Buckeye Rosters

Recap

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Coach John Cooper made his Ohio State debut one to remember by guiding his Buckeyes to a 26-9 win over visiting Syracuse. The victory, in front of an opening day record crowd of 89,768 and an ABC-TV audience, snapped the Orange’s unbeaten string at 14. The latter had been the longest in the country at Division I.

Cooper wasn’t the only Buckeye to make an impressive debut. Quarterback Greg Frey completed 12 of 17 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown in his first start, while strong safety Jim Peel collected 11 tackles in his first game as a regular.

There were other standouts, too. Kicker Pat O’Morrow came within one field goal of the school record by booting four three-pointers, and walk-on punter Jeff Bohlman averaged 45.5 yards per kick in his debut.

OSU did not commit a turnover or have a penalty, the first “perfect” game for the Buckeyes since 1961.