Buckeye Rosters

Recap

Columbus, OH — With the Big Ten title and a possible trip to the Rose Bowl on the line, Ohio State and Michigan met for the 97th time in one of the most storied rivalries in all of sports. An Ohio Stadium record crowd of 98,568 was on hand for the showdown.

The Buckeyes entered the game with an 8-2 record, including a 5-2 mark in Big Ten play. Michigan, also 5-2 in the conference, was 7-3 for all games. The winner would be assured of at least a share of the conference title.

The two teams jockeyed back and forth in the first half, Michigan taking a 14-12 lead into the locker room. In one of the key moments of the game, Ohio State drove 72 yards to the Michigan 2-yard line with 14 seconds remaining in the first half, but had to settle for a field goal after quarterback Steve Bellisari was sacked.

Michigan extended its lead to 31-12 after three quarters and seemed to be in control. But the Buckeyes scored twice at the start of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 31-26. Jonathan Wells tallied first on a 2-yard run that capped off a 66-yard, 13-play drive. Then, after the OSU defense forced a Michigan punt, the Buckeyes marched 46 yards in five plays, with Bellisari hitting flanker Ken-Yon Rambo on an 18-yard post cut.

After a Michigan possession, the Buckeyes got the ball back with 4:14 to play. But Michigan stuffed a fourth-and-one run play and took over at the OSU 18. Quarterback Drew Henson, who had already thrown three touchdown passes, put the game out of reach by scoring on a 1-yard keeper on fourth down.

Safety Mike Doss led the Buckeyes in tackles with 16.