No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan State – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/30/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 30, 2000
Depth Chart
Top 25 Polls Weekly Release in .PDF format CoachCooper’s Press Conference Football Quotes
This Week
Ohio State returns home this week to host Michigan State in sold out Ohio Stadium (95,346). Saturday’s kickoff is set for 12:10 p.m. EST. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN. WBNS Radio, the flagship station for the Ohio State radio network, will begin its coverage four hours prior to kickoff.
The Teams
Ohio State, coming off a valiantly fought 31-27 loss at Purdue last week, is 6-2 on the year and 3-2 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are in fourth place in the conference standings, trailing Purdue (5-1), Michigan (4-1) and Northwestern (4-1). Michigan State, a 14-10 winner over visiting Illinois on Saturday, is 4-4 on the season and 1-4 in league play. The Buckeyes play two of their last three at home, traveling to Illinois Nov. 11 and then returning to Columbus to host Michigan Nov. 18. Following Ohio State, Michigan State hosts Purdue and then closes out its regular season at Penn State.
This Week’s Storyline
On paper, Saturday’s game shapes up as a defensive struggle. The Buckeyes lead the league in rushing defense (82.5) and are second in both scoring defense (15.8) and total defense (322.2). Michigan State is the Big Ten leader in total defense (299.0) and pass defense (147.0) and is third in scoring defense (19.2).
Buckeye Coach John Cooper
Now in his 24th season as a head coach on the collegiate level,John Cooper is in his 13th year at the helm of the Buckeyes. Cooperhas a lifetime mark of 191-81-6 and ranks sixth among activeDivision I coaches in terms of victories. Cooper’s record at OhioState is 109-41-4 and includes two Big Ten championships and 10bowl appearances. His 1996 and 1998 teams came within an eyelash ofwinning national championships, each notching 11-1 records andfinishing second in the polls. Cooper is the second winningestcoach in Ohio State history, trailing only the legendary WoodyHayes (205 victories in 28 years). Only Hayes (1951-78) and John W.Wilce (1913-28) have enjoyed longer coaching tenures at OSU. Whileat Ohio State, Cooper has compiled a Big Ten record of 68-29-4,including a 5-3 ledger against Michigan State. He currently is thedean of Big Ten coaches. Prior to coming to Ohio State, Cooperspent three years at Arizona State, where he was National Coach ofthe Year in 1986. His three-year record of 25-9-2 with the SunDevils included a 10-1-1 mark and the school’s first-ever Rose Bowlappearance in 1986 (he is the only person to coach a team from boththe Pac 10 and the Big Ten to victories in the Rose Bowl). The63-year-old Cooper also spent eight seasons as head coach at Tulsa,compiling a 57-31 record between 1977 and 1984. Cooper is a 1962graduate of Tulsa, where he was team captain and MVP as a senior.
MSU Coach Bobby Williams
An assistant coach for 10 years at Michigan State, Bobby Williams took over as the Spartans’ boss on December 5, 1999, succeeding Nick Saban. In his first game in his new capacity, Williams led the Spartans to a 38-34 victory over Florida in the Citrus Bowl. His career record is 5-4 entering this week’s game with Ohio State. Williams is a 1982 graduate of Purdue.
Series Notes
Ohio State leads the overall series, 20-12, and has a 10-7 edge in games played in Columbus. Michigan State, however, has won the last two meetings, upsetting the top-ranked Buckeyes, 28-24, in 1998 in Columbus, and defeating OSU, 23-7, last year in East Lansing. Prior to those two losses, the Buckeyes had won five consecutive games against the Spartans. The series began in 1912, with Michigan State winning, 35-20. The two teams did not play against until 1951. MSU won that game, 24-20, and also defeated the Buckeyes in their next meeting, 28-13, in 1953. The Buckeyes recorded their first win over the Spartans in 1959, a 30-24 decision in Columbus. Between 1975 and 1984, OSU reeled off eight victories in a row against the Spartans. After this year, the two teams do not play again until 2003.
Last Year
On the strength of two second-quarter touchdown passes by quarterback Bill Burke, Michigan State jumped to a 17-0 lead at halftime and never looked back. Ohio State’s lone touchdown came in the third quarter on a four-yard pass from Steve Bellisari to running back Michael Wiley.
Top Series Performances
Tailback Eddie George ran for 219 yards and a touchdown against the Spartans in 1994, sparking OSU to a 23-7 win in East Lansing. MSU’s Jim Miller threw for 360 yards against the Buckeyes in 1993, but MSU lost the game, 28-21, in Columbus.
OSU Last Week
The Buckeyes intercepted Purdue quarterback Drew Brees four times, but Brees’ 64-yard TD pass with 1:55 to play propelled the Boilers to a heart stopping come-from-behind win. Trailing, 10-3, early in the third period, the Buckeyes scored 17 unanswered points to take a 20-10 lead. Purdue roared back on a pair of Brees TD strikes to take a 24-20 lead, before Mike Doss’ interception return set up a two-yard touchdown run by Jerry Westbrooks with 2:16 left. But Brees needed just two plays to give the Boilers the lead for good. Doss had two interceptions and 11 tackles to lead the OSU defense. Cornerback Nate Clements also had a pick (his fourth of the year) and scored his first touchdown of the year on an 83-yard punt return.
Stultz Sets Record
Senior kicker Dan Stultz kicked a pair of field goals at Purdue tobecome the Buckeyes’ all-time leader in field goals made with 51.Stultz, who converted from 35 and 45 yards out, had been tied withTim Williams (1990-93) at 49. Stultz also converted three PATsagainst the Boilers, giving him a team leading 61 points on theyear and 312 during his career. He is second on the school’sall-time scoring list, trailing only Pete Johnson, who scored 348points between 1973 and 1976.
Clements Honored
Nate Clements, who is tied for the Big Ten lead in interceptions with four, is the Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week. Clements returned three punts for 131 yards at Purdue, including an 83-yard TD return that ranks as the third longest in Ohio State history and the longest since 1990. The school record of 87 yards was set by Bob Demmel in 1950 against Iowa. Tom Campana has the second longest return, going 85 yards at Michigan in 1971. Clements, a junior from Shaker Heights, Ohio, leads the Big Ten in punt returns with an average of 18.9 per try. Clements also had an interception at Purdue.
Surprise Team To Some
Picked in some preseason publications to finish as low as seventh in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes began the season by reeling off five-consecutive wins, including impressive road victories at Arizona (27-17) and Wisconsin (23-7), and after they climbed to No. 5 in the coaches’ poll. Minnesota upset OSU, 29-17, in Columbus on Oct. 14, but the Buckeyes bounced back at Iowa the following week to assure themselves of a Big Ten leading 32nd bowl trip.
The Polls
Ohio State is 16th in the Associated Press poll this week (down four spots from last week) and 19th in the ESPN/USA Today poll (down six). The Buckeyes began the season 15th in the coaches’ poll and 16th in the writers’ balloting. Prior to the loss to Minnesota, the Buckeyes had climbed to fifth in the coaches’ poll and were sixth in the writers’ poll.
Offensive Notes
The Ohio State offense is averaging 363.8 yards per game — 207.3 through the air and 156.5 rushing. The Buckeyes are averaging 30.8 points a game and have committed just nine turnovers (five lost fumbles and four interceptions). The Buckeyes are 26-of-29 in the red zone, scoring 17 touchdowns and nine field goals when crossing the opponent’s 20-yard line.
Defensive Stats
The OSU defense is allowing 322.3 yards and 15.8 points a game. Opponents are averaging 239.8 yards passing and 82.5 yards rushing against the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes have picked off a Big Ten high 14 interceptions and have recovered eight fumbles. The defense has scored five touchdowns (three interceptions and two fumble recoveries) and has accounted for 82 points. The OSU defense also has 84 tackles for loss and 37 sacks on the year.
Doss Leads Tacklers
Strong safety Mike Doss leads the Buckeyes in both solo (48) andtotal tackles (58). The 5-11, 200-pound sophomore had a career-high11 stops at Purdue to go along with his two interceptions and twotackles for loss. Linebacker Joe Cooper is next with 48, followedby cornerback Nate Clements with 46. Sophomore linebacker MattWilhelm is the team leader in tackles-for-loss with 11, one morethan senior defensive end Brent Johnson.
Paper or Plastic
Junior linebacker Courtland Bullard picked up his sixth sack of the year at Purdue and has taken over the team lead in that category. Defensive ends Brent Johnson and Rodney Bailey each have five. A total of 15 different players have sacks for the Buckeyes.
Big Ten Leaders
The Buckeyes are first in the Big Ten in rushing defense (82.5 ypg.) sacks (37 for 242 yards), turnover margin (+13) interceptions (14), kickoff returns (25.0 ypr.) and punt returns (15.1 ypr.). The Buckeyes also rank second in total defense (322.2) and scoring defense (15.8).
Cooper on Purdue
“I am extremely disappointed by the loss, but I am proud of our team and the effort we gave. Drew Brees is a great quarterback and he made the plays when he had to. Our defensive plan was sound and our players played their hearts out. We had a chance to win it, and we didn’t protect our lead late. That was the most disappointing thing.”
Cooper on Michigan State
“We still have three tough games to play, beginning with Michigan State this week. They have lost a couple of close games that could have gone either way. They beat a good Illinois team last week, so they will come in here with a little momentum. We need to bounce back and be ready to play, especially on offense. We just have not been consistent enough offensively. Michigan State is a good defensive team, so we need to be able to move the ball.”
Rookies Measuring Up
The freshman class this year, billed last February by most recruiting gurus as one of the best in the nation, appears to be living up to its advance billing. In the Buckeyes’ first eight games, 11 true freshmen have seen action. On offense, Shane Olivea and Alex Stepanovich have worked their way into the two-deep on the offensive line. On defense, Robert Reynolds (LB), Will Smith (DE) and Darrion Scott (DT) have all figured in the fray when the game was on the line. The rest have made their contributions as members of the special teams.
Injury Report
Linebacker Jason Ott made the trip to Purdue last week, but did not play. Ott, who started all 12 games a year ago, tore a muscle in his right shoulder Aug. 15 and underwent surgery the next day. He began doing some light drills the week of the Iowa game, but has not played thus far. Linebacker Jack Tucker, who suffered a fractured clavicle Aug. 22, and tackle Tyson Walter, who has missed the entire season because of a back infection, are both out this week. Also, fullback Jesse Kline is expected to miss the rest of the season with a back injury.
Janowicz’ No. 31 Retired
Vic Janowicz’s No. 31 was retired at halftime of the Penn State game (9/23/00) and now is permanently on display in Ohio Stadium. Janowicz, who lettered for the Buckeyes from 1949 to 1951, won the Heisman Trophy in 1950 as a junior. A native of Elyria, Ohio, Janowicz is considered by many historians to be the finest all-around athlete ever to play for Ohio State. Janowicz, who died in February of 1996, is only the second football player and third Ohio State athlete to have a number retired. Two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin had his number (45) retired in 1999 (the Iowa game), and three-time basketball All-America and two time National Player of the Year, Jerry Lucas, had his number (11) retired this past winter.
Attendance Marks
In four home games this year, the Buckeyes have drawn a total of 389,568 fans, an average of 97,392. The Ohio Stadium single-season record for average attendance is 94,028, set in six games in 1996. The season record for total attendance is 654,500, set in seven games in 1991, when the Buckeyes averaged 93,500 fans per game. Coming into this year, the single-game attendance record was 95,537, set in 1995 against Notre Dame. With seating capacity this year expanded to 95,346 as part of a three-year renovation project, the Notre Dame mark fell in the season opener against Fresno State (96,583). That record has since been broken twice – against Miami (96,721) and then against Penn State (98,144). The homecoming game against Minnesota attracted 98,120 fans.
OSU In The Big Ten
The Buckeyes now have an all-time Big Ten record of 395-174-28 since beginning conference play in 1913. Over the years, Ohio State has won 28 Big Ten championships, and is tied for the league lead with 15 outright titles. Between 1992 and 1998 the Buckeyes finished either first or second every year, winning titles in 1993, ’96 and ’98. The Buckeyes are 74-20-1 since Penn State entered the league in 1993. That represents the best mark in the conference in that time period.
Ohio State All-Time
This is the 111th season of football for the Buckeyes, who began play in 1890. OSU’s all-time record now stands at 723-285-53. Over the years, the Buckeyes have experienced just 11 losing seasons, with six of those coming prior to 1925.
Adam Taliaferro Fund
Ohio State will donate $20,000 to the Adam Taliaferro long-term care fund. The money comes from program sales at the Oct. 14 game against Minnesota, as well as contributions by the Department of Athletics. Taliaferro suffered a spinal cord injury against Ohio State Sept. 23. About 4,000 programs remain and can be purchased through the official Ohio State website at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com. The Department of Athletics will donate all monies from the sale of the remaining programs to the Taliaferro fund.
