ability.”
“We were ready to play this week. Practices went well, our players were aggressive and ready to go. Cincinnati made some plays and they took advantage of our turnovers.”
“We are not playing as well I think we should be at this point of the season. We have a long way to go, especially when we go against the Big Ten schools. We need to get better than where we are now.”
“We had a little more depth than them. They had injuries that hurt them and we wore them down.”
Cincinnati Head Coach Rick Minter
“I congratulate John Cooper on his 100th win. We didn’t want to be that milestone.”
“Great teams overcome adversity. They did and we didn’t. I felt the sequence of events at the end of the first half changed the game. We missed a field goal and then three plays later they had a touchdown. We gave up great plays to great players.”
“We had our chances. We have no one else to blame than ourselves. We felt we had our moments. If we would have gotten in the end zone during the third quarter, who knows what would have happened.”
“We didn’t come here for a moral victory, nor did we get one. This hurts as much as the Troy State loss.”
-GO BUCKS!-
