No. 1 Buckeyes Rout Penn State

As soon as Ohio State coach John Cooper saw the rain, he told his team it was a day for defense.

That's all linebacker Jerry Rudzinski needed to hear, especially after waiting nearly a year for another chance at Penn State.

"This game was taken a little bit personally, and we wanted to redeem ourselves from that embarrassment last year," Rudzinski said after recovering a fumble for a touchdown as No. 1 Ohio State beat No. 7 Penn State 28-9 Saturday. "We had the same players back and wanted to step up and show the country."

A year ago, Penn State ran up 316 yards on the ground, rallied for a 31-27 victory at State College, Pa., and moved into the No. 1 ranking the next day. This time, the Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) held the Lions (3-1, 0-1) to 181 total yards -- 79 rushing -- and showed why they are set for another national title run.

"I found Ohio State a pretty good football team going in, and they didn't do anything to disprove that," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said as a followup to his pregame remark that "we're playing one of the best football teams I've seen in 50 years."

While both offenses were slowed by the daylong rain at The Horseshoe, the Buckeyes' defense turned the game late in the second quarter.

With Penn State leading 3-0 and facing a second-and-10 from the 13, Kevin Thompson dropped back to pass. Rudzinski blitzed untouched from the right and was heading straight for Thompson when the football rolled off the quarterback's fingertips and fell into the end zone. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker pounced on the ball for a touchdown and the Buckeyes had the spark they needed.

"It looked like he tried to run a bootleg and the quarterback coughed it up," Cooper said. "That woke us up."

Yes t did. The Buckeyes then forced a Penn State punt and took over with 1:48 left. Joe Germaine capped an eight-play, 51-yard drive with a 20-yard TD pass to Michael Wiley with 23 seconds left.

Joe Montgomery capped Ohio State's scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. (AP)

"Those mental lapses before the first half killed us," said Penn State cornerback David Macklin, who intercepted a pass and blocked a field goal. "You just can't do that against the No. 1 team in the country."

When the second half started, the Lions were forced to punt again. This time, Pat Pidgeon's kick was blocked by Percy King and recovered in the end zone by Joe Cooper for a touchdown. Just like that, it was 21-3 and the Buckeyes were never threatened.

"There's no question weather was a factor," Cooper said. "We would have been more wide open and thrown it more downfield than we did."

Ohio State came into the game averaging 39.3 points and 530.7 yards per game, but the Lions' defense kept Germaine, Wiley and wideouts David Boston and Dee Miller relatively quiet.

Germaine was 16-of-30 for 213 yards, one TD and an interception. Wiley was held to 62 yards on 19 carries after averaging 166.7 yards in the Buckeyes' first three games. He also caught five passes for 31 yards.

Thompson, who played the first three quarters, was 11-of-20 for 106 yards and an interception. Fullback Mike Cerimele scored from a yard out to make it 21-9 with 9:41 left in the third quarter. Rashard Casey, who shared time with Thompson in the first three games, replaced Thompson in the fourth quarter.

The Lions converted on only 2-of-15 third-down attempts.

Ohio State's Joe Montgomery added a 1-yard TD run with 3:08 left in the third quarter to close out the scoring.

"That was a good, solid performance, and the only time they scored we gave them good field position," Cooper said. "I think we've beaten three real good, solid football teams this year."

Those would be victories over West Virginia, Missouri and Penn State. Now, the Buckeyes have a chance to sail through their next six games before getting ready for Michigan on Nov. 21. Ohio State's toughest game before that -- against Michigan State -- is at home.

Before a drenched crowd of 93,479, the teams had trouble handling the ball, with Ohio State losing one of five fumbles. Penn State's errors, though, were more costly.

Travis Fortney kicked a 42-yard field goal to give the Lions a 3-0 lead with 8:08 left in the second quarter. The field goal was set up when Macklin blocked a 50-yard field goal attempt by Dan Stultz, who also was wide left on a 40-yard attempt n the first quarter.

After Wiley's TD catch, quarterbacks coach Tim Salem, who was up in the coaches' box, put his hand through a window and sent glass shattering into the press box. School officials said he had small cuts on his index finger and forearm. No other injuries were reported.

© 1998 SportsLine USA, Inc. All rights reserved