No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Penn State – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 18, 2000
Depth Chart
Top 25 Polls Weekly Release in .PDF format CoachCooper’s Press Conference Football Quotes
This Week
Unbeaten Ohio State (3-0) opens its Big Ten season by hosting Penn State (1-3) at 12:10 p.m., Saturday, in Ohio Stadium (capacity 95,346). The game will be nationally televised by ABC (WSYX-TV, Channel 6 in Columbus) and broadcast by WBNS Radio (1460 AM and 97.1 FM in Columbus), the flagship station for the 78-station Ohio State Radio network. Former Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner Vic Janowicz’ uniform number will be retired at halftime. Janowicz, who wore No. 31 for the Buckeyes and won the Heisman as a junior in 1950, died in February of 1996. His is just the second football number to be retired at Ohio State. Two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin had his number retired last year.
Last Week
The Buckeyes ran their record to 3-0 for the fifth time in the past six years with a 27- 16 win over visiting Miami (Ohio). Penn State, meanwhile, dropped a 12-0 decision at Pittsburgh, falling to 1-3 for the first time since 1983.
Game Three Recap
The Ohio State offense rolled up a season- high 467 yards against the RedHawks, while the defense thwarted any notion of a Miami comeback by picking off three interceptions the last four times the visitors had the ball. Tailbacks Derek Combs and Jonathan Wells rushed for 142 and 113 yards, respectively, to lead the ground attack, which clearly turned in its most impressive performance of the year. Steve Bellisari threw for 194 yards and a touchdown, and flanker Ken-Yon Rambo had six receptions for 100 of those yards. It was Rambo’s third consecutive game with five or more receptions. Strong safety Mike Doss led the OSU defense with seven tackles, one more than corner Nate Clements and linebacker Joe Cooper. Clements and fellow cornerback David Mitchell both had interceptions, as did nickel back Derek Ross.
The Polls
As a result of its 3-0 record, Ohio State has jumped from 15th to 12th in this week’s ESPN/USA Today poll, and from 17th to 14th in the latest Associated Press poll. It is the Buckeyes’ highest slot of the year in either poll. Penn State, which began the season ranked 17th and 22nd, respectively, in the two polls, currently is not ranked.
Ohio State All-Time
This is the 111th season of football for the Buckeyes, who began play in 1890. Last Week’s victory over Miami improves OSU’s all-time record to 720-283-53. Over the years the Buckeyes have experienced just 11 losing seasons, with six of those coming prior to 1925.
The Series
Ohio State and Penn State are two of the most storied and respected football programs in college football, totaling more than 1,400 wins over the years. This will be the 16th meeting between the two teams, and the eighth showdown since Penn State began Big Ten play in 1993. The Nittany Lions lead the series, 9-6, but the Buckeyes have a 4-3 edge since Penn State joined the league. Penn State has won five of the nine games played in Columbus, including the first four, but Ohio State has won three of the last four. In last year’s game, Penn State, ranked No. 2 at the time, defeated visiting Ohio State, 23- 10. In 1998, the Buckeyes prevailed 28-9 in Columbus. Ohio State and Penn State have opened the Big Ten season against one another three times, OSU winning all three (1995, `96 and `98).
OSU in the Big Ten
The Buckeyes were 3-5 in conference play last year, but enter the 2000 season with an all-time record of 392-172-28 since beginning Big Ten play in 1913. Over the years, Ohio State has won 29 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 71-18-1 since Penn State entered the league. That represents the best mark in the Big Ten since 1993.
| Head Coach John Cooper |
Ohio State’s 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 188-79-6 and ranks sixth among activeDivision I coaches in terms of victories. Cooper’s record at OhioState is 106-39-4 and includes two Big Ten championships and 10bowl appearances. He is the second winningest coach in Ohio Statehistory, trailing only the legendary Woody Hayes (205 victories in28 years). Only Hayes (1951-78) and John W. Wilce (1913-28) haveenjoyed longer coaching tenures at OSU. While at Ohio State, Cooperhas compiled a Big Ten record of 65-27-4, including a 4-3 markagainst Penn State. Prior to coming to Ohio State, Cooper spentthree years at Arizona State, where he was National Coach of theYear in 1986. His three-year record of 25- 9-2 with the Sun Devilsincluded a 10-1-1 mark and the school’s first ever Rose Bowlappearance in 1986. The 63-year-old Cooper also spent eight seasonsas head coach at Tulsa, compiling a 57-31 record between 1977 and1984. Cooper is a 1962 graduate of Tulsa, where he was team captainand MVP as a senior.
PSU Coach Joe Paterno
This is Joe Paterno’s 35th year at Penn State. Since succeeding Rip Engle in 1966, Paterno has guided the Nittany Lions to an all-time mark of 318-86-3 and needs just six more wins to become the winningest coach in major college football history. He is 5-6 against Ohio State.
OSU Offense Rolling
The OSU offense went into the Miami game wanting to establish the run. It did so right from the start, with tailback Derek Combs bursting through a truck-sized hole on the right side of the line and rambling for 44 yards on the Buckeyes’ first play from scrimmage. Combs, the fleet-footed senior from Grove City, Ohio., finished the day with 142 yards and averaged 6.8 yards per carry. His backup, Jonathan Wells had 113 yards, scored a pair of touchdowns and averaged 6.6 yards per carry. The Buckeyes finished with 273 yards rushing. Mission accomplished! But they also threw for 194 yards (a figure that might have been much higher had it not been for half a dozen dropped passes) and rolled up a season-high 467 yards on the afternoon. It was easily the best all-around showing of the young season for the Buckeyes, whose young offensive line seems to be getting better with each successive outing. Heading into the Penn State game, OSU is averaging 399 yards per game — 199 on the ground and an even 200 through the air. The Buckeyes have committed just four turnovers (three fumbles and one interception) and have scored in all four quarters in all three games. Against Miami, the Buckeyes ran a season-high 86 plays and had the ball for 33 minutes and 58 seconds.
| Senior flanker Ken-Yon Rambo |
Prime Time Receivers
Senior flanker Ken-Yon Rambo hauled in a season-high six receptionsSaturday and leads the team in that category with 16 grabs for 206yards, an average of 12.9 yards per catch. Senior Chad Cacchio hasfour receptions, three of those for touchdowns, and is averaging34.3 yards per grab. Cacchio, a former walk-on who has since beenconverted to scholarship, had a 35-yard TD reception against Miami.The emergence of Cacchio, plus redshirt freshmen Drew Carter andRicky Bryant, along with holdovers Reggie Germany and VannessProvitt, give quarterback Steve Bellisari one of the most talentedand deep OSU receiving corps in recent memory.
Defense Knows the Score
Defensive Coordinator Jon Tenuta might not be happy with the 368 yards that Miami managed on Saturday, but he has to like the way the Buckeyes performed down the stretch, picking off three interceptions on the RedHawks’ last four possessions. In three games, OSU has seven interceptions and has recovered three of the five fumbles it has forced. The Buckeyes are giving up 311 yards per game, with 219 of that coming through the air and 92 on the ground. Miami is the only team this year to rush for more than 100 yards against OSU, and 40 of those yards came on a quarterback scramble. The Buckeyes, who forced five turnovers in the opener against Fresno State, and had 16 tackles for loss the following week at Arizona, have been good when they had to be. And it has been a total team effort, with all 11 starters, and a number of key reserves, making significant contributions. Cornerback Nate Clements continues to lead OSU in tackles with 21, two more than strong safety Mike Doss. Corner David Mitchell has a team-high two interceptions, linebacker Joe Cooper has four tackles for loss and tackle Mike Collins has three sacks. Six OSU defenders currently have at least 10 tackles.
Kicking Back
Senior Dan Stultz nailed a pair of field goals Saturday, one from 49 yards out, and now has five on the year and 45 during his four-year career. The OSU career record of 49 belongs to Tim Williams (1990-93). Stultz is also averaging 38.7 yards per punt. In the return department, Nate Clements is averaging 11.1 yards per punt runback and Ken-Yon Rambo 22.5 on eight kick returns.
Cooper on the Buckeyes
“We definitely made improvement between the first and second games, but we still are making too many mistakes. Against Miami, we shot ourselves in the foot with a number of needless penalties. We have to get better in that area (35 penalites in the first three games) if we are going to be a good football team. But we do continue to play hard and have given outstanding effort and that is a plus. And we are 3-0. The non-conference portion of the schedule is out of the way and we are all excited about starting the Big Ten. I will be very surprised if we don’t have a very intense and focused week of practice. I think we all know we still have a lot of work to do in order to be the kind of football team we want to be.”
Cooper on Miami
“They are 2-0 and have a veteran team. Given the recent success of the Mid-American Conference and the way their teams have played against the Big Ten this year, I am sure they will come in here excited about the game. We will need to have a good week of practice and be ready to play on Saturday.”
Injury Report
Linebackers Jason Ott and Jack Tucker and offensive tackle Tyson Walter are not expected to play this week. Ott, who started all 12 games a year ago and was in on 79 tackles, tore a muscle in his right shoulder on Aug. 15 and underwent surgery the next day. Tucker suffered a fractured left clavicle on Aug. 22. Both are being evaluated on a weekly basis. Walter, who started 37 consecutive games the past three years, has not seen any action this year due to an infection in his lower back.
| 1950 Heisman Trophy Winner Vic Janowicz |
Janowicz’ No. 31 Retired
The late Vic Janowicz’ No. 31 will be retired at halftime ofSaturday’s game. Janowicz, who lettered for the Buckeyes from 1949to 1951, won the Heisman Trophy in 1950 as a junior. A native ofElyria, Ohio, Janowicz is considered by many historians to be thefinest all-around athlete ever to play for Ohio State. A truetriple-theat, he led the Buckeyes in passing in 1950 and in rushingin 1951. His 27-yard field goal in the imfamous 1950 Snow Bowl isconsidered one of the great athletic feats in the history ofcollege football. Janowicz, who died in February of 1996, will berepresented by his widow, Marianne, his son, Victor, and hisdaughter, Jackie, at Saturday’s ceremony. He is just the secondfootball player and third Ohio State athlete to have a numberretired. Two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin had hisnumber (45) retired last fall (the Iowa game), and three-timebasketball All-America and two time National Player of the YearJerry Lucas, had his number (11) retired this past winter.
Cooper on Penn State
“We are talking about a great program and one of the winningest coaches of all time. I don’t know what happened the first four games this year, but if I know Joe Paterno, he will come in here ready to play.”
A Decade to Remember
The Buckeyes made their mark nationally in the 1990s, compiling an overall record of 91-29-3, playing in seven New Year’s Day bowls, winning a pair of Big Ten champion-hips and twice finishing second in the final wire service polls.
