Ohio State’s Major Awards Candidates – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/10/1998 12:00:00 AM | Football
November 10, 1998
COLUMBUS, Ohio – *************************
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Andy Katzenmoyer
%^$Lombardi Award Finalist
%^$Butkus Award Candidate
%^$Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Year Candidate
%^$Football News Defensive Player of the Year Candidate
%^$Team Notes: Ohio State’s defense is the No. 6 defense in the nation, allowing 252.9 total yards per game. The Buckeyes are the top defense in the nation against the pass, with a rating of 83.4 points. The unit has given up only six TD passes, intercepted 14 passes and allows opponents to complete only 46 percent of their throws. The defense has given up only nine touchdowns all season, just 34 points in the second half and it ranks fourth nationally in scoring defense (9.3 ppg). Six straight games of holding the opponent to less than 80 net rushing yards has vaulted the Buckeyes’ rushing defense to No. 3 nationally, allowing 79.6 yards per game. Ohio State leads the Big Ten in pass efficiency defense and is second in the other disciplines.
%^$Individual Game-by-Game Statistics%^$
%^$Andy Katzenmoyer Solos Assts. Total TFLs Yds Final Score%^$West Virginia 3 1 4 – – OSU 34-17%^$Toledo 2 0 2 – – OSU 49-0%^$Missouri 10 2 12 1 – 2 OSU 35-14%^$Penn State 4 1 5 2 – 2 OSU 28-9%^$Illinois 5 1 6 – – OSU 41-0%^$Minnesota 6 1 7 1 – 2 OSU 45-15%^$Northwestern 5 2 7 2 – 9 OSU 36-10%^$Indiana 5 1 6 3 -14 OSU 38-7%^$Michigan State 4 0 4 – – MSU 28-24%^$Totals 45 8 53 9 -29 8-1
%^$Individual Notes: 1997 Butkus Award winner Andy Katzenmoyer, who was named a finalist last week for the Lombardi Award for the second consecutive year, is second on the Buckeyes with 45 solo tackles and fourth with 53 total tackles. He also ranks second with nine tackles for losses totalling 29 yards. He had a terrific effort against Indiana and its elusive Antwaan Randle El. Katzenmoyer had six tackles and three were on Randle El behind the line (a sack for -8, and two TFLs for -5 and -1). He finished with three TFLs for -14 yards. He has recorded 24 tackles the last four weeks, but more importantly, he has played assignment football and that is freeing up outside linebackers Na’il Diggs (12 TFLs) and Jerry Rudzinski (8 TFLs) to make plays. Andy now ranks fourth at Ohio State with 45 TFLs.
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Antoine Winfield
%^$Thorpe Award Update
%^$Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Year Candidate
%^$Football News Defensive Player of the Year Candidate
%^$Team Notes: Team Notes: The Buckeyes are the top defense in the nation against the pass, with a rating of 83.4 points, and Thorpe Award semifinalist Antoine Winfield is the best player on that unit. The Buckeyes have given up only six TD passes, intercepted 14 passes and allowed opponents to complete only 46 percent of their throws. Ohio State’s defense is the No. 6 defense in the nation, allowing 252.9 total yards per game. The defense has given up only nine touchdowns all season, just 34 points in the second half and it ranks fourth nationally in scoring defense (9.3 ppg). Six straight games of holding the opponent to less than 80 net rushing yards has vaulted the Buckeyes’ rushing defense to No. 3 nationally, allowing 79.6 yards per game. Ohio State leads the Big Ten in pass efficiency defense and is second in the other disciplines.
%^$Individual Game-by-Game Statistics%^$
%^$Antoine Winfield Solos Assts. Total TFLs Yds PBUs Fina Score%^$West Virginia 8 0 8 1 – 4 2 OSU 34-17%^$Toledo 0 0 0 – – 0 OSU 49-0%^$Missouri 5 4 9 1 – 6 0 OSU 35-14%^$Penn State 4 2 6 – – 1 OSU 28-9%^$Illinois 6 0 6 1 – 5 4 OSU 41-0%^$Minnesota 7 0 7 – – 3 OSU 45-15%^$Northwestern 4 1 5 1 -11 0 OSU 36-10%^$Indiana 7 3 10 – – 1 OSU 38-7%^$Michigan State 3 3 6 1 – 8 1 MSU 28-24%^$Totals 45 12 57 5 -34 12 8-1
%^$Antoine Winfield Season Notes: From the first game of the season, when West Virginia’s Don Nehlen stated that “Antoine Winfield is the best football player I have ever seen on Mountaineer Field,” Winfield has been the No. 1 player for the widely considered No. 1 secondary in the country. Coming off a 6-tackle, 1-pass-break-up game vs. Michigan State, Winfield ranks third on the team with 57 tackles and he leads the Big Ten Conference with 12 pass break-ups. He has two quarterback sacks. He has been rarely challenged deep this season and as a result he simply hasn’t had many opportunities to record an interception. Winfield has become the fifth Buckeye to establish 200 career solo tackles. The previous four were all linebackers. Winfield was a Football Coaches Association and a Football Writers first-team All-American in 1997.
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Joe Germaine
%^$Heisman Trophy Candidate
%^$Davey O’Brien Award Candidate
%^$Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Candidate
%^$Football News Offensive Player of the Year Candidate
%^$Team Notes: Joe Germaine has captained and has sparked the Ohio State offense to national rankings of 5th in total offense (494.4 ypg), 12th in passing (295.6 ypg), 25th in rushing (198.9 ypg) and 12th in scoring (36.7 ppg). Clearly, the Buckeye offense presents major problems for opponents with a nice blend of passing and rushing. Ohio State’s offense has already established two single season records: seven games with at least 500 yards of total offense and four-straight games with 500 or more.
%^$Individual Game-by-Game Statistics%^$
%^$Joe Germaine Att. Cmp. Pct. Int. Yds. TDs Lng Final Score%^$West Virginia 32 18 56.3 0 301 2 42 OSU 34-17%^$Toledo 21 13 61.9 0 150 3 37 OSU 49-0%^$Missouri 25 19 76.0 0 211 0 43 OSU 35-14%^$Penn State 30 16 53.3 1 213 1 34 OSU 28-9%^$Illinois 28 17 60.7 0 307 3 40 OSU 41-0%^$Minnesota 39 27 69.2 2 339 2 53 OSU 45-15%^$Northwestern 35 19 54.2 1 342 3 38 OSU 36-10%^$Indiana 45 31 68.9 0 351 3 33 OSU 38-7%^$Michigan State 33 15 45.4 1 245 1 41 MSU 28-24%^$Totals 288 175 60.8 5 2,459 18 53 8-1
%^$Joe Germaine Season Notes: Germaine is quietly and quickly establishing himself as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks with 2,459 passing yards, 18 TDs and only five interceptions. He ranks 1st in the Big Ten and 14th nationally in passing efficiency (149.3 rating). He is second in the Big Ten and 17th nationally in total offense (267.8 ypg). His finest statistical game of the season was a 31-for-45 effort for 351 yards with three TDs and no interceptions in the win over Indiana. He is reaching quarterback heights that no other Ohio State quarterback has achieved. His string of 300-yard passing game records is at three, with four consecutive, five in a season and six for a career. Germaine has tossed three touchdowns in a game four times this season and he know has 49 career TDs, putting him within striking distance of Bobby Hoying’s school record of 57. Germaine has directed the Buckeyes to 19 scoring drives of 70 yards or more. His passing yards and touchdown total this season rank third and fourth, respectively, in school history.
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David Boston
%^$Biletnikoff Award Candidate
%^$Team Notes: David Boston is a major reason why Ohio State’s offense presents major problems for opponents with its nice blend of passing and rushing. The Ohio State offense has national rankings of 5th in total offense (494.4 ypg), 12th in passing (295.6 ypg), 25th in rushing (198.9 ypg) and 12th in scoring (36.7 ppg). OSU’s 506.6 total yards per game ranks fifth nationally. In the Big Ten, Ohio State ranks 1st in pass efficiency, scoring and first downs per game, and 2nd in passing yards and third down pct. The Buckeyes have established a school records with seven games of 500 or more yards of total offense and four consecutive.
%^$Individual Game-by-Game Statistics%^$
%^$David Boston Rec. Yds. Avg. TDs Lng. 20+ Final Score%^$West Virginia 7 129 18.4 1 39 4 OSU 34-17%^$Toledo 5 55 11.0 1 23 1 OSU 49-0%^$Missouri 9 112 12.4 0 43 1 OSU 35-14%^$Penn State 2 37 18.5 0 29 1 OSU 28-9%^$Illinois 5 96 19.2 1 38 3 OSU 41-0%^$Minnesota 10 191 19.1 2 53 3 OSU 45-15%^$Northwestern 8 171 21.4 2 38 5 OSU 36-10%^$Indiana 9 110 12.2 2 30 2 OSU 38-7%^$Michigan State 4 49 10.2 0 19 0 MSU 28-24%^$Totals 59 950 16.1 9 53 20 8-1
%^$David Boston Season Notes: Record-breaking receiver David Boston is putting together as fine a season as any receiver in the country that doesn’t play in a pass-only offensive attack. His 59 receptions for 950 yards and nine touchdowns are outstanding figures within an Ohio State offense that rushes 44 times per game. Boston’s seasonal efforts places him 8th nationally in receiving yards per game (104.9) and 15th nationally in receptions per game (6.7). He has eight TDs the last four games including a three-touchdown game against Indiana (included was a 70-yard punt return). He put together a marvelous string of games where he was unstoppable, catching at least eight passes, gaining at least 100 receiving yards and scoring two touchdowns in each of those games. This season he has set school career records for 100 yard receiving games (10) and touchdown passes (30), and he needs just four more receptions to break Cris Carter’s school record of 168 career receptions.
