Sunday, September 26, 1999No repeat upset for UC
Down early, OSU storms back, 34-20
BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COLUMBUS — The shock was audible, a gasp that whisped through the concrete tunnels of Ohio Stadium in a stunning fright. It was just too improbable to happen — especially two weeks in a row, especially in this place.
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LaDaris Vann speeds away from OSU cornerback Nate Clements for one of UC's first quarter touchdowns.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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Yet there were the Cincinnati Bearcats, upstarts looking for a second straight upset of a Big Ten power, marching into the Horseshoe and stomping big, bad Ohio State 17-3 in the first half.
It would not end that way for the 32-point underdog Bearcats. Ohio State would come back to win 34-20 Saturday afternoon, and the gasp that the crowd of 93,407 emitted when UC quarterback Deontey Kenner raced 35 yards untouched for that two- touchdown lead proved to be a last gasp of sorts.
The Buckeyes unleashed their big-play offense to take control in the third quarter and squash any upset hopes. But the Bearcats, considerably less talented yet looking far more polished, pushed the 12th-ranked Buckeyes to near the brink, and added to the respect they earned in beating then-No. 9 Wisconsin in Cincinnati last week.
“We can't really put the emotion of being up 17-3 into words,” UC center Doug Rosfeld said. “Our problem was, we couldn't hold onto it.”
“We didn't come here for a moral victory,” said UC coach Rick Minter, “nor did we get one. This hurts as much as the Troy State loss (two weeks ago).”
It hurt mostly because UC (2-2) played so well against an opponent that was supposed to be so much better.
Against Wisconsin, the Bearcats had grabbed a lead and held on for life for three quarters. Saturday against Ohio State (3-1), they thoroughly dominated much of the first half, executing their offense to near perfection, frustrating the Ohio State offense and pushing the Buckeyes around on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
“I don't know if I've been in a tougher game,” said Buckeyes coach John Cooper, who collected his 100th victory at Ohio State as his team played down to its competition for the second week in a row. “They had a good game plan. The last two teams we played (UCLA and Ohio U.) didn't attack us as intelligently as they did.”
There was little UC couldn't do through the first quarter-and-a-half. After the Buckeyes' first drive stalled and they settled for a field goal, the Bearcats offense went to work, picking apart the soft OSU defense on its way to 525 total yards, 301 in the first half.
Robert Cooper, who rushed for 100 or more yards for the second straight week, found room to run as the UC offensive line blew the Buckeye defensive line off the ball. When Kenner (29-of-52, 343 yards passing, eight carries for 64 yards rushing) wasn't completing short sideline routes to slants to his receivers, he was running up the gut for big gains on the quarterback draw.
“We knew coming into this game we were playing a good team,” said Ohio State middle linebacker Jason Ott, who had a key interception and 11 tackles. “They executed well. They were trying to spread us out. When we moved them back in, we stopped them.”
The Bearcats moved the ball steadily in the first half, but it was two big plays that gave them a 17-3 lead: a 75-yard touchdown pass from Kenner to LaDaris Vann when Vann beat OSU safety Gary Berry to the ball and cornerback Nate Clements to the end zone, and Kenner's 35-yard TD run, busting through behind a flood of crushing blocks from the middle of his offensive line with 13:57 to play in the first half.
“It was a big shock. I couldn't hardly believe it,” said OSU junior linebacker Na'il Diggs. “I'm not used to being down at Ohio State and coming back.”
UC didn't appear to be finished after Kenner's TD run, getting deep into Ohio State territory and going for the end zone from the OSU 30. But Kenner's pass for Tim Walker was too deep, and the tide turned when UC kicker Jon Ruffin's 33-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.
“If they get points on the board there, we're in real, real trouble,” John Cooper said.
Ohio State took the missed UC opportunity and turned it into a victory, getting two big plays of its own to get back in the game: a 59-yard TD pass from Steve Bellisari to Ken-Yon Rambo and a 55-yarder from the same combo that setup Michael Wiley's 3-yard touchdown run to make it 17-17 just before halftime. Derek Combs' 5-yard TD run early in the third quarter put the Buckeyes up for good.
“It was imperative we make big plays,” John Cooper said.
The big plays weren't there for the Bearcats in the second half, though they did force an interesting final few minutes by driving late in the fourth quarter. The loss wasn't softened by the impressive first half, because one half doesn't make a game.
“A loss is a loss,” Kenner said. “This to me is no different than the Troy State loss.”
But UC came away from Ohio Stadium with a greater measure of respect, while Ohio State again showed it's vulnerable, even against weaker teams.
“We need a lot of improvement, no question,” said OSU senior cornerback Ahmed Plummer. “I wouldn't say it was a humbling win, because we knew going in we have to get better. It's the same story. ... We're happy to win this game.”
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