Football
Fourth-Quarter Rally Lifts Buckeyes Over Wolverines, 25-21
By John PorentasThey play a minimum of sixty minutes in every college football game. Some OSU fans missed the final eight minutes of the one played in Ann Arbor on Saturday. They learned a lesson.
OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel preaches that to win on the road, a team has to win the turnover margin and has to win the special teams, but last Saturday the Buckeyes made the big mistakes in the first 52 minutes of The Game. Two fumbles lost, two muffed punts, a missed extra point, a missed field goal, an 18 yard punt and critical penalties made it look like it just was not to be for the Buckeyes' day. Michigan held a 21-12 lead, and OSU's offense had been dormant for a quarter. One (unnamed) wag in the press box suggested someone put a fork in the Buckeyes. Television sets were being switched off, expletives uttered, and depression was beginning to set in around Ohio. In eight nearly miraculous minutes, minutes that the doubters missed, that all changed, and OSU quarterback Troy Smith became a legend in OSU football lore.
"Things were looking bad with only seven minutes to go in the game and we didn't let go," said OSU senior linebacker A. J. Hawk.
"We just kept fighting and came back. We knew as a defense that if we got a stop and got our offense on the field we had a good chance to win."
The Buckeyes simply refused to accept defeat, and in the final eight minutes of The Game scored two touchdowns to capture a riveting 25-21 win in Ann Arbor that allowed them to share the Big Ten championship, the winning touchdown coming an a three-yard Antonio Pittman run with just 28 seconds remaining on the game clock. In the end, what the Buckeyes lacked in breaks they made up for by being tougher and more physical than the Wolverines and by making big plays in those last eight minutes.
"It all boiled down to who was tougher and who wanted it more, and I think we wanted it more," said OSU linebacker Anthony Schlegel.
The Buckeyes wanted it more,and made the plays it took to get what they wanted. With just 7:49 remaining and trailing 21-12, the Buckeyes took over at their own 30 following a pooched kickoff. Smith set the tone for the rest of the half on the first play, connecting with Anthony Gonzalez for 27 yards to the Michigan 40. Two incompletions later, OSU faced a third-and-10, but Smith bailed them out with a critical 14-yard scramble to keep the drive alive and set up the OSU offense at the Michigan 26. On the next play, Smith hit Santonio Holmes with a 26 yard touchdown pass. Huston's PAT cut the Michigan lead to 21-19, and set the stage for the dramatic final 6:40 of the game.
Holmes was called for an unsportsman like conduct on the touchdown for diving into the end zone, a call that left Tressel scratching his head. Tressel said he asked the official who made the call for an explanation.
"They explained it to me that he was clearly no one was going to touch him. I said 'Man, you can read faster than I can because there were people flying through the air," Tressel said.
The foul was assessed on the ensuing kickoff requiring Huston to kick off from his own 20. Michigan returned the kick to near midfield. A 12 yard completion from Henne to Breaston moved the ball to the OSU 40, but the Buckeye defense stiffened and the Wolverines punted on fourth and four from the OSU 34. Michigan punter Garett Rivas pinned the Buckeyes down on the 12-yard line with a kick out of bounds. With just 4:18 left to play and trailing by two, OSU was 88 yards from a score. Improbable? Not in the minds of the players on the field.
"From the drive before we had the momentum," said offensive lineman Doug Datish.
"Once we got that ball and started making some plays, there was no doubt.
"It was just the will to win. We decided to put our feet down and said that third quarter was ridiculous, it's not us. We knew the fourth quarter is where you win the game," Datish said.
"It's a funny thing with us. This year when we get clicking, we get clicking, and we had no doubts (they would score)," Datish added.
Over on the OSU sideline, the OSU defense could only watch as the outcome of the game passed into the hands of the offense. Though they couldn't be on the field, hey did what they could do to help their offense.
"Donte Whitner said grab hands, and everyone just kind of grabbed everyone's hands," said freshman linebacker James Laurenitis who filled in for senior Bobby Carpenter after Carpenter was hurt on the first play of the game.
"All year we talked about we've got to bond together and be together in this and everyone just kind of grabbed hands and we were all in it together and kind of united in the final drive, believing in the hope," Laurenitis said.
"I was just holding Eric Haw and Donte Whitner's hand," said senior linebacker Anthony Schlegel.
"They left for a second, and I said 'Get back over here!' I didn't want to jinx it."
Senior linebacker Nate Salley took a more solitary approach.
"I was just sitting there praying. Some guys were holding hands, I kept telling myself to keep believing, anything is possible," Salley said.
What ensued was the stuff that dreams are made of.
Behind the passing and scrambling of Smith, the Buckeye methodically marched down the field. A nine yard completion to Ginn, followed by a two yard rush by Pittman gave OSU a first down at the 23. Smith then hit Ginn again for 11 yards to move the all to the 34 and a first down. Another completion to Ginn moved it six more yards, followed by a toss to Holmes for eight more gave the Buckeyes a first down near midfield. Two more completions and a rush by Smith put OSU on the Michigan 30 with just 47 seconds left on the clock.
The Buckeyes called time out to talk things over. Whatever they said, it worked. On the next snap, Smith completed the biggest pass of the season, a 27 yarder to Gonzales who made a leaping, acrobatic catch to set the Buckeyes up on the four-yard line. Smith was pressured on the play, but bought time with his feet to be able to make the big play.
"A guy came off the edge, we have all kind of drills where it's just about staying alive and keeping your feet, I just tried to stay within that realm," said Smith.
"I saw Gonzalez pop open. A lot of people don't know that Gonzalez is one of the fastest guys on our team. He got open down the sideline. We also have drill that says throw the ball vertical, give the receiver a chance to make a play on it. I just tried to add all those elements into that play and tried to get the ball to Gonzalez as fast as I could and he went up and made a great play, high pointing the ball."
"It was a broken play," said Gonzalez.
"I didn't run the proper route. I should have probably faded from the beginning, but I ran an out. What ended up happening was you saw Troy having excellent protection again, that's critical always. He rolled out to his right a little bit then it was pitch and catch," said Gonzalez.
It was a pitch and catch that spelled the end for Michigan, though at the moment, Gonzalez was not quite sure just what had happened.
"I wasn't even sure what part of the field I was on. I didn't know I was on the four. It was one of those things you don't think about.
"Santonio came up to me and gave me a big hug. I thought 'what the heck?' I didn't know what was going on really, then I looked up and saw we really were on the four," said a surprised Gonzalez.
With just 47 seconds remaining, Smith moved the ball one yard on a running play to the three and on the right hash. OSU quickly ran the second play they had already called.
" We were trying to center the ball (on the field) to kick the winning field goal," said Tressel.
The play went to Pittman over left tackle. Behind crushing blocking, Pittman failed to center ball, much to the glee of the Buckeye bench, instead taking the ball the final three yards into the end zone.
"I got the ball and (OSU left guard) T. J. (Downing) pulled for me. I saw two bodies (Wolverine defenders), and they always say split defenders, and I just took them on head up and broke the tackle and got it in the end zone.
"It felt good to get a touchdown up here in the Big House. For it to be the game winner, that was even bigger," said Pittman.
Over on the Buckeye bench, where there was still a lot of hand holding going on, pandemonium reigned.
"When they scored I went nuts, everyone went nuts," said Laurenitis.
"I think the main thing was that no one ran on the field. If we had run onto the field, we could have gotten a penalty. It was a great, great experience. It was unbelievable. It was awesome to win here."
"It was crazy," said Schlegel.
"It was celebrating. That's a huge win. Whether we're outright Big Ten champs or co-Big Ten champs, we're champs."
OSU Director of Athletics, who attended his first OSU vs. Michigan game, was properly impressed.
"It was PARTY ," said Smith. "It was a party," he repeated.
OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel singled out his quarterback for his play in the fourth quarter.
"Troy Smith I think took over those last couple drives to give us a chance. Troy gives you that will to win, that command of his teammates. I'm awful proud of him and these guys protecting and those guys catching and that defense holding them to whatever yards rushing, it wasn't many. Our kids played hard," said Tressel.
They got it done. It was an amazing job," said Salley.
OSU owned the early going in the game, taking a 6-0 lead on an 80 yard, 13 play drive with the opening kickoff. Troy Smith capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Josh Huston missed the extra point attempt. OSU added a 47 yard field goal by Hustion in its second possession to make the score 9-0.
It looked like it would be a very long day for the Wolverines in the early going. Ohio State's defense completely took the running game away from Michigan, and OSU's offense was efficient. The Buckeyes had the ball again with a 9-0 lead and was moving the football again when the Buckeyes made the first big mistake of the day. Freshman tailback Maurice Wells fumbled the football, and a Michigan recovery gave them the football at the OSU 36. Nine plays later, quarterback Chad Henne made them pay for the mistake with a two yard touchdown pass to Jason Avant.
A succession of OSU miscues led to a series of short fields for the Wolverines, and they were able to capitalize. Michigan scored touchdowns on drives of just 36 and 37 yards, a field goal on a drive of 10 yards. A 69 yard drive to field goal was U of M's longest scoring drive of the game.
The Buckeye defense completely took away Michigan's running game, allowing just 43 net yards rushing in the game.
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