Buckeye Rosters

Recap

Cincinnati, OH — Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel ran for a late touchdown as the sixth-ranked Buckeyes slipped past the Bearcats 23-19 Saturday, in front of the largest crowd to ever watch a sporting event in the city of Cincinnati (66,319).

Ohio State (4-0) was playing in Cincinnati for the first time in 91 years, against a team that had beaten the Buckeyes just twice in 12 tries – in 1896 and 1897.

Ahead 19-14 midway through the fourth quarter, the Bearcats (1-2) lost the ball and eventually the lead when Ohio State defensive end Darrion Scott leveled quarterback Gino Guidugli with a blind-side hit at the Ohio State 44.

Krenzel scored the game winner on a 6-yard run on OSU’s next possession.

The Bearcats gamely came back one more time as Guidugli led a drive from his own 20 to the Buckeyes’ 15 with 1:01 left. On first down, Guidugli threw a pass to the right corner of the end zone that was dropped.

After an incompletion, Guidugli tossed a perfect throw on the fade route into the left corner of the end zone on third down. George Murray dived and appeared to have the ball for an instant before it slipped through his hands.

On fourth down with 32 seconds remaining, Guidugli dropped and threw into the middle of the end zone, but his pass was tipped away by Ohio State linebacker Matt Wilhelm and intercepted by Will Allen with 26 seconds left.

Besides his TD run, Krenzel had touchdown passes covering 20 yards to Ben Hartsock and 4 yards to Chris Vance. Krenzel was 14-of-29 for 129 yards with two interceptions.

Ohio State was without freshman tailback Maurice Clarett, who had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee earlier in the week. But backup Lydell Ross had a career-best 130 yards rushing.

Guidugli completed 6 of 7 passes for 79 yards on Cincinnati’s first possession of the game, with DeMarco McCleskey scoring on a 1-yard run off an option pitch from Guidugli. The Bearcats used a no-huddle offense and frequently had five wide receivers running pass routes.

Jonathan Ruffin, riding the longest extra-point conversion streak (65) in school history, was wide on the point after. It was a miss that would loom large on the last drive, when the Bearcats were four points down.

Ruffin made a 44-yard field goal and a career-best 49-yarder, but he was well short on another 49-yard attempt.