October 3 at Noon: No. 1 OSU vs. No. 7 PSU – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/21/1998 12:00:00 AM | Football
September 21, 1998
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 1 Ohio State (3-0, 0-0) vs. No. 7 Penn State (3-0, 0-0)
Game Facts
Saturday, Oct. 3, 1998, Noon EDT, Ohio Stadium (89,841; PAT)
Columbus, Ohio, ABC Television
The Broadcast TV – ABC National (WSYX Ch. 6 locally). Keith Jackson, play-by-play; Bob Greise, color analyst and Lynn Swann, sideline reporter.
Radio – Sports Radio 1460 (AM) The Fan and Oldies B97 (97.1 FM). Paul Keels, play-by-play; Jim Lachey, color analyst and Jim Karsatos, sideline reporter.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Head Coach John Cooper, Iowa State ’62 OSU Record 89-32-4 (.728), 11th year Career Record 171-72-6 (.699), 22nd year Record Against PSU 3-2 (.600) Offensive Coordinator Mike Jacobs Defensive Coordinator Fred Pagac
Penn State Nittany Lions
Head Coach Joe Paterno, Brown ’50 PSU Record 301-77-3 (.794), 33rd year Career Record 301-77-3 (.794), 33rd year Record Against OSU 4-5 (.444) Offensive Coordinator Fran Ganter Defensive Coordinator Jerry Sandusky
NATIONAL EXPOSURE
The Ohio State Buckeyes, the nation’s consensus No. 1-ranked college football team, and the Penn State Nittany Lions, No. 7 in both polls, will each enjoy a week off before hooking up Saturday, Oct. 3, in a high noon game at Ohio Stadium. The game will be televised by ABC to a national television audience with Keith Jackson, Bob Greise and Lynn Swann calling the action. This will be Ohio State’s third game against a nationally ranked team this season and it will be Penn State’s first. The Buckeyes have defeated No. 11 West Virginia on the road, 34-17, Toledo at home (49-0) and No. 21 Missouri at home, 35-14. Penn State has blasted Southern Mississippi (34-6) and Bowling Green (48-3) at home and it has a 20-14 win at Pittsburgh.
TWO UNBEATENS. . .AGAIN!
Ohio State vs. Penn State has become a game that the nation stops and watches. For the third-consecutive year, Ohio State and Penn State come into this game unbeaten and ranked in the top 10 nationally. And since this 13-game rivalry was resumed in 1993, Ohio State has come into the game unbeaten and ranked in the top 10 five out of the six years while Penn State has come into the game unbeaten and in the top 10 four times.
Ohio State vs. Penn State in the ’90s
1998 No. 1 OSU (3-0) vs. No. 8 PSU (3-0) 1997 No. 7 OSU (5-0) vs. No. 2 PSU (4-0) 1996 No. 3 OSU (3-0) vs. No. 4 PSU (5-0) 1995 No. 5 OSU (4-0) vs. No. 12 PSU (3-1) 1994 No. 21 OSU (6-2) vs. No. 1 PSU (6-0) 1993 No. 3 OSU (7-0) vs. No. 12 PSU (5-1)
RANKINGS
The Buckeyes are the nation’s No. 1 team in both polls for the fourth-consecutive week. Ohio State picked up seven additional writers first-place votes and one additional coaches’ first-place vote this week to remain a decisive No. 1 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 coaches polls. The Buckeyes received 64 first-place votes and totaled 1,744 points in the AP poll to out-distance No. 2 Nebraska by 143 points. Ohio State received 53 of 62 first-place votes by the coaches to out-distance No. 2 Nebraska, 1,538 points to 1,451 points for the top spot in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll. Penn State is ranked seventh in both polls.
RADIO COVERAGE
The 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 VS. PENN STATE
Ohio State and Penn State have met 13 times with the Nittany Lions holding an 8-5 advantage in wins. This will be the sixth meeting since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993. Ohio State has won three times since ’93 (24-6 in ’93 at Ohio Stadium; 28-25 in ’95 at Beaver Stadium; and 38-7 in ’96 at Ohio Stadium). The Buckeyes are 3-2 vs. Penn State under John Cooper. All-time, OSU is 3-5 vs. Penn State in Columbus; 2-2 in State College and 0-1 on neutral sites (the 1980 Fiesta Bowl).
Series Results:
1912 PSU 37-0 H 1980 PSU 31-19 N 1956 PSU 7-6 H 1993 OSU 24- 6 H 1963 PSU 10-7 H 1994 PSU 63-14 A 1964 PSU 27-0 H 1995 OSU 28-25 A 1975 OSU 17-9 H 1996 OSU 38- 7 H 1976 OSU 12-7 A 1997 PSU 31-27 A 1978 PSU 19-0 H
