Confidence Back at Ohio State – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/16/1998 12:00:00 AM | Football
November 16, 1998
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By CHUCK SCHOFFNER
%^$AP Sports Writer%^$
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Once he decides to talk, Ohio State coach John Cooper%^$no doubt will have a lot of say about Saturday’s game with Michigan. His%^$players will too.%^$
But Cooper didn’t feel the pink-walled visitor’s dressing room at Iowa’s%^$Kinnick Stadium was the time or place to start discussing the Wolverines, who%^$have been the cause of so much Ohio State heartbreak over the years.%^$
So Cooper, who’s 1-8-1 against Michigan, kept quiet on the subject and%^$ordered his players to do the same. All Cooper would volunteer was that%^$Michigan is much better now than it was at the beginning of the season and “it%^$will be another classic ball game.”%^$
The seventh-ranked Buckeyes had plenty to say, though, about the 45-14%^$thumping they laid on Iowa, a victory that restored the confidence that had%^$been shattered by their 28-24 loss to Michigan State.%^$
“It was a chance for us to come back and redeem ourselves,” quarterback%^$Joe Germaine said. “We were let down after the Michigan State game. We wanted%^$to play as soon as we could to get back on the winning ways.”%^$
Germaine had a lot to do with making that happen. He topped 300 yards%^$passing for a school-record sixth time this season, finishing 18-of-30 for 319%^$yards and three touchdowns.%^$
The offense cranked out 627 total yards, the most by Ohio State since%^$getting 639 against Northwestern in 1981, and the defense held Iowa to 180%^$yards while recording 11 sacks.%^$
“We did have a slow start, but for the most part, we played a great game,”%^$Germaine said. “We had over 600 yards of offense and whenever you do that,%^$you’re doing something right.%^$
“If we can keep the ball rolling and keep that snowball getting bigger and%^$bigger, then we’ll be fine,” he said.%^$
The Buckeyes (9-1 overall, 6-1 Big Ten) certainly looked OK to Iowa coach%^$Hayden Fry, whose team will limp into it season finale at Minnesota with a%^$four-game losing streak.%^$
“On defense, they just wore us out,” Fry said. “Big play after big play.%^$We knew it would be tough after they were upset last week. There was no reason%^$for them losing other than a couple of trick plays that gave Michigan State the%^$advantage.”%^$
Iowa (3-7, 2-5) did have Ohio State reeling momentarily. Freshman cornerback%^$D.J. Johnson returned an interception 73 yards to the Ohio State 11,%^$quarterback Scott Mullen scored on the next play and Iowa led 7-0 with 8:32%^$left in the first quarter.%^$
But on the very next play, Ohio State’s Joe Montgomery sprinted 80 yards for%^$a touchdown and the Buckeyes dominated from then on.%^$
“That was a big play,” Cooper said. “They had the momentum there. It was%^$important for us to come back and not only get momentum, but sort of take their%^$crowd out of the game.”%^$
Germaine threw touchdown passes of 54 and 17 yards to David Boston and 16%^$yards to Matt Keller. Boston, a no-show in the interview room, caught five%^$passes for 163 yards and became Ohio State’s career leader with 170 receptions,%^$two more than Cris Carter had from 1984-86.%^$
“David Boston had a great ball game,” Cooper said. “I thought it was the%^$best ball game I’ve seen him play. He did a great job of catching the ball,%^$particularly the long passes.”%^$
The game brought more misery for Iowa, which needs to beat Minnesota to%^$avoid the worst record in Fry’s 20 seasons. The Hawkeyes lost starting%^$quarterback Scott Mullen to a broken collarbone early in the second quarter and%^$had to go with freshman Kyle McCann, who had been sidelined by a sprained ankle%^$and wasn’t even supposed to play.%^$
So what would the Hawkeyes do if something happened to McCann?%^$
“We may have to go to the single wing,” Fry joked. “Mullen could play.%^$He’s the only guy with one wing.”%^$ %^$
