Buckeye Rosters

Recap

Columbus, OH — Ohio State rallied from its 12-6 halftime deficit by forcing five turnovers in a span of 12:44. Linebacker Joe Cooper started things off with an interception on the Aztecs’ second possession of the third quarter. That opened the floodgates for the Buckeyes who then came up with a fumble recovery and three more interceptions on the Aztecs’ next four possessions.

With the defense providing the momentum, the offense responded with three touchdowns, including a dazzling 51-yard gallop by freshman tailback Lydell Ross that capped off the scoring. It was the second TD of the day for Ross, who scored on a 2-yard run in the first quarter.

Quarterback Steve Bellisari and starting tailback Jonathan Wells accounted for the other two second-half touchdowns. Bellisari darted into the corner of the end zone from 4 yards out when his receivers were covered, and Wells bulling his way in from the 1. Bellisari completed 15-of-28 passes for 198 yards, while Wells and Ross each finished with 60 yards rushing. Flanker Chris Vance was on the receiving end of five Bellisari passes and tight end Darnell Sanders had a season-high four.

Strong safety Mike Doss led the defense with 12 tackles including a tackle-for-loss. Defensive end Darrion Scott was next in line with seven stops, followed by Cooper and Donnie Nickey with six each. Linebacker Robert Reynolds Jr. had a sack, forced a fumble and picked off his first interception of the year. Cornerback Derek Ross had two interceptions and blocked a PAT attempt.