An Ohio Stadium crowd of 105,016 held its collective breath as the Toledo Rockets marched toward a monumental upset.
Rod Smith's fumble at the 3:08 mark of 4th quarter opened the door for the Rockets, who trailed the Buckeyes, 27-22. Terrance Owens, 1 of 2 signal callers Toledo used against the Ohio State defense, swiftly marched his charges into OSU territory. Owens and the Rockets converted a 4th-and-14 en route to the Buckeyes' 21-yard line. From there, Owens misfired twice before Adonis Thomas gained 4 yards on the ground. Then, with the Horseshoe rocking nervously, John Simon forced his way through Toledo's undersized offensive line and rushed Owens' delivery. The throw wobbled incomplete, and Buckeye Nation could finally exhale.
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| Owens'... throw wobbled incomplete ... |
To begin the game, Joe Bauserman engineered a 7-play, 67-yard drive that Jake Stoneburner capped with a 26-yard, 1-handed touchdown catch. That opening series apparently cemented Bauserman as the unquestioned starting quarterback because his backup, Braxton Miller, never saw the field.
Midway through the 1st quarter, the special teams demons that plagued the Buckeyes last season reared their ugly head. Kishon Wilcher blocked Ben Buchanan's punt, and T.J. Fatinikun returned the loose pigskin to the Ohio State 1. Following a false start, Austin Dantin rifled a TD pass to Eric Page. Toledo attempted a stunning 2-point conversion, which was successful courtesy of Page's pass to Hank Keighley.
The Rockets increased their lead moments later when Page turned a simple wide receiver screen into a 66-yard score.
The Buckeyes produced 2 big plays in the 2nd stanza to shift the momentum.
The 1st was Carlos Hyde's 36-yard touchdown scamper that pulled the home team to within a single point of Toledo.
Chris Fields provided the 2nd, a 69-yard punt return for a TD, that gave Ohio State a slim halftime lead of 21-15.
Both teams crossed the goal line in the 3rd period, setting the stage for the dramatic finish. Hyde's 2-yard dash to pay dirt would prove to be the winning score.
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| ... Hyde's 2-yard dash to pay dirt ... |
A win is a win, but if the Buckeyes want to become a good football team, they must improve drastically. Remember, the Miami Hurricanes await next Saturday in Coral Gables.
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| ... the Buckeyes ... must improve drastically ... |
Player of the Game
Carlos Hyde: 20 carries, 76 yards, 2 touchdowns; 4 receptions, 28 yards
Despite a pedestrian yards-per-attempt average of 3.8, Hyde did tally a pair of 6-pointers while running behind blockers that failed to create many holes.
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| Carlos Hyde |
Play of the Game
Chris Fields' 69-yard punt return for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter
With his team desperately needing a boost late in the 1st half, Fields shot past the Toledo punt coverage and into the end zone. The play invigorated the Buckeyes, and it helped Ohio State escape victorious.
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| ... Fields shot past the Toledo punt coverage and into the end zone ... |
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