Ohio State Downs Ohio, 40-16 – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/18/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 18, 1999
%^$By RUSTY MILLER
%^$AP Sports Writer
%^$
%^$
Stats%^$ Notes and Quotes%^$
%^$
%^$
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio State received a scare – for a half.%^$
Stunned by a halftime tie with 43-point underdog Ohio University, the No. 13%^$Buckeyes stormed back in the second half for a 40-16 victory Saturday.%^$
“I was shocked at halftime (by the 10-10 score). I really couldn’t believe%^$it,” said Buckeyes linebacker Na’il Diggs.%^$
It was shocking, considering that Ohio State hasn’t lost to an in-state%^$opponent since 1921.%^$
But the Buckeyes (2-1) took over in the third quarter as Michael Wiley ran%^$for two touchdowns and Steve Bellisari threw a 68-yard TD pass to Ken-Yon%^$Rambo.%^$
“The longer you let a team live like we did in the first half, the tougher%^$job you’ve got,” said Ohio State coach John Cooper. “It’s like a heavyweight%^$fight. If you don’t put somebody away early in the bout, they keep hanging on,%^$hanging on, hanging on.”%^$
Ohio State hasn’t lost to an in-state college since falling to Oberlin 7-6%^$in 1921. The Buckeyes have never lost to another Ohio college in Ohio Stadium’s%^$78 years.%^$
Yet the Buckeyes almost lulled a crowd of 93,222 to sleep with lethargic%^$play in the opening half. Ohio (0-3), which lost to Division I-AA Northern Iowa%^$at home last week, used its option attack and big plays to frustrate the%^$Buckeyes.%^$
Meanwhile, the Buckeyes were stumbling and bumbling. Bellisari twice fell%^$down after taking the snap with no defender near him. Another time, his perfect%^$pass for fullback Jamar Martin went through Martin’s hands and was intercepted.%^$
As a result, the Buckeye fans were eerily quiet.%^$
“I thought the crowd was going to be a lot worse than it was,” said Ohio%^$running back Jamel Patterson, shaking his head.%^$
The Bobcats held a 10-3 lead late in the second quarter after Chad Brinker’s%^$3-yard run. That in itself was a victory. The Bobcats and Buckeyes had met four%^$times from 1899-1902, with Ohio State winning by a combined 95-0.%^$
The Bobcats almost maintained their lead into the second half, except for a%^$controversial call.%^$
Bellisari’s pass to Rambo gave the Buckeyes a 23-yard gain to the Ohio 20%^$before the ball squirted out of Rambo’s hands. The officials conferred before%^$ruling Rambo’s knee was down when he lost control of the ball. TV replays were%^$inconclusive.%^$
“He dodged a bullet there in the first half when he fumbled the ball,”%^$Cooper said.%^$
Three plays later, Bellisari connected with the diving Rambo for a 15-yard%^$touchdown. Dan Stultz, who had earlier kicked a 31-yard field goal, added the%^$extra point that gave Ohio State the tie.%^$
The Buckeyes then took control in the third quarter, scoring three times in%^$four offensive plays.%^$
Bellisari’s 36-yard pass to Rambo and a 13-yarder to Vaness Provitt set up%^$Wiley’s 1-yard touchdown dive for a 17-10 lead the first time Ohio State got%^$the ball.%^$
Ohio gained a yard on its next three plays after the kickoff. On%^$fourth-and-9 at the 24, Ohio coach Jim Grobe had Dave Zastudil run out of punt%^$formation but he was tackled by Tony Locke for a 9-yard loss.%^$
“The fake punt was a gamble but it didn’t pay off,” Grobe said. “We came%^$here to win. I thought they were going to bring the house to block the punt.”%^$
On the next play, Wiley broke two tackles in a 15-yard scoring run to put%^$the Buckeyes ahead 24-10.%^$
Zastudil did punt the next time Ohio got the ball. Two plays later,%^$Bellisari found Rambo for a 68-yard touchdown.%^$
“I was gliding to the end zone,” said Rambo, who finished with seven%^$catches for 181 yards.%^$
Ohio’s 17-year-old freshman quarterback, Dontrell Jackson, went down with%^$what a trainer called a strained right shoulder. He spent the fourth quarter on%^$the sidelines with a bag of ice taped to his shoulder, watching as the teams%^$traded scores.%^$
The Bobcats faced the 65-mile bus trip back home to Athens knowing that they%^$didn’t get embarrassed.%^$
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Grobe said. “We can develop into a%^$good football team. And right now we’re getting closer.”%^$
