Buckeye Rosters

Recap

Evanston, IL — Behind another record-setting afternoon for both quarterback Joe Germaine and wide receiver David Boston, and the opportunistic play of the “Silver Bullets” defense, No. 1-ranked Ohio State defeated Northwestern, 36-10, in front of 47,130 at Ryan Field.

The Buckeyes jumped to an early 17-7 lead in the first quarter. Tailback Michael Wiley got the afternoon going with a 28-yard touchdown run just 2:28 into the game. On its next possession, OSU marched 63 yards using 10 plays to set up a Dan Stultz 37-yard field goal.

Northwestern answered immediately its next possession with D’Wayne Bates’ 60-yard touchdown reception from Gavin Hoffman, bringing the score to 10-7. The touchdown marked the first time in 1998 the OSU defense had allowed an opponent to score a touchdown in the first quarter.

With 2:21 remaining in the quarter, tailback Joe Montgomery powered his way into the end zone with a 19-yard touchdown run. A local product (Robbins, IL), Montgomery finished the afternoon with 17 carries and 100 yards rushing. It was his third career 100-yard game. Northwestern put its final points on the board with 6:32 remaining in the first half off a Brian Gowins 39-yard field goal. With just under three minutes remaining in the half, defensive tackle Clinton Wayne intercepted a Hoffman pass at the Northwestern 35-yard line and returned it 17 yards to the NU 17. Just a minute later, on a fourth down play, tight end John Lumpkin made a spectacular catch in the corner of the endzone to bring the score to 23-10 going into halftime.

In the second half, the Germaine to Boston connection proved too much for the Wildcats. With 2:31 remaining in the third quarter, the combo hooked up for a 38-yard touchdown reception to bring the score to 29-10. With 8:11 remaining in the game, the duo connected for a 31-yard touchdown to bring the score to 36-10. For Germaine, his 342 yards passing marked his third consecutive 300-yard game, fourth of the season and fifth of his career – all Ohio State records. Boston’s two touchdowns gave him 28 for his career, which sets an OSU all-time career record. His 171 yards receiving marked the ninth time he has gone over the 100-yard plateau, also a school record.

The Buckeye defense was as stingy as ever. The group pressured NU into five sacks, eight tackles for a loss, four pass breakups and three interceptions.

Linebacker Na’il Diggs paced OSU with a team-high 11 tackles.

NOTES: Defensive linemen Brent Johnson and Clinton Wayne recorded their first interceptions of the season on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter. The two have the distinction of being the only two members of the team from Canada. Johnson is from Kingston, Ontario and Wayne is from Brampton, Ontario.

Ohio State’s 524 yards of total offense marked the sixth time this season OSU has eclipsed the 500-yard mark.

The game marked the 66th football meeting between Ohio State and Northwestern. The Buckeyes have now won all eight games against Northwestern under John Cooper, and now have a 21-game win streak over the Wildcats, dating back to the 1971 season (a 14-10 Northwestern win at Ohio Stadium). OSU, which leads the all-time series 52-13-1, including a 22-5-1 record in Evanston, has not lost in Evanston since a 21-0 NU win in 1958. The Buckeyes have won 12 in a row in Evanston since that loss.