Buckeye Rosters

Recap

Ann Arbor, MI — Michigan secured the Big Ten conference title and a berth in the Rose Bowl with a 20-14 victory over Ohio State. A second-half comeback fell short for Ohio State (10-2, 6-2).

After a scoreless first quarter, Charles Woodson caught a 37-yard pass to the OSU 16. Chris Floyd then carried 15 yards to set up the first score of the game, a one-yard scoring run by true freshman Anthony Thomas with 6:22 left in the second quarter. After the defense held Ohio State to a three-and-out possession, Woodson fielded Brent Bartholomew’s punt at his own 22-yard line and returned it for a touchdown just 3:43 before halftime.

It stayed 13-0 until 10:29 remained in the third quarter. OSU’s Stanley Jackson scrambled right and was grabbed by a defender while trying to throw the ball. His pass was intercepted by cornerback Andre Weathers, who ran 43 yards for a touchdown to make it 20-0. Ohio State finally broke through with 4:50 left in the third quarter when Joe Germaine threw a 56-yard scoring pass to David Boston, slicing the deficit to 20-7.

Early in the fourth quarter Michigan quarterback Brian Griese was deep in his own territory and trying to run right when cornerback Gary Berry stripped him of the ball. Linebacker Jerry Rudzinski fell on the loose ball at the Michigan 2. Pepe Pearson, who had 85 rushing yards on 18 carries, ran around left end on the next play to close the gap to 20-14 with 13:08 to play. But the Michigan defense held Ohio State scoreless three times in the final six minutes.

OSU outgained UM 223 to 189, with Pearson’s running and the receiving of Boston and Dee Miller (seven catches combined for 120 yards) leading the offense. Thomas was limited to 29 yards on 14 carries, but he was Michigan’s leading receiver with eight catches for 77 yards. Brian Griese completed 14-of-23 passes for 146 yards and was not intercepted. OSU’s defense was led by the stellar play of Antoine Winfield and Andy Katzenmoyer. Winfield had 10 solo tackles and Katzenmoyer, who nearly had a touchdown on a fumble and just missed an interception later in the game, finished with nine tackles, one of them for a loss.

NOTES: The 106,982 fans at Michigan Stadium is the largest crowd to ever see a game at Michigan Stadium. Included in the total was a Michigan record 1,097 media credentials issued. The former Michigan Stadium record was the 1993 Ohio State game that drew 106,867 fans. This was the 142nd consecutive crowd of over 100,000 fans at Michigan Stadium.

Ohio State’s 56-yard touchdown pass from Joe Germaine to David Boston was the longest play from scrimmage the Wolverines allowed this season.