After a pair of painful losses in the BCS National Championship Game, a handful of Ohio State seniors opted to return for the 2008 season in search of that elusive national championship.
But those were dashed with a lopsided loss at top-ranked Southern California Saturday night.
In a game billed as the Collision at the Coliseum, it was fifth-rated Ohio State that got flattened. USC rode its stellar defense and opportunistic offense to a 35-3 rout of Ohio State before 93,607 Saturday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
“We played against a great football team tonight. When you turn it over and you have penalties to stop drives and don’t take control in any way, shape or form, a good team like that is going to make it hard for you to get back into it,” said OSU coach Jim Tressel. “I thought our guys fought hard. I don’t know that we did the best we could, but we fought extremely hard.
“USC has got a fine team. They are obviously going to be a team to reckon with. What’s important for us is that we roll up our sleeves and go back to work and see if we can become a better football team.”
USC quarterback Mark Sanchez completed 17 of 28 passes for 172 yards and four touchdowns against one interception. The Trojans (2-0) also got an interception return for a score from linebacker Rey Maualuga. USC won for the 39th time in its last 40 home games at the venerable Coliseum.
“It’s great to play again at the Coliseum with all of the build-up this week,” said USC coach Pete Carroll. “To have it happen like this, it worked out beautifully. We practiced so well the past two weeks. That type of preparation is what we have been doing for years. I felt we performed to our abilities.
“This is a great win for us, but it doesn’t mean any more than the others.”
This 32-point defeat stands as the worst in coach Jim Tressel’s seven-plus years at the helm. It surpasses the 41-14 loss to Florida in the 2007 BCS national title game. This defeat was OSU’s worst since the 63-14 loss at Penn State in 1994.
The Buckeyes (2-1) played without standout tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells, sidelined for the second straight game due to a foot injury. Still, OSU actually outgained USC in the first half, but trailed 21-3 at the intermission after a spate of turnovers and penalties – reminiscent of last year’s title game loss to LSU – kept the Buckeyes out of the end zone.
A third straight trip to that title game is now all but out of the question following this lopsided defeat. Ohio State may now need to adjust its goals and shoot for the Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl berth.
“We never stopped fighting,” said OSU senior linebacker James Laurinaitis, one of the key seniors who passed up NFL millions and returned for his final year. “This was one of those games, obviously, where we’re going to take a beating across the country. But we just have to be strong and really stick together no matter what.”
Offensive tackle Alex Boone, another senior who opted to return, added, “I am extremely pissed off. I don’t know what else to say. All you can do is play as hard as you can. I feel like this was the national championship game all over again with stupid penalties and stupid mistakes. We were roughing the passer, holding, offsides – Jesus, what the hell is the matter with us?”
OSU alternated senior Todd Boeckman and freshman Terrelle Pryor at quarterback during series throughout the course of the game. Boeckman was unable to shed the tag that he can’t win a big game. He was 14 of 21 passing for 84 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble.
Pryor, after playing in just two series in each of OSU’s previous wins over Youngstown State and Ohio U., entered the game on the second series and played sporadically the rest of the way. He completed 7 of 9 passes for 52 yards and also carried 11 times for 40 yards.
“Earlier in the week, we decided that maybe the thing to do was not to go by series,” Tressel said. “We knew we were facing an outstanding defense. We thought it was possible that (alternating during series) was going to be something that could work for us. We will have to go back and evaluate it and see if it did or if it can.
“There’s no way we can’t be productive and expect to win games.”
Pryor played by far the most plays he has played in his young career.
“It’s a tough team and we didn’t execute well at all,” Pryor said. “The offensive line played very well. But the quarterbacks and Todd and I, we both had bad games. We just have to pick it up from here. Todd and I are going to put it on our shoulders.”
OSU lost the battle up front on both sides of the ball. The Buckeyes surrendered five quarterback sacks, while OSU only got to Sanchez once.
“Their style of play is to put pressure on you,” Tressel said. “They did not want us to have the time to make big plays and throw the ball downfield. That’s who they are. That’s not new.”
Redshirt freshman Daniel “Boom” Herron started in place of Wells and carried 11 times for 51 yards.
“I don’t think we missed Beanie at all,” Boone said. “Boom played a great game. I thought he ran hard and ran physical. It was more mental errors than missing anybody.”
Tailback Joe McKnight had a big night for the Trojans. He had 105 yards on 12 carries. Fullback Stanley Havili had five catches for 49 yards and a touchdown for USC, while Damian Williams added three catches for 49 yards and two scores.
Sanchez discussed his biggest win as the USC starter.
“We really felt prepared for them,” Sanchez said. “We expected the type of pressure they showed and we knew we had to exploit it.”
Each team went three-and-out on its first possession of the game. OSU took over on its own 19 after a USC punt. The Buckeyes drove 69 yards in 17 plays to the game’s first points. OSU mixed Boeckman and Pryor at quarterback throughout the drive. Boeckman converted an early third down with a 7-yard toss to Brian Robiskie. He hit Brian Hartline for a 5-yard gain and another first down at the OSU 45.
Pryor came on and promptly rolled left and hit Dane Sanzenbacher for a 15-yard gain and a first down at the USC 45. Boeckman converted a third-and-1 at the USC 20 with a 1-yard gain on a keeper. He then hit Herron underneath for a 12-yard gain and a first down at the USC 5.
But this is where things went awry. Pryor was stopped for a 4-yard loss on first down by USC’s Clay Matthews Jr. Boeckman lost 4 more when he was stopped by USC’s Kyle Moore on a second-down keeper. OSU’s Boone was then flagged for a false start, setting up third-and-goal from the 19. Herron got 6 yards on that play, setting up Ryan Pretorius’ 30-yard field goal and a 3-0 OSU lead with 3:06 left in the first quarter.
USC answered quickly with a seven-play, 74-yard scoring march. McKnight ripped off 9-yard gain for a first down at the USC 43. He then had a 13-yarder on the next play for a first down at the OSU 44. Sanchez converted a third down with a 5-yard pass to Patrick Turner for a first down at the OSU 35.
On the next play, Sanchez stood in under blitz pressure and threw down the left sideline to Havili, who had gotten behind OSU linebacker Marcus Freeman. Sanchez led Havili perfectly. Havili hauled it in at the OSU 10 and stumbled into the end zone for the touchdown and a 7-3 lead with 33 seconds left in the first quarter.
“That touchdown to Havili, we must have worked on that play 12 times a day and it turned out just the way it did in practice,” Sanchez said.
The Buckeyes, thwarted by another false start on Boone, went three-and-out. USC then drove 63 yards in seven plays to its second touchdown. Sanchez converted a third down with a 9-yard toss to Turner. McKnight then got loose on a 24-yard run. Safety Anderson Russell made the touchdown saving tackle at the OSU 26.
Sanchez then found Havili for an 11-yard gain and, after an OSU roughing the passer penalty on Lawrence Wilson, the Trojans had a first down at the 7. C.J. Gable had a 6-yard carry on first down. Sanchez then faked a give to Havili and threw the ball over the top to tight end Blake Ayles over Russell in the back of the end zone for the 1-yard touchdown and a 14-3 lead with 11:00 left in the first half.
The Buckeyes again mixed Boeckman and Pryor and moved 57 yards down to the USC 19. But a pair of timely holding penalties kept the Buckeyes out of the end zone. A holding call on Sanzenbacher negated a 16-yard screen to Ray Small and a first down at the 3. Then, a holding penalty on right guard Ben Person negated a 21-yard touchdown pass from Boeckman to Robiskie. The Buckeyes came away empty when Pretorius’ 46-yard field goal sailed wide right.
“Had we gotten it to 14-10, it would not have ended up 35-3,” Tressel said. “I don’t know how it would have ended up … but that was a huge moment.”
Person shared his view on his critical holding call.
“It happened so quick,” Person said. “(The USC defender) tried to make a spin move. I had my hands inside. He fell. I didn’t think I held him. I was pretty upset about it. If I am going to get a holding penalty, I want to get my money’s worth. It is what it is. You can’t change how the officials called it and you just have to play through it.”
Things went from bad to worse for Ohio State on its next possession. On first down at the OSU 42, Boeckman rolled left and looked for Hartline in the flat. But Maualuga stepped in front of the pass at the 48 and rolled with it down the right sideline for a backbreaking touchdown that put USC up 21-3 with 2:49 left in the half.
“I was just dreaming about this moment since I got here to SC and I finally got the chance,” said Maualuga, who made the pick despite playing with a broken finger. “I’m grateful. Luckily that guy slipped and didn’t catch up to me and Averell (Spicer) had a good block on the quarterback and fortunately I got to dive in and make that touchdown.” Boeckman shared what he saw on the interception. “We were rolling left,” Boeckman said. “I thought that Hartline was open, but the linebacker Maualuga was running in there. I didn’t see him and he made a good play on the ball.”
On OSU’s ensuing possession, Boeckman was hit by the blitzing Matthews and recovered. USC’s Kyle Moore recovered it at the OSU 38. The Trojans drove to the OSU 14, but Sanchez’s third-down pass in the end zone was intercepted by OSU’s Chimdi Chekwa with nine seconds left in the half. Mercifully, OSU only trailed 21-3 at the intermission.
That capped a half where Ohio State outgained USC 177-172 in total yardage and held the ball for just over 20 of the half’s 30 minutes.
According to Boone, the OSU locker room was quiet at halftime.
“We walked in at halftime and nobody was saying anything,” Boone said. “What the hell? This is Ohio State. People should be screaming and swearing. But guys were hanging their heads. You don’t know what to say to them. You start to scream at them and they hang their heads even more. We can’t play like that.”
USC had the ball to open the second half and drove down to the OSU 36 before punting. OSU went three-and-out and USC regained possession at the OSU 36 after an errant 32-yard punt by A.J. Trapasso.
The Trojans needed six plays to cover the 36 yards needed. On third-and-9 at the USC 24, the Buckeyes brought just a three-man pressure. Sanchez stood in and hit Williams in stride on a skinny post against OSU’s soft zone. Williams took the pass at the 10 and rolled in for the 24-yard score and a 28-3 lead with 6:02 left in the third quarter.
USC pushed the lead to 35-3 on Sanchez’s 17-yard touchdown toss to Williams with 1:33 left in the third quarter.
Ohio State struggled all night to pressure Sanchez. The Buckeyes twice roughed Sanchez before Freeman finally notched OSU’s first sack on a fourth down deep in OSU territory with 10:10 left in the game.
In the second half, OSU was outgained 176 to 30 in total yardage.
Also Notable
* OSU left guard Steve Rehring left the game with an apparent injury before the half. In his place, OSU played Andy Miller at times and also inserted freshman J.B. Shugarts and moved Bryant Browning from tackle to guard.
* OSU junior cornerback Donald Washington saw his first game action of the year after serving a two-game suspension. He worked in as a sub in the fourth quarter.
* Ohio State failed to score a touchdown for the first time in a string of 141 games, dating to a 13-9 loss to Michigan in 1996.
* With the win, USC now leads the all-time series with Ohio State 12-9-1. USC has won five straight in the series over Ohio State, dating to OSU’s win in the 1974 Rose Bowl.
The two schools will be rematched on Sept. 12, 2009, in Columbus.
* In the seven-plus years under Carroll, USC is now 40-3 at the Coliseum. The three losses were to Kansas State and Stanford in 2001 and Stanford last year.
* Since the inception of the Associated Press poll in 1936, Ohio State is now 4-9 all-time against the nation’s No. 1-ranked team (see table below). This was OSU’s first game against a No. 1 team since its win over Miami (Fla.) in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl national title game. That was the only previous time a Tressel-coached team has played a No. 1-ranked team.
OSU’s last regular season game against a No. 1 team was in 1997 at Michigan, a 20-14 loss. OSU’s only previous game against a No. 1-ranked USC team was in the 1973 Rose Bowl, a 42-17 Trojans win.
This also marked just the second time OSU has played a nonconference team ranked No. 1 on that team’s home field. The previous instance was in 1940, when the Buckeyes fell at Cornell 21-7.
* USC has held the AP No. 1 ranking 83 times. That is the fourth most of any school behind Notre Dame (89) and Oklahoma and Ohio State (86 each). USC has an all-time record of 66-5-2 (.918) in games when ranked No. 1.
* Ohio State is now 66-48-8 all-time against national top-10 opponents. That record includes a mark of 8-5 against top-10 teams under Tressel. Besides this loss, the previous losses were to then-No. 5 Michigan in 2003, to then-No. 2 Texas in 2005 in Columbus, to then-No. 2 Florida in the 2007 BCS national title game and to then-No. 2 LSU in the 2008 national title game.
* Ohio State is now 29-10 against ranked teams in Tressel’s seven-plus seasons.
* This was the 30th time Ohio State has played in a game matching two teams ranked in the top five. In those games, OSU is now 16-13-1 all-time. That includes a record of 3-5 under Tressel.
* Ohio State had its streak of 13 straight road wins snapped. That streak dated to a 2005 loss at Penn State. It also included five straight road night game wins.
* Ohio State now has an all-time record of 4-6-1 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. That includes a 2-1 record against UCLA and a 2-5-1 mark against USC. UCLA played its home games at the Coliseum from 1928-81 before moving to the Rose Bowl.
* OSU is now 50-24-2 all-time against Pac-10 opposition, while USC is 66-27-2 all-time against Big Ten teams. USC has now won its last eight games against Big Ten teams, 29 of its last 37 and 36 of its last 45 against Big Ten opposition.
* Ohio State returns home to host Troy next Saturday at noon (Big Ten Network).
* Here is video of OSU coach Jim Tressel’s postgame press conference:
http://scoutingoh.com/Bucknuts_Jim_Tressel_USC_091308.htm
* Here is our photo gallery of the game:
http://www.bucknuts.com/news/articles/2008/9/14/ohio-state-usc-photo-gallery
Ohio State vs. No. 1
This marked the 13th time that Ohio State has played the No. 1-ranked team in the Associated Press poll since the inception of the poll in 1936. Here are the results of those games, where OSU has posted a 4-9 record. The game day rankings of the teams are in parentheses. Home team designated with an asterisk.
Date Score
Oct. 26, 1940 Cornell* (1) 21, Ohio State (NR) 7
Nov. 22, 1947 Michigan* (1) 21, Ohio State (NR) 0
Nov. 20, 1948 Michigan (1) 13, Ohio State* (18) 3
Oct. 6, 1951 Michigan State (1) 24, Ohio State* (7) 20
Oct. 11, 1952 Ohio State* (NR) 23, Wisconsin (1) 14
Oct. 15, 1968 Michigan State (1) 11, Ohio State* (NR) 8
Oct. 12, 1968 Ohio State* (4) 13, Purdue (1) 0
Jan. 1, 1973 USC (1) 42, Ohio State (3) 17 (Rose Bowl)
Nov. 2, 1985 Ohio State* (8) 22, Iowa (1) 13
Oct. 29, 1994 Penn State* (1) 63, Ohio State (21) 14
Nov. 22, 1997 Michigan* (1) 20, Ohio State (4) 14
Jan. 3, 2003 Ohio State (2) 31, Miami (Fla.) (1) 24, 2 OT (Fiesta Bowl)
Sept. 13, 2008 USC* (1) 35, Ohio State (5) 3
Keep posted to Bucknuts.com for more coverage throughout the evening.
