TicketsDantonio Era Opens with Loss at No. 9 Ohio State
Contact: Tom Hathaway
9/4/2004
Jamar Enzor's sack and forced fumble set up UC's first score. |
COLUMBUS, Ohio ? No. 9 Ohio State scored the final 17 points of the game and kept the UC offense from getting on track in a 27-6 win in Ohio Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The loss in the first game of the Mark Dantonio era was the Bearcats? third to OSU since 1999.
The Buckeyes held the Bearcats to just 76 yards rushing and 162 passing, posting a 462 to 238 advantage in total offense. OSU was forced to punt just once and held the ball for 33:21.
Lydell Ross led the Buckeye offense with 141 rushing yards, while new starting quarterback Justin Zwick was 14-of-26 passing for 213 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
The Bearcat defense, which forced three turnovers, was led by Tyjuan Hagler?s 10 tackles and eight stops each by Jamar Enzor, Doug Monaghan and Trent Cole. Enzor had the lone sack of the game and a forced fumble, while Cole had three tackles for loss.
The UC offense committed no turnovers, as Gino Guidugli completed 17-of-36 passes for 162 yards, while Richard Hall gained 40 yards on 14 rushes. Hannibal Thomas led the receivers with four catches for 55 yards, while Derick Ross caught three passes for 49 yards.
?This was a tough loss,? said Dantonio, the former Buckeye defensive coordinator. ?We played hard and I am very proud of our players. I knew the Ohio State defense would be good. We tried to spread them out and try some new things. We had some chances, but they're just a good team.?
The defenses were the aggressors in the first quarter, as the teams combine for just 68 yards, 50 of those belonging to UC.
Each team went three and out in their opening drives. The Bearcats started to move the ball on the second drive, gaining 22 yards and converting two third downs as Hall gained 12 yards on three carries.
OSU got the ball on its 20 after a UC punt and crossed into Bearcat territory. A tipped pass resulted in an eight-yard loss and a pass interference penalty wiped out a 46-yard touchdown pass by Zwick. On the next play Enzor sacked Zwick, forcing and recovering a fumble at the Buckeyes? 32-yard line.
After a holding penalty wiped out a big gain, Guidugli hit Derick Ross for a 28-yard gain down to the 14-yard line. Doug Jones moved the ball to the 10 and freshman Kevin Lovell made the first kick of his career, putting the Bearcats on top with a 27-yard field goal just six seconds into the second quarter. The kick capped a five-play, 22-yard drive that took just 1:32.
The Buckeyes returned the ensuing kickoff 43 yards, but Cole stopped Lydell Ross on fourth-and-one to return the ball to UC at its own 45-yard line. The Bearcats reached the OSU 36, but had to punt and the home team?s offense woke up, as Ross took a hand-off on the next play and went 68 yards down the UC 12-yard line. The Bearcat defense held, forcing a Mike Nugent 27-yard field goal that tied the game with 10:15 to go in the half.
After a three and out for UC, Zwick began to move the Buckeye offense, hitting Ryan Hamby for a 29-yard gain. An offside penalty helped get OSU to the 35-yard line, but All-American Nugent was wide right on a 52-yard field goal.
The Bearcat offense continued to struggle, giving the ball back after just three plays. The Buckeyes then put together the first sustained drive by either team, going 80 yards in nine plays. Hamby caught three passes for 55 yards on the drive, including the 17-yard touchdown to give OSU a 10-3 lead heading into halftime.
OSU led the stats at the break, outgaining UC 237 yards to 90. Ohio State punted just once, while UC?s Chet Ervin punted six times for 46.2 yard average. The Bearcats did force three fumbles, but recovered just one. Guidugli completed five-of-15 passes for 49 yards, but missed on his last eight attempts. Hall led the rushing attack with 17 yards on six carries.
Zwick completed 12-of-21 passes for 142 yards, while Ross gained 82 yards rushing on eight carries for OSU.
The Buckeyes opened the second half with a 53-yard pass to Santonio Holmes, but JaJuan Hall picked off Zwick two plays later at the UC five-yard line. The Bearcats moved the ball out to near midfield before punting. Monaghan then got UC?s third forced turnover on an interception at the Buckeye 35. Guidugli hit Thomas for a 23-yard gain, but the drive stalled inside the 10 and Lovell hit a second field goal for a 10-6 score with 6:16 left in the third quarter.
OSU continued to wear down the UC defense, putting together a nine-play, 57-yard drive that produced a one-yard score by Ross and a 17-6 lead. The key plays were two Bearcat penalties ? a facemask on third down and a pass interference call in the end zone.
As the game turned to the final quarter, UC tried to gain some momentum on offense as Enzor gained 13 yards on a fake punt to keep the drive alive. Back-to-back offsides calls, however, stunted the drive.
Troy Smith came in for his second drive as the Buckeye quarterback and led an 11-play, 84-yard touchdown drive, capping it with a 23-yard pass to Holmes with 5:54 left. Ross had 29 yards rushing on the drive. Nugent capped the scoring at 27-6 with a 23-yard field goal with 1:51 left.
The Bearcats open their home season next week, hosting Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, Sept. 11 in the Battle for the Victory Bell. Game time at Nippert Stadium is set for 7 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.UCBearcats.com or by calling 513-556-CATS.