No. 1 Football Keeps Rolling with Shutout Over Illinois – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/10/1998 12:00:00 AM | Football
October 10, 1998
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%^$By TARA BURGHART
%^$Associated Press Writer%^$
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) – Motivation? No problem for top-ranked Ohio State.%^$ “We threw a big goose egg on the board,” linebacker Na’il Diggs said after%^$he returned a fumble for a touchdown in Ohio State’s 41-0 victory over%^$Illinois. “We can stay motivated against any team, hard or easy, ranked or%^$unranked.”%^$
Ohio State (5-0, 2-0) faces Big Ten also-rans Minnesota, Northwestern and%^$Indiana in the next three weeks. It will wrap up its regular season against%^$Michigan at home.%^$
“This was a game to test our maturity. If we’re mature, then we’re not%^$going to treat anybody lightly. We’re not going to want to win by just a%^$little,” safety Damon Moore said.%^$
Ohio State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) looked very mature against the young and%^$inexperienced Illini, who just broke a 15-game Big Ten losing streak last week.%^$
Joe Germaine threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns, completing 17-of-28.%^$
“They’re the best team I’ve played against all year. Germaine put the ball%^$right on the money today,” lllinois defensive tackle Garrett Johnson said.%^$
The Buckeyes racked up 24 points and 326 yards in the first half as Germaine%^$spread his passes among Dee Miller, David Boston, Reggie Germany and John%^$Lumpkin – with the latter three each scoring touchdowns.%^$
The defense scored a touchdown thanks to Diggs, kept constant pressure on%^$Illinois quarterback Kurt Kittner and his receivers, and limited Illinois to%^$just 69 yards in the first half and 57 yards rushing for the game.%^$
“They have weapons everywhere,” Illinois coach Ron Turner said.%^$
Ohio State got the only points it needed on its first possession of the%^$game, a 40-yard field goal by Dan Stultz at the end of a nine-play, 59-yard%^$drive.%^$
With 8:31 left in the first quarter, the Buckeyes began a 79-yard march%^$capped by Germaine’s 1-yard pass to Lumpkin. Germaine completed passes of 15%^$yards to Boston and 19 to Lumpkin and Michael Wiley contributed runs of 13 and%^$9 yards to the drive.%^$
Four minutes into the second quarter, Germaine threw a 30-yard touchdown%^$pass to Boston to finish five-play scoring drive that also included a 40-yard%^$pass to Miller.%^$
Germany caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Germaine just at the goal line%^$to make it 24-0 with 6:19 left in the half.%^$
“I’m thankful we have a quarterback who can throw it and three or four%^$receivers who can get open and catch it,” Ohio State coach John Cooper said.%^$”(It’s good) any time you can shut out a football team. I don’t care how young%^$they are.”%^$
With about 11 minutes left in the game, James Cotton sacked Kittner on%^$first-and-10 at the Buckeyes 47 and Diggs returned the fumble to the end zone%^$to make it 34-0.%^$
A 2-yard run by Jonathan Wells capped an eight-play, 84-yard drive to the%^$last Ohio State touchdown.%^$
Kittner, who was 19-of-36 for 156 yards, had a number of passes batted down%^$or tipped. Rocky Harvey, third in the Big Ten with 99 rushing yards a game, was%^$limited to 29.
