GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NCAAF: MICHIGAN ST (5-2) at OHIO ST (7-0)

NCAAF: MICHIGAN ST at OHIO ST

<div class="pre">NCAAF MICHIGAN ST 17
OHIO ST (1) 24 1:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NCAAF: MICHIGAN ST at OHIO ST

<div class="pre">NCAAF FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MICHIGAN ST 0 0 14 3 17
OHIO ST (1) 10 7 7 0 24 FINAL

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST QUARTER: OHIO ST - TD, JAKE BALLARD 14 YD PASS FROM
TODD BOECKMAN (RYAN PRETORIUS
KICK), 3:10. OHIO ST 7-0
OHIO ST - FG, RYAN PRETORIUS 42 YD, 11:20.
OHIO ST 10-0
2ND QUARTER: OHIO ST - TD, CHRIS WELLS 8 YD RUN (RYAN
PRETORIUS KICK), 4:45. OHIO ST
17-0
3RD QUARTER: OHIO ST - TD, BRIAN ROBISKIE 50 YD PASS FROM
TODD BOECKMAN (RYAN PRETORIUS
KICK), 8:08. OHIO ST 24-0
MICHIGAN ST - TD, OTIS WILEY 54 YD INTERCEPTION
RETURN (BRETT SWENSON KICK),
11:08. OHIO ST 24-7
MICHIGAN ST - TD, SIR DAREAN ADAMS 25 YD FUMBLE
RETURN (BRETT SWENSON KICK),
12:04. OHIO ST 24-14
4TH QUARTER: MICHIGAN ST - FG, BRETT SWENSON 43 YD, 11:18.
OHIO ST 24-17</div>

 

NCAAF: MICHIGAN ST at OHIO ST

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NCAAF
MICHIGAN ST 17
OHIO ST (1) 24 FINAL</div>

 

NCAAF: MICHIGAN ST at OHIO ST

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NCAAF
MICHIGAN ST 17
OHIO ST (1) 24 FINAL</div>

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- History both past and presentsuggested Ohio State would struggle on Saturday. But thetop-ranked team in the nation refused succumb to the upset bug.

Todd Boeckman threw a pair of touchdowns Saturday and ChrisWells set a career high with 221 yards on the ground to lead theNo. 1 Buckeyes to a 24-17 Big Ten Conference victory overupset-minded Michigan State.


Brian Robiskie caught a 50-yard touchdown pass in the thirdquarter which proved to be the winning score for Ohio State,which avoided being the third No. 1 team to fall this season.

In both 1974 and 1998, an unranked Michigan State team took downtop-ranked Ohio State. The Spartans scored the last 19 pointsof the 1998 contest to rally for a 28-24 upset.


The Buckeyes jumped out to a 24-0 lead Saturday and watched asthe Spartans scored 17 unanswered points.


But Ohio State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) would not allow a repeat ofthe 1998 upset, using a 3 1/2-minute drive to end the game andkeep the ball out of the hands Michigan State (5-3, 1-3).

Boeckman got the Buckeyes started on the opening drive of thegame, leading his team 93 yards in just over three minutes andcapping the seven-play drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass toJake Ballard.


Ryan Pretorius' 42-yard field goal on Ohio State's next driveincreased the lead to 10-0.


Wells, who saw limited action due to injury last week againstKent State, showed no ill effects and rushed for a five-yardscore in the second quarter to send the Buckeyes into halftimewith a 17-0 lead.


When Boeckman hit Robiskie in the third to make it 24-0, anupset seemed highly unlikely.


But the Spartans - led by first-year coach Mark Dantonio, whowas the defensive coordinator on Ohio State's 2002 nationalchampionship team - turned up the pressure on Boeckman.

Otis Wiley intercepted a pass and returned it 54 yards to putMichigan State on the board. Two plays later, defensive endJonal Saint-Dic sacked Boeckman and forced a fumble, whichSirDarean Adams returned 25 yards to make it a 24-14 game.

Saint-Dic's forced fumble was his eighth of the season, good forfirst in the nation.


The Spartans added a fourth-quarter field goal but would get nocloser, as Wells rushed seven times on the Buckeyes' final drivefor 36 yards to ensure the win.

 

NCAAF: MICHIGAN ST at OHIO ST

<div class="pre">NCAAF FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MICHIGAN ST 0 0 14 3 17
OHIO ST (1) 10 7 7 0 24 FINAL

OHIO ST-TD, J Ballard 14 YD PASS FROM T Boeckman (R
Pretorius KICK) 3:10 1st Qtr
OHIO ST-FG, R Pretorius 42 YD 11:20 1st Qtr
OHIO ST-TD, C Wells 5 YD RUN (R Pretorius KICK) 4:45 2nd
Qtr
OHIO ST-TD, B Robiskie 50 YD PASS FROM T Boeckman (R
Pretorius KICK) 8:08 3rd Qtr
MICHIGAN ST-TD, O Wiley 54 YD INTERCEPTION RETURN (B Swenson
KICK) 11:08 3rd Qtr
MICHIGAN ST-TD, S Adams 25 YD FUMBLE RETURN (B Swenson KICK)
12:04 3rd Qtr
MICHIGAN ST-FG, B Swenson 43 YD 11:18 4th Qtr


MICHIGAN ST OHIO ST
First downs 9 22
Rushed-yards 28-59 47-229
Passing yards 126 193
Sacked-yards lost 4-9 2-13
Return yards 81 38
Passes 12-24-1 15-23-1
Punts 8-41 5-43.4
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-1
Penalties-yards 2-25 7-35
Time of possession 25:45 34:15


Individual Statistics

RUSHING: MICHIGAN ST-Javon Ringer 18-49, Devin Thomas 2-10, Jehuu
Caulcrick 4-9, Kellen Davis 1-MINUS 1, Brian Hoyer 3-MINUS 8. OHIO
ST-Chris Wells 31-221, Maurice Wells 9-18, Brandon Saine 3-3, - Team
1-MINUS 2, Todd Boeckman 3-MINUS 11.

PASSING: MICHIGAN ST-Brian Hoyer 12-23-126- 1, Kellen Davis 0-0-0- 0,
Devin Thomas 0-1-0- 0. OHIO ST-Todd Boeckman 15-23-193- 1.

RECEIVING: MICHIGAN ST-Devin Thomas 4-77, Deon Curry 4-24, Kellen
Davis 1-19, Javon Ringer 1-5, Eric Andino 1-4, Andrew Hawken 1-MINUS
3. OHIO ST-Brian Robiskie 2-92, Brian Hartline 4-41, Jake Ballard
3-35, Dane Sanzenbacher 2-18, Chris Wells 1-8, Ray Small 2-1, Maurice
Wells 1-MINUS 2.


Att: 105,287</div>

 

NCAAF: MICHIGAN ST at OHIO ST

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NCAAF
MICHIGAN ST 17
OHIO ST (1) 24 FINAL</div>

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- History both past and presentsuggested Ohio State would struggle on Saturday. But thetop-ranked team in the nation refused succumb to the upset bug.

Todd Boeckman threw a pair of touchdowns Saturday and ChrisWells set a career high with 221 yards on the ground to lead theNo. 1 Buckeyes to a 24-17 Big Ten Conference victory overupset-minded Michigan State.


Brian Robiskie caught a 50-yard touchdown pass in the thirdquarter which proved to be the winning score for Ohio State,which avoided being the third No. 1 team to fall this season.

"We never panicked today," Robiskie said. "We have done a greatjob all year not depending on one guy to make plays. We playedtogether and came out on top."


In both 1974 and 1998, an unranked Michigan State team took downtop-ranked Ohio State. The Spartans scored the last 19 pointsof the 1998 contest to rally for a 28-24 upset.


The Buckeyes jumped out to a 24-0 lead Saturday and watched asthe Spartans scored 17 unanswered points.


"We hung in there the whole game," Boeckman said. "We made somemistakes, but we came out and got a victory and that is the goodpart."


But Ohio State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) would not allow a repeat ofthe 1998 upset, using a 3 1/2-minute drive to end the game andkeep the ball out of the hands Michigan State (5-3, 1-3).

Boeckman got the Buckeyes started on the opening drive of thegame, leading his team 93 yards in just over three minutes andcapping the seven-play drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass toJake Ballard.


Ryan Pretorius' 42-yard field goal on Ohio State's next driveincreased the lead to 10-0.


Wells, who saw limited action due to injury last week againstKent State, showed no ill effects and rushed for a five-yardscore in the second quarter to send the Buckeyes into halftimewith a 17-0 lead.


"We knew for us to be a good team, we were going to need (Wells)to be a warrior, a workhorse," Ohio State coach Jim Tresselsaid, "That's what he wants to be. That's what we want him tobe."


When Boeckman hit Robiskie in the third to make it 24-0, anupset seemed highly unlikely.


But the Spartans - led by first-year coach Mark Dantonio, whowas the defensive coordinator on Ohio State's 2002 nationalchampionship team - turned up the pressure on Boeckman.

Safety Otis Wiley intercepted a pass and returned it 54 yards toput Michigan State on the board. Two plays later, defensiveend Jonal Saint-Dic sacked Boeckman and forced a fumble, whichline backer SirDarean Adams returned 25 yards to make it a 24-14game.


"We came for the walk through Friday and I had a vision of aninterception," Wiley said. "I was put in and knew I had to goout hard. I played like it was my last game. I was just glad tobe able to help my team."


Saint-Dic's forced fumble was his eighth of the season, good forfirst in the nation.


"They did a good job bringing some blitzes off the front that wehadn't prepared for," Tressel said. "We still have to, whenthings go that way, we've got to hold on to the ball or take oursack, we've got to hand the ball to the official when we getdone with the run that's not so good.


"We didn't panic, and it wasn't a good quarter for usoffensively, but I thought our guys did a good job back there,coming-out zone as we called it, seemed like we were pinned downa couple times, I thought our guys raised up and ran the ball,our goal is to be able to rush the ball for 200 yards and Ithink we were close to that."


The Spartans added a fourth-quarter field goal but would get nocloser, as Wells rushed seven times on the Buckeyes' final drivefor 36 yards to ensure the win.


"We had a great comeback, but when you play a great defense likeOhio State, you cannot afford to put yourself in a hole,"Dantonio said. "We couldn't move the ball on offense becausethey made us one-dimensional.


"Defensively, we had opportunities. We just gave up a little toomuch early on. You have to give Ohio State credit for the waythey played, but I was impressed by the fight in our guys andhow they kept playing and making good things happen."