Ohio State Strengthens Its Poll Position

It wasn’t as overwhelming as Nebraska over Washington, or crushing, like Nebraska’s victory over Tennessee in the Orange Bowl, or Nebraska over, well, pretty much every opponent in the 1990s.

But you could accurately describe as smashing No. 1 Ohio State’s 28-9 victory over No. 7 Penn State on Saturday before 93,479 at Ohio Stadium.

What doubts existed that the Buckeyes were serious about challenging for the national title were dispelled on the field, where the Buckeye defense held the Nittany Lions to 79 rushing yards, and in the press box, where quarterback coach Tim Salem put his fist through a Plexiglas window with 23 seconds left in the half after Joe Germaine and Michael Wiley hooked up on a 20-yard scoring pass to put the Buckeyes ahead, 14-3.

As Wiley plunged into the end zone, shards of glass descended on reporters in the press box, courtesy of Salem’s exuberance in the Ohio State coaches box.

Yes, it was a nice call, and luckily no one was injured, but did it call for acts of pugilism?

Salem didn’t come to the post-punch news conference to answer for his actions, but his corner man, offensive coordinator Mike Jacobs, said Salem’s fist was possessed by a ghost of Ohio State’s past.

“Coach Hayes was up there saying, ‘Run the ball!’ ” Jacobs explained. “Certainly, there was cause for enthusiasm.”

It was a Woody Hayes kind of day--dreary, rainy, wind-swept--everything the former Buckeye coach loved in a Big Ten opener.

And while the weather and a stingy Penn State defense kept a chokehold on Ohio State’s high-powered offensive engine, the Buckeyes kept their tenuous grasp on No. 1 by scoring touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams while holding Penn State to 181 total yards.

Ohio State also redeemed a defeat last year at Penn State in which the Buckeyes gave up 316 rushing yards.

What a difference a year makes, coach?

“Yeah,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Fred Pagac said. “We won. It was a lot different this year. I don’t like to lose.”

Penn State was plenty defensive in making its top-10 case, holding Ohio State without an offensive touchdown until the first half’s waning seconds.

Penn State actually took a 3-0 lead in the second quarter on Travis Forney’s 42-yard field goal, giving Buckeye fans the feeling their team might be in for a long, wet day in the bog.

But linebacker Jerry Rudzinksi changed the course of the game with 3:55 left in the half, when he blitzed Penn State quarterback Kevin Thompson near the Nittany Lion goal line. As Thompson tried to rush a throw, the ball slipped from his hand and bounded into the end zone. Rudzinksi recovered for a touchdown to make it 7-3.

“That was the biggest play in the ball game,” Buckeye Coach John Cooper said. “It really woke us up.”

Rudzinksi said he was just trying to get a hand in Thompson’s face, “and the next thing I know, the ball was rolling around in the end zone.”

Penn State would have been glad to get to the half trailing by only four, but no such luck, as the Nittany Lions were forced to punt with two minutes left.

Ken-Yon Rambo returned the kick 24 yards to the Ohio State 49 and, eight plays later, Germaine passed 20 yards to Wiley on the play that sent Salem’s fist flying.

Ohio State made the score 21-3 early in the third quarter when Percy King blocked a punt by Pat Pidgeon near the Penn State end zone and Joe Cooper pounced on the ball for a touchdown.

“One area of their team that I wondered a little bit about was their special teams, and they were outstanding today,” Penn State Coach Joe Paterno said.

It might have helped had one of Paterno’s players put a body on King, who was not touched en route to Pidgeon’s kick.

“For me to come clean like that was real shocking,” King said.

Penn State kept the game interesting at 21-9 on fullback Mike Cerimele’s one-yard scoring run with 9:41 left in the third quarter--the two-point conversion attempt failed--but Ohio State countered later in the quarter with Joe Montgomery’s one-yard touchdown burst with 3:08 remaining.

It was a satisfying, if not enthralling victory for an Ohio State team perhaps destined for a national championship showdown with Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl.

While it didn’t match Nebraska’s 55-7 mauling of No. 8 Washington a week ago, Ohio State’s victory over Penn State (3-1) was not to be discounted.

Ohio State pretended not to notice that No. 2 Nebraska gained poll ground on the Buckeyes last week.

“From a preparation standpoint, nothing will change,” Rudzinksi said. “It’s just a matter of motivation. We’re 4-0 and we still haven’t played our best game. I think that’s enough motivation.”

Cooper received a motivational gift Saturday when lowly Illinois, Ohio State’s opponent next week, upset Northwestern at Evanston, Ill. That should help Cooper prepare his “letdown” speech.