Football Plays at Iowa Saturday – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/12/1998 12:00:00 AM | Football
November 12, 1998
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 7 Ohio State vs. the Iowa Hawkeyes
After 10 weeks as No. 1, buckeyes will have to rebound after upset loss.
No. 7 Ohio State (8-1, 5-1) vs. Iowa (3-6, 2-4)
Game Facts: Saturday, Nov. 14, 1998, 3:30 p.m. EST Kinnick Stadium (70,397; P.A.T.), Iowa City, Iowa ABC TV
The Broadcasts TV – ABC will broadcast the game regionally with Brad Nessler, play-by-play; and Gary Danielson, color analyst.
Radio – Sports Radio 1460 (AM) The Fan and Oldies B97 (97.1 FM). Paul Keels, play-by-play; Jim Lachey, color analyst; Jim Karsatos, sidelines.
Ohio State Buckeyes Head Coach John Cooper, Iowa State ’62 OSU Record 94-33-4 (.736), 11th year Career Record 176-73-6 (.704), 22nd year Big Ten Record 60-22-4 (.726) Home Record 55-12-1 (.826) Road Record 39-21-3 (.635) OSU Record Against Iowa 6-1-1 Offensive Coordinator Mike Jacobs Defensive Coordinator Fred Pagac
1998 Schedule & Results Sept. 5 at No. 11 West Virginia W, 34-17 Sept. 12 Toledo W, 49- 0 Sept. 19 No. 21 Missouri W, 35-14 Oct. 3 No. 7 Penn State W, 28- 9 Oct. 10 at Illinois W, 41- 0 Oct. 17 Minnesota W, 45-15 Oct. 24 at Northwestern W, 36-10 Oct. 31 at Indiana W, 38- 7 Nov. 7 Michigan State L, 24-28 Nov. 14 at Iowa 3:30 p.m. EST (ABC) Nov. 21 Michigan Noon (ABC)
A TIME TO BOUNCE BACK
The Ohio State Buckeyes, bounced from their season-long No. 1 hold on the national rankings with an upsetting loss last week to Michigan State, will try and put some distance to that loss when they travel to Iowa City, Iowa for a 3:30 p.m. (EST) game Saturday against the Hawkeyes. Ohio State, now third in the Big Ten behind unbeaten Michigan and Wisconsin after its 28-24 loss to Michigan State, will carry records of 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten into the contest. Coach Hayden Fry’s Hawkeyes, coming off a bye week last weekend, have dropped its last three ball games and will enter the contest with records of 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the Big Ten. ABC television will broadcast the game – OSU’s third straight ABC game – to a regional audience with Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson calling the action.
RADIO COVERAGE
The OSU/Iowa game will be broadcast around the state on the 73-station Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Sports Network with Sports Radio 1460 (AM) The Fan the flagship station. Calling the action is first-year play-by-play announcer Paul Keels. He is assisted in the broadcast booth by second-year analyst Jim Lachey. Jim Karsatos will provide sideline commentary.
OHIO STATE’S NATIONAL RANKINGS
Ohio State, which had tied the 1969 Ohio State team coached by Woody Hayes for the longest stretch as the nation’s No. 1 team – 10 consecutive weeks – has dropped this week to No. 7 in the Associated Press poll and to No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll. One week and one devastating loss at home after receiving 117 of a possible 132 first-place votes cast by writers and coaches, the Buckeyes did not receive a first-place vote in either poll in totalling 1,319 points in the AP poll and 1,148 points in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Three teams with one loss – Florida, Florida State and Texas A&M – are ahead of OSU in the AP poll and two – Florida and Florida State – are ahead in the coaches poll.
WHERE TO NOW?
Ohio State’s bowl options are wide open so figuring out the national bowl picture is impossible with so many big games still left to be played. The 1998 Big Ten Conference media guide states that as long as the Big Ten champion is not No. 1 or No. 2 in the Bowl Championship Series rankings (and thus would play in the national title game), the Rose Bowl would take the Big Ten champion to play in its game Jan. 1, 1999 at 5 p.m. EST in Pasadena, Calif. Ohio State can claim a share of the Big Ten Conference title by winning out and getting help in the form of wins from Michigan and Penn State against unbeaten Wisconsin. Michigan hosts Wisconsin this weekend and Penn State plays at Wisconsin Nov. 21. If the Badgers win out or split, they’ll, at the very least, go to the Rose Bowl by virtue of Ohio State and Michigan having been there most recently (in 1996 and 1997, respectively). In case of a shared Big Ten championship between Ohio State and Michigan, the Buckeyes would go to Pasadena based on head-to-head outcome.
THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
Some big games – 14 so far – in the coming weeks that will carry national significance and help shape the rest of Ohio State’s season include:
Nov. 14 Ohio State at Iowa Wisconsin at Michigan Arkansas at Tennessee Nebraska at Kansas State UCLA at Washington Missouri at Texas A&M Nov. 21 Michigan at Ohio State Penn State at Wisconsin Kentucky at Tennessee Florida at Florida State USC at UCLA Nov. 27 Texas A&M at Texas Dec. 5 UCLA at Miami Big XII Championship Game SEC Championship Game
THE BUCKEYES vs. THE HAWKEYES
Ohio State and Iowa are meeting for the 55th time in the series that was initiated in 1922. The Buckeyes hold a 38-13-3 alltime advantage in victories, including wins in the last four meetings. The Buckeyes have also won four straight against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium dating back to a 20-14 Iowa win in 1983. Ohio State is 12-6-1 all-time against Iowa in Iowa City and John Cooper’s Buckeyes are 3-0 with wins in 1990 (27-26), 1992 (38-15) and 1996 (38-26). Cooper-coached Ohio State teams are 6-1-1 vs. Iowa, with the tie coming in 1988 (24-all) and the loss in 1991 (16-9 in Columbus).
BUCKEYES vs. IOWA II
Michael Wiley rushed for two TDs and 85 yards last year off the bench vs. Iowa….Joe Montgomery came off the bench in 1996 and rushed for a career-high 160 yards. He had 50- and 23-yard rushes and he scored on a one-yard rush…. Andy Katzenmoyer had an interception and 11 tackles, including two TFLs vs. the Hawkeyes last year…in two games vs. Iowa, Katzenmoyer has totalled 20 tackles, two interceptions, two PBUs and three TFLs….OSU has blocked a kick in each of the last two Iowa games. Last year Percy King blocked a second quarter field goal attempt. In 1996, Rob Kelly blocked a first quarter punt that Kevin Griffin pounced on in the end zone….Damon Moore had a school-record tieing three interceptions plus nine tackles and three pass break-ups in the 38-26 Ohio State win in 1996.
SPARTANS END OSU’S NO. 1 RUN
The Michigan State Spartans came in to Ohio Stadium, where the Buckeyes had gone 35-2-1 since mid-1992, as 27-point underdogs and played a ferocious ball game. They trailed 17-3 after the first quarter and 24-9 after a 73-yard interception return for a touchdown by Damon Moore, but they never gave up. The Spartans got a school-record five field goals for the second consecutive week by place kicker Paul Edenger, including a 42-yarder with 9:26 left to play that boosted their lead to 28-24. They scored more points in the second half – 19 – than the Buckeyes had given up in the second half all season (15). They had 377 yards of offense, including 329 passing yards, which was 67 more than any team had totalled against OSU all year. Defensively, the Spartans held the vaunted OSU attack to zero points after that 17-point first quarter. They sacked quarterback Joe Germaine five times. They forced four fumbles and an interception, scoring 15 points as a result of those turnovers. And they got a key third-quarter break trailing 24-9. After Ohio State had forced a punt, the ball went straight up and not far, but it hit a Buckeye on the way down and MSU recovered at the OSU 49 yard line. Five plays and a Spartan touchdown later, the score was 24-15 and the comeback was on.
“QUOTES”
Coach John Cooper following the game: “Give them credit, they out-coached us, outplayed us, their defense was better than ours, their offense was better than ours, their kicking game was better than ours. And, of course, they came away with the victory.”
“QUOTES” II
Quarterback Joe Germaine: “Right now, we can do one of two things. We can learn from this and go on and finish the season strong, or we can tuck our tail, put everything in the bag. So we’ll find out what we’re made of.”
A RARE NOVEMBER HIT
Aside from Michigan, Iowa had been the only other Big Ten team to defeat Ohio State in November under coach John Cooper until Michigan State did Saturday. The Buckeyes had been on a roll in November against everyone but UM since losing to Iowa, 16-9, in 1991. OSU was 15-0-1 since ’91 and is now 23-2-2 in November against Wisconsin, Northwestern, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan State.
THE OSU OFFENSIVE ATTACK
The Ohio State offense, which has already established two school records this season with four straight games with 500 or more yards of total offense and seven games altogether, was contained for the first time this season by Michigan State. The net result was 343 yards of offense and no points after the first quarter. The Joe Germaine-David Boston-Dee Miller-Michael Wiley-led offense still ranks 5th nationally in total offense (494.4 yards per game), 12th in passing (295.6), 25th in rushing (198.9) and 12th in scoring (36.7). Germaine had a school-record string of four-straight 300-yard passing games snapped against MSU, but he still ranks 14th nationally in passing efficiency (149.3) and 17th in total offense (267.8). Boston (6.7) and Miller (5.7) rank 15th and 33rd, respectively, in receptions per game, and 8th (104.9) and 30th (87.9), respectively, in receiving yards per game. Wiley, who rushed for 100 yards against the Spartans, is 18th in rushing (107.3).
DEFENSE AMONG NATION’S BEST
The Buckeyes’ defensive unit has ranked among the nation’s best all season. Behind its two All-Americans – linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer and cornerback Antoine Winfield – the Buckeyes rank sixth nationally in total defense (252.9 yards per game), 1st in pass efficiency defense (83.4 rating points), third against the run (79.6) and 4th in scoring defense (11.1). The unit is first in the Big Ten in pass efficiency and second in the four other disciplines.
KATZENMOYER, A LOMBARDI AWARD FINALIST
Representatives from the Lombardi Award attended the OSU/MSU game and prior to the game announced the finalists for the 1998 award. OSU’s Andy Katzenmoyer, a finalist last year, was one of four individuals named. He was the only junior. The other three finalists are Aaron Gibson (Wisconsin), Dat Nguyen (Texas A&M) and Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia). Ohio State has more Lombardi Award winners (five) than any other school including the only two-time winner (Orlando Pace in 1995 and 1996). The others: Jim Stillwagon (1970), John Hicks (1973) and Chris Spielman (1987).
FOOTBALL NEWS AWARD CANDIDATES
Ohio State’s John Cooper is one of 10 semifinalists for the Football News’ 1998 Coach of the Year Award. Football News also released last week 15 semifinalists for its Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year Awards. OSU’s Joe Germaine is among the 15 offensive players chosen and Andy Katzenmoyer and Antoine Winfield are among the 15 defensive players chosen.
JOE’S HEISMAN CAMPAIGN
Joe Germaine threw himself into the Heisman Trophy race behind a trio of 300-yard passing records with four-consecutive, five this season and six for his career, and behind eight straight wins by the Buckeyes to open the season. There was something magical about the Arizona gentleman captaining a team that had been this season’s juggernaut…until last week. Germaine was 15-for-33 for 245 yards with one TD and one interception against a Michigan State defense that was relentless all game. He drove the Bucks to the 15 in the final minute, but couldn’t re-create the Rose Bowl winning drive of 1996. Germaine has still put up some awesome numbers this season with 2,459 passing yards and 18 TDs which rank third and fourth, respectively, at Ohio State. He is completing 60.8 percent of his passes, has thrown just five interceptions and is averaging 273.2 yards per game.
ANTOINE WINFIELD & THE THORPE AWARD
All-American Antoine Winfield is considered the best player in what many call the nation’s best secondary, which includes rising star and junior Ahmed Plummer at cornerback with hard-hitting Damon Moore and play-maker Gary Berry at strong and free safety, respectively. Winfield, a legitimate candidate to win the Thorpe Award, has 12 pass break-ups and 57 tackles on the season. He has 45 solo tackles and five tackles for losses totalling 34 yards. Saturday against MSU he had six tackles, one pass break-up, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
PLUMMER TIES WINFIELD
Ahmed Plummer recorded three pass break-ups against pass happy Michigan State – 47 attempts and 327 yards vs. OSU’s defense – and has tied Antoine Winfield for the team and Big Ten lead with 12. He also recorded six tackles vs. the Spartans.
MOORE 12TH CAREER INT. TIES RECORD
Saturday Damon Moore returned his team-leading 12th career interception 73 yards for a touchdown. It was Moore’s second touchdown off an interception (he returned a ’96 Indiana interception 28 yards for a TD) and it ties him with four others for the OSU record. The interception, his second this season, also marks the fourth straight year that Moore has recorded at least two interceptions. Moore led the Bucks with a personal season high 11 tackles against MSU.
WILEY NEARING 1,000 YARDS RUSHING
Michael Wiley needs 34 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for the season. He’ll join a distinguished list of 15 players who have topped 1,000 yards (a total of 20 times) at Ohio State. The junior had his fourth 100-yard game of the season against Michigan State with 100 yards on 22 carries. Wiley, in his first year as a starter, has 966 yards, nine touchdowns, a 6.3 per carry average and a long rush of 76 yards. He is the Big Ten’s second-leading rusher with 107.3 yards per game.
BOSTON’S 50 YARDS FROM 1,000
Biletnikoff Award semifinalist David Boston needs just 50 receiving yards to become only the third Buckeye to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Boston enters the Iowa game with 59 receptions, 950 yards and nine touchdowns. He is first in the Big Ten in receiving yards per game and second in receptions per game. The only two receivers to top 1,000 are current Viking Cris Carter (1,127 in ’86) and current Patriot Terry Glenn (school record 1,411 yards in ’95).
DAVID & DEE’S RECORDS CLIMB
David Boston has set two Ohio State career records with 10 games of at least 100 receiving yards and with 30 touchdown receptions. He has moved into second place in career receptions at OSU with 165 and he needs just four to pass Cris Carter for that school record. Boston’s 2,280 receiving yards ranks third. Boston has single game (14) and single season (73) receiving records as well. Dee Miller has climbed into fourth place at OSU with 124 career receptions. He passed John Frank with five catches vs. Michigan State.
BUCKEYE LEAVES
Tight end John Lumpkin has now caught a touchdown pass in three consecutive games. He has 10 career touchdowns…. OSU’s defense has allowed just nine touchdowns this season. It has also limited each of its last six opponents to less than 80 net rushing yards….The offense is converting 41 pct. of its third down tries and 63 pct. of its fourth down attempts….Joe Germaine’s 49 career TD passes is third-best at OSU. He needs two to pass Art Schlichter and nine to break Bobby Hoying’s school record. He is fifth in career passing yards with 5,499….A 1998 season high 93, 595 fans were on hand for the Michigan State game….Ohio State’s defense is balanced with with four players between 53 and 58 tackles, 13 with sacks and 11 with interceptons….Ohio State’s defense has scored four touchdowns and its special teams have two touchdowns this season. Central McClellion returned a fourth-quarter interception 60 yards for a score against Minnesota. Na’il Diggs recovered an Illinois fumble and scored from 47-yards out. The key play in OSU’s 28-9 win over Penn State was Jerry Rudzinski recovering a fumble in the end zone after he had surprised quarterback Kevin Thompson. Damon Moore scored on a 73-yard interception return vs. MSU. Special teams scores have come against Penn State (Percy King blocked a punt that Joe Cooper recovered in the end zone) and Indiana (a David Boston 70-yard punt return)…..Jerry Rudzinski (finance), Kurt Murphy (marketing) and Ahmed Plummer (human resources) have been nominated for GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America honors….Brent Johnson leads all linemen with 29 tackles and 5 TFLs.
PLAYMAKERS
Ohio State had seven rushing or passing plays covering 20 or more yards against Michigan State to boost its season big-play total to 57. David Boston has the team lead with 20 plays of 20-or-more yards. Michael Wiley’s 76-yard run from scrimmage, vs. Toledo, is the longest. Nine different players have taken part.
20-YARD RECEPTIONS (40) 20 David Boston – 53TD, 39TD, 38, 38, 38TD, 31TD, 30TD, 30, 30, 29, 29, 27, 24, 24, 23, 23, 22, 21, 20, 20. 10 Dee Miller – 42, 40, 37TD, 34, 33, 33, 32, 29, 21, 20 2 Reggie Germany – 47TD, 37TD. 4 John Lumpkin – 41TD, 35TD, 28, 20 2 Michael Wiley – 35, 20TD 1 Matt Keller – 26 1 Ken-Yon Rambo – 39
20-YARD RUSHES (17) 10 Michael Wiley – 76TD, 59, 40, 37, 36, 29, 28TD, 26, 25, 21TD 6 Joe Montgomery – 30, 24, 22, 21, 20, 20 1 Joe Germaine – 22
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THE SCOOP ON COOP
Twelve Buckeyes have been first round NFL draft picks under John Cooper.
THE COACH
John Cooper, now in his 11th season as head coach of the Ohio State University Buckeyes and in his 22nd season overall, is building as fine a collegiate coaching resume as any active coach in the business. Period. And the resume is getting better every year. Cooper, the second-winningest coach in OSU history – behind Woody Hayes’ 205 victories – and with the third-longest coaching tenure behind Hayes (28 seasons) and John W. Wilce (16), has guided four- consecutive Ohio State teams into New Year’s Day bowl games and each of his last three Ohio State teams to at least 10 victories. The former is part of nine-consecutive bowl appearances for the Buckeyes under Cooper. The latter is an accomplishment only three other current head coaches can match (Bobby Bowden at Florida State, Steve Spurrier at Florida and Phillip Fulmer at Tennessee).
THE 1990’s
Cooper’s Buckeyes have won 59 games since 1993 and in the decade of the 1990s, Ohio State has amassed an 82-23-3 record, the sixth-best win total in the decade among all Division IA schools. These streaks of successes has positioned Cooper with an Ohio State record of 94-33-4 and an all-time mark of 176-73-6.
THE AWARDS
Regarding student-athletes, the honors, awards and accomplishments Ohio State student-athletes have garnered under Cooper is matched by no other active coach. Consider, under John Cooper 15 Buckeyes have won first-team All-America honors, 12 have been first-round NFL draft picks, six have won National Football Foundation Scholarships, five have been named first-team Academic All-Americans and eight have won major athletic and academic awards in the last three years alone.
THE MAN
Away from football, Cooper likes any outdoor activities such as golf, fishing and lawn work and hates being confined to a desk and being in the office. As for dining, he says he has never had a bad meal and still loves an old fashioned home-cooked meal of beans, potatoes and cornbread. He enjoys oldies and country music and truly enjoys relaxing with his family.
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HAWKEYES
Any Hayden Fry coached team is dangerous – especially one that has two weeks to prepare for Ohio State.
WELL RESTED
After enjoying a bye week last weekend, Iowa hosts its final home game of the year this weekend. The 3-6 Hawkeyes lost ten starters from last year’s Sun Bowl team – including NFL picks Tavian Banks and Tim Dwight – and with only two games remaining will be forced to deal with their first losing season since 1992.
TWO WEEKENDS AGO
The Hawkeyes fell behind 29-0 before scoring a point in a 36-14 loss to Purdue on Oct. 31 in West Lafayette, Ind. Iowa turned the ball over five times (three fumbles, two interceptions) and never forced the Boilermakers to punt in the game. Scott Mullen made his first start of the season at quarterback in the game for Iowa. The Hawkeyes were outgained in total yards 541-343, and surrendered 415 yards through the air to pass-happy Purdue. Iowa scored just one offensive touchdown in the game, a 30-yard trot by Robbie Crockett (his first carry as a collegian). Eric Thigpen accounted for the Hawkeyes’ other score with a 29-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.
QUESTION AT QB
Three players have at least 48 passing attempts for Iowa this season. Kyle McCann has completed at 64-of-115 attempts for 944 yards and has the highest efficiency rating among the Iowa quarteracks (126.87). Mullen, who made his first start against Purdue, has connected on 25-of-48 attempts and has been intercepted three times. Ladell Betts anchors an Iowa ground game that is averaging only 87 yards per game. Betts has rushed for 663 yards through nine games this season, but had just 30 yards on 12 carries against Purdue. After piling up 38 points in its season opener against Central Michigan, Iowa has struggled to find the end zone at times this season. The Hawkeyes have just two offensive touchdowns in their last three games, and have been held to 11 points or fewer in five games this season. The future looks bright in Iowa City, however, as 13 of the Hawkeyes’ 17 touchdowns this season have been scored by freshmen. First-year wideout Kahlil Hill has five of those touchdowns (two receiving, three on punt and kickoff returns). A solid athlete with blazing speed, Hill’s 29 catches are the most ever by an Iowa freshman. He has at least one reception in each game this season. Iowa’s offensive line has allowed 33 sacks this year.
A PLAYMAKER NAMED DeVRIES
Defensive tackle Jared DeVries highlights a list of seven returning starters on defense for Iowa. The Hawkeyes are giving up over 362 yards per game, including over 160 on the ground. Iowa’s last two opponents have both eclipsed the 30-point mark. DeVries, a two-time All-American and 1997 Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, has emerged as the big-play man on defense for the Hawkeyes with a whopping 17 tackles-for-a-loss and eight sacks. Matt Bowen leads the team in tackles with 74. Matt Hughes, despite only playing in seven of the team’s nine games, ranks second with 63 takedowns. Thigpen, who scooped up the fumble and rumbled for a score versus Purdue, is also tied for the team lead in interceptions with two. Teams are averaging 22.4 points per game against the Hawkeyes. Each of Iowa’s top three tacklers last year – Hughes, Raj Clark, and Aron Klein – are returning for this season.
1998 IOWA STATISTICAL LEADERS
RUSHING Att. Yards Avg. TD Ladell Betts 153 606 4.0 5 Rob Thein 42 138 3.3 0
PASSING Att. Co. Yds. TD Int. Kyle McCann 115 64 944 2 2 Randy Reiners 79 35 501 3 5
RECEIVING No. Yards Avg. TD Kahlil Hill 28 352 12.6 2 Bashir Yamini 26 279 10.7 0
TACKLES Solo Asst. Tot. Sacks Matt Bowen 47 27 74 0 Matt Hughes 24 39 63 0 Eric Thigpen 39 23 62 0
Facts & Figures Location Iowa City, Iowa Enrollment 27,871 President Mary Sue Coleman Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby Nickname Hawkeyes Colors Old Gold and Black 1998 Record 3-6, 2-4 (Big Ten) Head Coach Hayden Fry Alma Mater Baylor ’51 Iowa Record 143-87-6 (20th year) Career Record 232-176-10 (37th year) Record vs. Ohio State 3-13-1 Offensive Coordinator Don Patterson Defensive Coordinator Bob Elliott Letterman Returning/Lost 34/17 Offensive Starters Returning 5 Defensive Starters Returning 7 Specialists Returning 2 Offensive Formation Multiple Defensive Formation 5-2
1998 Schedule/Results Sept. 5, CENTRAL MICHIGAN W 38- 0 Sept. 12, IOWA STATE L 27- 9 Sept. 19, at Arizona L 35-11 Sept. 26, at Illinois W 37-14 Oct. 3, MICHIGAN L 12- 9 Oct. 10, NORTHWESTERN W 26-24 Oct. 17, at Indiann L 14- 7 Oct. 24, WISCONSIN L 31- 0 Oct. 31, at Purdue L 36-14 Nov. 14, OHIO STATE Nov. 21, at Minnesota
