Buckeyes Prevail 24-17 Over In-state Foe Bowling Green – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 20, 2003
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Senior safety Will Allen intercepted Bowling Green’s last gasp attempt and ran out the clock to preserve Ohio State’s 24-17 win over Bowling Green Saturday in front of 104,358 fans at Ohio Stadium. The Falcons rallied from a 17-point deficit and drove the ball to the Ohio State 47-yard line before Allen’s game-ending pick.
Ohio State had build a 24-7 lead after Lydell Ross’ second touchdown on the day with 8:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Falcons answered with a 12-play, 80-yard drive, ending on a 25-yard pass from Josh Harris to Cole Manger with 3:25 left. A high-bouncing on-side kick was recovered by Bowling Green’s Janssen Patton just before going out of bounds, putting the Falcons back in business at the OSU 44 yard line. Six plays and 28 yards later, Bowling Green pulled to within a touchdown with a 33-yard Shaun Suisham field goal at the 1:46 mark.
Bowling Green again attempted an on-side kick, however Ohio State tight end Ben Hartsock recovered the ball. The Buckeyes were unable to move the ball and were forced to punt. The Falcons took over at their own 24-yard line and Harris guided his team into OSU territory before the final interception.
The Buckeye running game led the offense as junior tailbacks Maurice Hall and Lydell Ross combined for 201 yards on the afternoon. Hall ran for 108 yards on 19 carries, while Ross gained 94 yards on 22 attempts and two touchdowns.
McMullen, subbing for injured starter Craig Krenzel, completed 10-of-16 pass attempts for 118 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Michael Jenkins caught three passes for 62 yards to lead the receivers.
Harris and Manger sparked the Bowling Green offense. The senior quarterback completed 33-of-53 pass attempts for 326 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Manger was on the receiving end of 13 passes, gaining 168 yards with one touchdown. P.J. Pope led the BGSU running attack with 50 yards on 11 carries.
Ohio State put up 323 yards of total offense, compared to Bowling Green’s 366. The Buckeyes had 205 yards rushing, and 118 through the air. The Falcons passing game accounted for all but 40 yards of their total. In four games this season, Ohio State is limiting opponents to 24 yards per game rushing.
After forcing Bowling Green to punt on its opening possession, Ohio State drove 62 yards to the BGSU 14-yard line before a fumble by Jenkins gave the ball back to the Falcons.
The Buckeyes responded two plays later with a Dustin Fox interception at the BGSU 35-yard line and returned it six yards to the 29-yard line. Six plays later, McMullen found Drew Carter for a seven-yard touchdown, giving Ohio State a 7-0 lead with 6:04 to play in the first quarter.
Bowling Green put up its first points of the day taking its next possession 87 yards in 13 plays, a drive that culminated with a seven-yard Harris pass to Cornelius McGrady. The point after tied the game, 7-7, with 2:14 to play in the quarter.
Simon Fraser recovered a fumble by Harris in the third quarter. Bobby Carpenter sacked the falcon QB for a loss of eight yards and gave Ohio State excellent field position. Back-to-back sacks by the Bowling Green defense made the Buckeyes settle for a Mike Nugent field goal from 47 yards out. That made the score 10-7 with 10:09 to play in the first half.
The Buckeyes, facing 4th-and-1, added another score near the end of the first half as Ross sprinted 33-yards up the middle to the end zone. That gave Ohio State a 17-7 lead with 2:17 to play in the half.
Ohio State out-gained Bowling Green in the first half, 185 yards to 145 yards, including 123 yards through the air. All but 28 yards by the Falcons came via the pass. In the first half, Maurice Hall had 10 carries for 62 yards, while Ross had eight carries for 56 yards. McMullen completed 7-of-11 passes for 62yards.
Neither team scored in the third quarter thanks to interceptions by both teams. Near the start of the second half, a McMullen pass intended for Bam Childress down the left sideline was picked off by Patton and returned 38 yards from the BGSU 39 to the OSU 23. Two plays later, A.J. Hawk grabbed a tipped ball to give the ball back to OSU Brandon Mitchell deflected the pass.
The teams exchanged punts and then Ohio State marched from its own 17 to the BGSU 23 before falling a yard short on 4th-and-2.
The Buckeyes took a 17-point lead with 8:46 remaining in the game as Ross carried the ball three yards for the score. The TD was set up on a career-long 46-yard completion from McMullen to Michael Jenkins. Ohio State began the drive from its own 24-yard line, going 76 yards for the score.
Ohio State (4-0) will close out its current five-game home stand Saturday, Sept. 27 when it plays host to Northwestern in the Big Ten opener for both teams. The game will kick off at 12:10 p.m. and be televised by ESPN2.
