Ohio State Keeps Arizona on the Run : Buckeyes: New backs contribute big yardage in a 38-14 victory.

Ohio State Coach John Cooper would have taken any kind of victory, so there wasn’t any quibbling Saturday with the way his team ground down Arizona, 38-14.

“The understatement of the day is I’m happy to come out of there with a victory,” Cooper said. “I want to promise you, I would have taken a one-point victory coming into the ballgame.”

But a punishing running game and a solid defense provided a lot more.

The Buckeyes rushed for 325 yards in 68 attempts, their highest total in two years, led by Butler By’not’e’s 189 yards in 26 carries. It was the top rushing total for an Ohio State back in seven years.

“The coaches didn’t give us any indication who would start,” said By’not’e, who was bracketed with Carlos Snow at tailback going into the game. “They said if someone was hot, they could expect to play a little more.”

After By’not’e rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown in the first half, fullback Jeff Cothran came on in the second half to gain 105 yards in seven carries, including a 39-yard touchdown before 92,743, the largest crowd in Ohio Stadium history.

The Buckeyes had lost last year’s leading rusher, Robert Smith, two weeks ago. Smith quit the team because of a dispute with the coaching staff over the balance between academics and athletics.

“We knew coming into their back yard it was going to be tough,” Arizona Coach Dick Tomey said. “You could make a million excuses, but I’d rather give them credit.

“There were some big cracks in the line. They had some good runs, and some (holes) that anyone could have run through.”

Said Cooper: “I didn’t expect us to go out there and rush for 325 yards. Not too many people did that against Arizona’s defense, and I don’t think many other people will do it.

“I was happy with the way we reacted, happy with the way we controlled the ball and controlled the line of scrimmage.”

Ohio State’s defense limited Arizona to 253 yards.