Saturday, January 2, 1999

OHIO STATE 24, TEXAS A&M 14

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National champs? Not in second half

BY JOHN ERARDI
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Ohio State coach John Cooper reacts at the end of the game. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        NEW ORLEANS — Ohio State beat Texas A&M 24-14 in the Sugar Bowl on Friday night, but not impressively enough to earn consideration for a share of the national title.

        It's clear now: There won't be a hint of mystery going into Monday night's Fiesta Bowl between Tennessee and Florida State.

        The winner of that game will be the consensus national champion.

        He said the Big Ten's 5-0 showing in the bowls adds to OSU's cause.

David Boston holds his MVP trophy. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        “I can't say who's No.1,” said OSU split end David Boston, who caught 11 passes for 105 yards. “We'd play anybody head-to-head.”

        Texas A&M took a 7-0 lead on its first possession — a six-play, 59-yard drive, in which the Aggies blew open big hole after big hole in the OSU defensive line — but OSU dominated the rest of the first quarter with three touchdowns in 6¹/₂ minutes, to go up 21-7.

        OSU coach John Cooper still holds out hope. But one has to wonder how.

        “If Tennessee wins, I don't have an argument with them running the table and winning the national championship,” he said. “If it's a sloppy game and Florida State wins, I think it's a strong argument the Buckeyes are as good as any body in the country.”

Kevin Griffin (42) spies the ball after Bobby Ross blocked a punt. Griffin ran it in for a TD. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        It was a TD blitz:

        • A Joe Germaine 18-yard TD pass to Reggie Germany on a post pattern.

        • A 10-yard TD run by running back Joe Montgomery to cap a six-play, 71-yard drive.

        • A Kevin Griffin return of a blocked punt by Derek Ross.

        But the real momentum-shifter for the Buckeyes came at 7:14 of the first quarter. OSU free safety Gary Berry blew up a 2nd-and-3 running play with a bit hit. The Buckeyes had proved they could stop A&M's running game.

        OSU could add only a late first-half field goal to go ahead 24-7.

        It ended the Buckeyes' scoring for the night.

Joe Germaine missed a couple of possible TD throws. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        “I was disappointed we didn't score a couple of more touchdowns in the second half,” Cooper said.

        He was right on it.

        It could have been a much more impressive night for the Buckeyes if OSU quarterback Joe Germaine had zipped a couple of passes to wide-open split end David Boston instead of throwing touch passes. That happened twice in the second quarter with the Buckeyes already having built a 21-7 lead.

        The first time was the most egregious, because the loft on the ball allowed Aggie defensive back Jason Webster to close the wide gap and, even then, just barely break up the pass.

        “He made a heck of play,” Cooper said.

        The second time came on a great play-call by OSU offensive coordinator Mike Jacobs on third-and-6 from the Texas A&M 36-yard line. Boston broke hard from the line of scrimmage, then decoyed defensive back Sedrick Curry by slowing up, then jammed himself into fifth gear for the end zone.

        Germaine's throw was better this time — it actually was in the grasp of Boston, free of Curry's hand — but Curry knocked it out with a heavy swat. So, Germaine and Boston were both to blame: Germaine for not zipping the ball to take Curry out of the play, and Boston because a wide receiver as good as he is has to make that play.

Joe Montgomery ran for 96 yards and a TD. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        No matter whose fault it was, the result was the same: OSU had failed six times to convert seven third-down opportunities in the first half.

        That is hardly the stuff of a national champion, even though Texas A&M has an excellent defense.

        “They've got one of the best defenses in the country,” Cooper said.

        When OSU failed to convert its eighth third-down opportunity on its first offensive series of the second half (a delay of game penalty, then offensive pass interference on Boston) and Dan Stoltz missed a 49-yard field goal, it just further emphasized the point.

        OSU just couldn't get enough going in the second half — and a lot of it had to do with A&M's “wrecking crew” defense.

        For example, with 10 minutes to go in the game and OSU ahead 24-14, OSU linebacker Jerry Rudzinski fell on a fumble by an A&M running back on a swing pass that was actually a lateral. It gave the Buckeyes a first down on A&M's 49-yard line. But OSU went four-plays-and-out when A&M middle linebacker Dat Nguyen sacked Germaine on a third-down passing play.

Andy Katzenmoyer was back in form. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        But, it's hard to fault Boston or Germaine on the night.

        By early in the fourth quarter, Germaine had thrown completed pass No. 10 to Boston, to break the OSU single bowl-game reception mark held by Cris Carter with nine catches in the 1985 Rose Bowl.

        And for those critics who wondered where OSU middle linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer had disappeared this year, he answered the question Friday.

        He had gone nowhere.

        He made big hit after big hit, including a wicked blast on A&M running back Dante Hall on a 3rd-and-1 in the first half and a third down sack of A&M quarterback Branndon Stewart at the end of the third quarter.

Title-less Buckeyes can be proud Tim Sullivan column

Complete bowl coverage from Associated Press:
More on Sugar Bowl
Tonight: Orange Bowl
Monday: Fiesta Bowl
Rose: Wisconsin 38, UCLA 31
Other bowls

Texas A&M ....... 7 0 7 0—14
Ohio St. ....... 21 3 0 0—24

First Quarter
TAM—Hall 9 run (Bynum kick), 10:53.
OSU—Germany 18 pass from Germaine (Stultz kick), 8:34.
OSU—Montgomery 10 run (Stultz kick), 4:10.
OSU—Griffin 16 blocked punt return (Stultz kick), 1:59.
Second Quarter
OSU—FG Stultz 31, :16.
Third Quarter
TAM—Hodge 7 pass from Stewart (Bynum kick), 5:24.
A—76,503.

                    A&M      OSU 
First downs          17       25 
Rushes-yards      27-96   42-210 
Passing             187      222 
Comp-Att-Int    22-39-0  21-38-0 
Return Yards         71       85 
Punts-Avg.      10-39.8   6-38.3 
Fumbles-Lost        1-1      3-0 
Penalties-Yards    6-43     6-61 
Possession        28:18    31:42  

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Texas A&M, Toombs 10-62, Hall 11-53, Parker 1-6, Stewart 5-(minus 25). Ohio St., Montgomery 9-96, Wiley 16-88, Wells 7-30, Keller 4-15, Germaine 6-(minus 19).
PASSING—Texas A&M, Stewart 22-39-0-187. Ohio St., Germaine 21-38-0-222.
RECEIVING—Texas A&M, Taylor 5-52, Spiller 5-43, Parker 3-9, Toombs 2-19, Hodge 2-15, Hall 2-3, Campbell 1-20, Oliver 1-20, Bumgardner 1-6. Ohio St., Boston 11-105, Wiley 5-40, Germany 2-34, Miller 1-28, Lumpkin 1-8, Keller 1-7.