Buckeyes’ Win Gets Them Only Thorns in End

Woody Hayes used to say that the road to the Rose Bowl always went through Michigan for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Except that it doesn’t. Not anymore.

Ohio State slammed Michigan, 31-16, Saturday afternoon at Ohio Stadium. Probably 10,000 of the 94,339 fans scrambled onto the field when there were still 27 seconds left, 27 seconds during which the officials finally gave up trying to have any more football played. The celebration in the Buckeye locker room was raucous. The partying in Columbus was going to be monstrous.

And for all that, Wisconsin is going to the Rose Bowl.

Because despite what this game here meant to Ohio State, for all the frustrations that were eliminated, for all the things that Michigan had ruined for the Buckeyes in winning 10 of the last 13 meetings in this magnificently hate-filled rivalry, for all the emotions that exploded from the Ohio State players, it turned out Ohio State had cost itself both a shot at the national championship and a chance to play in the Rose Bowl, by losing here to Michigan State two weeks ago.

With the win over Michigan, Ohio State (10-1, 7-1) finishes in a three-way tie atop the Big Ten Conference with Michigan (8-3, 7-1) and Wisconsin (10-1, 7-1). The first tiebreaker in determining the Rose Bowl participant is overall records. So long, Michigan. The second tiebreaker is head-to-head meetings. Ohio State and Wisconsin didn’t play this year.

The third tiebreaker? Who has been away from the Rose Bowl the longest.

Edge Wisconsin (five years versus two for Ohio State). So Pasadena will be welcoming the Badgers, who beat Penn State, 24-3, later Saturday to clinch the spot.

And the Buckeyes, who were on top of the bowl championship series rankings until that loss to Michigan State, must wait around a couple of weeks to see what consolation bowl they will be awarded.

“We’ll be going to a good bowl no matter what,” Ohio State Coach John Cooper bravely said after his team’s win but before he knew how the Wisconsin-Penn State game would turn out.

Cooper, in his 11th season as Ohio State coach, has a 96-33-4 overall record and has led the Buckeyes to two Big Ten co-championships, but mostly what he is noticed for here has been his dismal 1-8-1 record against the Wolverines before Saturday.

“I never let that bother me,” Cooper said, while he was still dripping celebratory Gatorade off his nose. “We win as a team, we lose as a team.”

But there was a large smile on Cooper’s face as he spoke for 15 minutes about his team’s heart and guts, about the way the Buckeyes did not let the loss to Michigan State destroy their intensity and about the way that the Buckeyes dominated this game against Michigan.

The Buckeyes scored once after Michigan punter Jason Vinson let a snap go through his hands; once after Vinson had a punt blocked; and once after an interception thrown by Michigan quarterback Tom Brady.

Hayes used to say that nothing much good came of the forward pass and he was wrong about that too. Ohio State quarterback Joe Germaine was 16 of 28 for 330 yards and three touchdowns. Split end David Boston had 10 catches for 217 yards and two touchdowns, one of 58 yards. Boston, who had mouthed off and just about guaranteed a win over Michigan last year, right before the Wolverines won, 20-14, didn’t do a good job of controlling his mouth or finger Saturday either.

On his first touchdown reception, Boston tiptoed along the sideline for the last seven of the 30 yards he ran for the score while waggling his finger and shouting at Michigan defenders. That got Ohio State a 15-yard taunting penalty and made the extra-point attempt of Dan Stultz 35 yards. The kick was good and Boston was not apologetic. “I couldn’t help myself,” he said.

Ohio State had taken control of the game immediately, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter, one on a 53-yard run by tailback Michael Wiley and the second on a 16-yard pass from Germaine to wide receiver Dee Miller after Vinson let the punt snap skip through his fingers and the Buckeyes ended up with the ball at the Michigan 16.

Michigan was never closer than 11 points after that. And the Wolverines, who would have earned the Rose Bowl spot with a victory, were held to four net rushing yards by the hard-hitting Buckeye defense. “It became more of a passing game and that is not our ideal type of game,” Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr said. “Ohio State has a great team. That is obvious.”

Obvious to everybody, apparently, except Michigan State.

But the Buckeyes were in no mood to savage themselves for losing to the Spartans. At least not on this afternoon of redemption.

For seniors such as Germaine, who had to stay silent and listen to all the locals speak of Ohio State’s inability to beat Michigan, “this was the game that mattered,” the quarterback said. “Don’t ask me about anything else today please. Nothing is going to ruin this.”

In a way, though, the afternoon had already been ruined. Ruined by another team from Michigan. Cooper said that he had never been more relaxed before a Michigan game than this year. Cooper said he felt no pressure. Thank Michigan State for that.