Article published September 30, 2007
Buckeyes take care of Gophers
OSU good enough to get road victory
OSU wideout Brian Robiskie celebrates after catching a 52-yard TD pass from QB Todd Boeckman in the second quarter.
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By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
MINNEAPOLIS - Ohio State managed to look a little less than overpowering, but still put away Minnesota 30-7 last night and moved to 5-0 in the process.
The Ohio State win, its 23rd straight regular season victory, also sets up a showdown of Big Ten unbeatens when the Buckeyes meet Purdue this coming weekend.
"We did what we had to do to get a Big Ten road win," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "We know we'll have to be better than this a week from now."
The No. 8-ranked Buckeyes did not exhibit the offensive might they used to bury Northwestern a week earlier, instead chugging along at times against the Golden Gophers, but they had more than adequate firepower to defeat Minnesota (1-4).
Ohio State led by just a touchdown late in the first half but still seemed to be in control of the game. It wasn't until junior quarterback Todd Boeckman hit wide receiver Brian Hartline with a touchdown pass from 19 yards out with 8:29 left in the game that the Buckeyes led by 23 and put Minnesota away.
Ohio State put its defense in some tough spots, especially late in the game when a fumble set Minnesota up at the five yardline, but the group remained dominant, slamming the door on that possession and allowing just one touchdown."We have a habit of making things difficult around here," Tressel said, alluding to the fumble by sophomore tailback Chris Wells. "But we just have to keep getting better."
The Golden Gophers, keyed up for the final visit by the Buckeyes to the Metrodome, drove to the Ohio State 25 on their first possession. Minnesota, which is building an on-campus stadium that is expected to be ready for the 2009 season, had a 42-yard field goal try by Joel Monroe sail wide to the right about four minutes into the first quarter.
The Buckeyes then took over and pushed to their own 40, where they faced a fourth and six. Ohio State called a fake punt and caught Minnesota napping. After first dropping the ball as he tried to take off with it, OSU punter A.J. Trapasso picked up his own fumble and ran 18 yards around right end for a first down.
"Obviously, I got a little too excited there," Trapasso said about his bobble, "but it was fun, and I still can't believe we did it."
A 20-yard pass from Boeckman to tight end Jake Ballard picked up 20 more yards, and on a critical third-down play from the 16, Boeckman hit freshman Dane Sanzenbacher over the middle for a 10-yard gain and a first down at the six.
On the next play, Wells went in untouched for the score, running behind the left side of the Buckeyes' offensive line. With the extra point by Ryan Pretorius, Ohio State had a 7-0 lead with just under seven minutes left in the first quarter.
Tressel played field position on Ohio State's next possession, punting from the Minnesota 49, and Trapasso pinned the Gophers by angling the ball out of bounds at the six. After Minnesota was forced to punt, the Buckeyes started at the 46.
Wells broke outside for a 15-yard gain, and when Boeckman pitched the ball to Ray Small on a reverse from the 39, Small out-ran his blockers and the Minnesota defense for a 37-yard gain to the two. Wells plowed over from four yards out for a 14-0 lead.
Minnesota pulled within 14-7 with just under seven minutes left in the first half with a touchdown drive. A pitch to wide receiver Ernie Wheelright gained 15 yards, and on a fourth and one at the Ohio State 15, Gophers freshman quarterback Adam Weber did a good job of selling a fake up the middle, then ran around left end for a first down at the three.
Weber then passed to wide receiver Ralph Spry for the score. The Gophers were threatening deep in Ohio State territory late in the second quarter when the Buckeyes' defense came up with a big play that created a huge momentum swing.
Defensive back Malcolm Jenkins intercepted a pass near the goal line, and the Buckeyes had their backs to the wall when a penalty on the return left them at the two. After a couple of short runs, Chris Wells broke outside on a third-down play and rolled for a 27-yard gain. A 15-yard penalty for a late hit moved the ball near midfield.
Boeckman then loaded up and heaved a pass to wide receiver Brian Robiskie in the end zone. Robiskie made an acrobatic catch that allowed the Buckeyes to take a 20-7 halftime lead after the extra-point attempt by Pretorius attempt was blocked.
The Buckeyes added to the lead with a 10-play drive to open the second half, finishing with a 43-yard field goal by Pretorius when the drive stalled at the Minnesota 27. That made it 23-7 with more than 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
Ohio State got a big defensive play from freshman end Cameron Heyward late in the third quarter as he sniffed out a reverse, then stripped the ball in the Minnesota backfield. The Gophers recovered, but with a 13-yard loss that put them at their own 11.
With the upsets across the country yesterday, Ohio State middle linebacker and Minnesota native James Laurinaitis was asked about the Buckeyes' chances of moving up near the top of the rankings.
"It was a crazy day in college football," Laurinaitis said, "but we can't pay attention to that. We have to stay focused."
Contact Matt Markey at:
mmarkey@theblade.com
or 419-724-6510.
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