Buckeye Rosters

Recap

Columbus, OH — The Ohio State Buckeyes clinched a share of their 28th Big Ten Conference championship and snapped Michigan’s 16-game Big Ten winning streak with a thorough and thrilling 31-16 win in front of 94,339 Ohio Stadium fans. The loss also dropped the Wolverines from a Rose Bowl berth. David Boston caught 10 passes for a Michigan opponents’ record 217 yards and scored two touchdowns and Michael Wiley rushed for 120 yards and scored the game’s first touchdown to lead the Buckeyes to their 10th win of the season against just one defeat.

Wiley, in his first non-starting assignment of the season (senior tailback Joe Montgomery got the nod), ripped off a 53-yard scoring run on Ohio State’s second possession. Three terrific blocks in succession by fullback Matt Keller and guards Ben Gilbert and Rob Murphy sprung Wiley. The first of two huge special teams plays set up OSU’s second score. The OSU defense held following Wiley’s score and, on the punt, the ball slipped through Jason Vinson’s hands. Kevin Griffin was the first on the scene wrapping up Vinson as he got off a punt that landed at the UM 16. Three plays later Joe Germaine, on his way to a 330-yard, three-touchdown passing game, hit Dee Miller in the back of the end zone giving OSU a 14-0 lead. Michigan closed to within 14-3 in the second quarter and it stayed that way through four possession changes. OSU’s special teams struck again as freshman Derek Ross crashed through the line to block a Vinson punt. Jonathan Wells recovered at the UM 20. One play and penalty later, Germaine found Boston along the left sideline, he shook a tackle and raced into the end zone for a 21-3 OSU lead. The two hooked up again in the third quarter on a 43-yard pass play over the middle that gave OSU a commanding 28-10 lead.

The lead was commanding the way the OSU defense played, limiting the Wolverines to a net four yards rushing for the game with Damon Moore (12), Antoine Winfield (10) and Andy Katzenmoyer (10) leading the way.

NOTES: The win over Michigan marked the 42nd by the senior class and this breaks the 1996 and the 1997 seniors’ record of 41 wins.

With his 10 catches, David Boston broke his one-year-old school record for receptions in a season with 74. He also added to his school record totals for career catches (180), touchdowns (34) and 100-yard games (12).

Joe Germaine’s 330-yard passing game was his school record seventh this season and eighth of his career, another school record.

In addition to Kevin Griffin, Derek Ross and Jonathan Wells, who were all part of Michigan’s punting problems. Steve Bellisari made five special teams tackles including three solo hits.