Michigan State Defense Holds Buckeyes In Check – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/6/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 6, 1999
%^$
%^$
Game Stats%^$
%^$By HARRY ATKINS
%^$AP Sports Writer
%^$
EAST LANSING, Mich. – A year ago, Ohio State was upset by Michigan%^$State. This time, it was no upset. The Spartans were clearly superior.%^$
Bill Burke passed for 174 yards and two touchdowns as No. 19 Michigan State%^$rolled to a 23-7 victory over the 20th-ranked Buckeyes, who may have cost%^$themselves a shot at a New Year’s Day bowl game.%^$
“You just saw an old-fashioned butt-whupping,” Ohio State coach John%^$Cooper said.%^$
The Buckeyes (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) had been pointing to this game for almost a%^$year, ever since their hopes for the 1998 national championship were dashed by%^$a 28-24 loss in Columbus last season. But they were completely outplayed by%^$Michigan State (7-3, 4-2) which used an off week to get over a two-game losing%^$streak.%^$
The Spartans’ defense, tops in the Big Ten against the run, held Ohio State%^$to zero yards rushing and just four first downs. The Buckeyes finished with 79%^$yards, all in the air on 8-of-23 passing with one interception.%^$
“The key was to put as much pressure as possible on their quarterback,”%^$Spartans’ cornerback Amp Campbell said. “We knew he had happy feet, so we%^$didn’t want to let him get comfortable in the pocket.”%^$
It was the Buckeyes’ worst rushing performance since finishing with minus-22%^$yards rushing in a 32-7 loss to Michigan State in 1965. The last time Ohio%^$State had less total offense was 1963 when Penn State held the Buckeyes to 63%^$yards.%^$
“We just didn’t do anything offensively,” Cooper said. “We came here%^$knowing that we had to establish the running game, but we couldn’t do that. We%^$just didn’t block anyone.”%^$
Ohio State quarterbacks were sacked six times.%^$
“They were bringing guys from everywhere – linebackers, cornerbacks and%^$safeties, and we didn’t pick them up,” Cooper said. “There were plays where%^$we were in max protect and still couldn’t get the ball off. That comes from the%^$fact that we were no threat running. They could just blitz us at will. We never%^$gave our quarterback a chance.”%^$
Burke completed 15-of-24, including a 17-yard touchdown to Plaxico Burress%^$and a 1-yard scoring flip to Chris Baker.%^$
Ohio State’s only score came on a 4-yard touchdown toss from Steve Bellisari%^$to Michael Wiley following a third-quarter interception. For the game,%^$Bellisari was just 7-of-16 for 61 yards with one interception. He watched the%^$fourth quarter from the bench.%^$
“It was really tough out there, because they were blitzing on every play,”%^$said Austin Moherman, who replaced Bellisari. “The quarterback doesn’t have a%^$chance like that. We didn’t have time to make our reads or find our%^$receivers.”%^$
The Buckeyes didn’t cross the 50 in the first half, going three-and-out on%^$their last five possessions before halftime. Michigan State’s swarming defense%^$held the Buckeyes to just 61 yards in the half, nine on the ground.%^$
Burke, meanwhile, was beginning to find the range and Michigan State’s line%^$was opening big holes for Lloyd Clemons and T.J. Duckett as the Spartans scored%^$on three straight possessions to take a 17-0 halftime lead.%^$
Paul Edinger’s 35-yard field goal gave Michigan State a 3-0 lead early in%^$the second quarter. Then bad things began happening to the Buckeyes.%^$
A 20-yard punt by Dan Stultz gave Michigan State the ball at the Buckeyes%^$45. Burke had completions of 25 and 17 yards before hitting Burress with a%^$17-yard touchdown pass with 6:43 left in the half. Burress was wide open in the%^$left corner after cornerback Nate Clements fell.%^$
“Field position was a huge factor today,” Burke said.%^$
The Spartans went 49 yards in 10 plays on their next possession as Burke%^$completed 4-of-5 for 40 yards, finishing the drive with a 1-yard pass to Baker.%^$
It looked like the Buckeyes might score in the final minute of the second%^$quarter, but Ken-Yon Rambo dropped Bellisari’s long pass at the Michigan State%^$15 and two snaps later the Buckeyes punted again.%^$
The Buckeyes went three-and-out on their first possession of the third%^$quarter, too. Then their luck changed – if only for a little while.%^$
Ahmed Plummer stepped in front of Burress for an interception and returned%^$it 37 yards to the Michigan State 3. The Buckeyes drew a false-start flag on%^$their first snap, but two snaps later Bellisari threw a 4-yard touchdown pass%^$to Wiley, closing the gap to 17-7.%^$
The Spartans came back with a 75-yard, 13-play drive to set up a 33-yard%^$field goal. And on the first snap of Ohio State’s next possession, Bellisari’s%^$pass was picked off by Richard Newsome, setting up another 33-yarder by Edinger%^$and a 20-7 lead four seconds into the fourth quarter.%^$
Moherman went the rest of the way at quarterback in place of Bellisari. He%^$wasn’t very effective, either, but did complete an 18-yard pass to Wiley with%^$just over 10 minutes remaining for the Buckeye’s first first down since early%^$in the first quarter.%^$
“This was probably our most important game of the season, because we had to%^$stop the losing streak and get things back on track,” said defensive end%^$Robaire Smith, who had four tackles for the Spartans.%^$
