Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 47

Sunday, November 21, 1999 The Detroit New 3D nr DO pst dims JOE FALLS 1 U-M BREAKDOWN '7 1 credit to these guys from Columbus. It would have been one thing to thrive on breaks the luck of the game. A slip here, a bouncing ball there. That didn't happen. To run the ball the way they did, out-gaining Michigan on the ground, it meant the Buckeyes were giving a complete team effort, and that must have been difficult to do after all the shoddy play through the season.

The Buckeyes came in with no better than a 6-5 record and were, for the first time since Fielding II. Yost was a little boy, as much as a underdog. But there they were on his overcast November afternoon, hanging in there, leading most of the way, until Michigan's superior talent made the plays to pull the game out. Give the Wolverines credit, too. Once again, they didn't panic at the end and, for the second straight week, they pulled out a tough game in the fii lal moments.

This seems to be the persona of the team not to play all that well but to prevail at the and, and aren't the wins and losses what count? The Wolverines' manner results in some keen entertainment, and isn't that what the game is also supposed to be about To sum up dieir season, a 9-2 record is good probably as good as they could do. Forget Illinois. Remember Perm State and Ohio State. Once more, quarterback Tom Brady was so important to the Wolverines. He won't get a Heis-man Trophy vote but he has been one tough player through this entire season one who has stood tall and strong in the most difficult moments.

This game was no different than the others. Just when it seemed as if Brady was about to blow one, with things collapsing -around him, he came through with the big plays. He has not had a lot of attention around the country, and rightfully so, but I'm starting to wonder where he fits in with all the Michigan quarterbacks of the past. As we all know, this hasn't been a big position for the Wolverines through the years but I'm ready to make Brady 1-2-3, and if you say he is No. 1, 1 won't argue If nothing else, he is a winner.

Wrife to Joe Falls at 65 W. Lafayette Detroit 48226. ANN ARBOR It was the largest crowd in football history. Also, the quietest. That's because most of those in the gathering of 111,575 were praying that Ohio State wouldn't do it to Michigan.

The Buckeyes almost did. The team nobody gave a chance on this Saturday was in control almost all the way, before Michigan came out of its unexpected funk and won 24-17 with five minutes to go. Until then, it was a day Wcxxly Hayes would have loved. Bang! Bam! Crash! The Buckeyes ran the ball as in days of old when four yards and a cloud of difst got in the faces of all their opponents and all but choked them. This time the Buckeyes stunned, then silenced, most of those in the record-breaking crowd of by running the ball for 263 yards 1 1 I 1 II 11 If I Alan Lessig The Detroit News final minute, knowing the for a bowl.

Notebook Michigan fans celebrate in the Buckeyes (6-6) did not qualify Scoring summary OhioState '7 7 3 0 17 Michigan 0 7 10 7 24 FIRST QUARTER OHIO STATE Kevin Houser 6 pass from Steve Bellisari with 5:33 left. Dan Stultz kick. Drive: 51 yards, 7 plays. Time of possession: 3:36. Key play: Michael Wiley 26 run on third down to Michigan 6.

Ohio State 7, Michigan 0. SECOND QUARTER MICHIGAN Anthony Thomas 1 run with 7:45 left. Hayden Epstein kick. Drive: 70 yards, 11 plays. Time of possession: 5:27.

Keyjplay: Thomas 32 pass from Tom Brady to OSU 13. Ohio State 7, Michigan 7. OHIO STATE Jamar Martin 1 pass from Bellisari with 3:44 left. Stultz kick. Drive: 80 yards, 12 plays.

Time of possession: 4:01. Key play: Vanness Provitt 19 pass from Bellisari on third down to U-M 24. Ohio State 14. Michigan 7. third quarter XIZ I MICHIGAN Hayden Epstein 42 field goal with 11:22 left.

Drive: 4 plays, -2 yards. Time of possession: 1:34. Key play: DeWayne Patmon 32 interception return to OSU 23. Ohio Stat 14, Michigan 10. OHIO STATE StuKz 27 field goal with 8:13 left.

Drive: 33 yards, 8 plays. Time of possession: 3:09. Key play: Ken-Yon Rimbo 15 pass from Michael Wiley on fourth down to U-M 14. Ohio State 17, Michigan 10. MICHIGAN Shawn Thompson 8 pass from Brady with :37 left.

Epstein kick. Dri OHIO STATE STATISTICS 'Zi ve: 8 yards, 1 plays Time of possession: :07. Key play: Ian Gold 17 interception return to OSU 8. Ohio State 17, Michigan 17. FOURTH QUARTER MICHIGAN Marquise Walker 10 pass from Brady with 5:01 left.

Epstein kick. Drive: 77 yards, 10 plays. Time of possession: 4:04. Key play: Thomas 13 run on third down to OSU 2a Michigan 24, Ohio State 17. Attendance: 111,575.

STATISTICS OSU MICH. FIRST DOWNS Total 16 19 Rushing 11 10 Passing 4 6 Penalty 1 3 3rd-downeff. 515 513 4th-down eff. 23 00 RUSHING NoyYds 48263 39102 Avg. rush 5.5 2.6 PASSING AttCmps 219 2717 Interceptions 2 0 Avg.

per pass 5.0 5.6 SackedYds lost 420 421 Passing yards 105 150 Total yards 368 252 PUNTS No7Avg. 440.3 635.7 Kick returnsyds. 4117 245 Punt returnsyds. 27 10 Int. returnsyds.

00 249 Penaltiesyds. 13115 17 Fumbleslost 41 21 Tlmeofposs. 29:58 30:02 if 1 I v. MICHIGAN STATISTICS Alan Lessig The Detroit News Marquise Walker dives over Buckeyes cornerback Nate Clements and the goal line for winning score late in fourth quarter. Seniors accomplish their goals RUSHING Att Yds Avg Lg TD Thomas 31 111 3.6 20 1 Brady 7 -8 0.0 16 0 PASSING Att Cmp Yds TD Int Brady 27 17 150 2 0 RECEIVING No Yds Lg TD Thomas 5 51 32 0 Thompson 3 37 20 1 Walker 3 26 17 1 Terrell 2 15 8 0 Johnson 2 14 9 0 Shea 2 7 6 0 PUNTING No Yds Lg BL Epstein 6 214 47 0 PUNT RET, No Yds Lg TD Johnson 10 0 0 KICK RET.

No Yds Lg TO Cross 2 45 23 0 TACKLES Solo AstSacksTot June 7 3 0 10 Hendricks 9 0 19 Gold 8 10 9 Jones 5 3 18 Williams 4 10 5 Howard 4 10 5 Hobson 3 10 4 Whitley 2 2 14 Hall 3 0 13 Petruzlello 2 0 0 2 Bracklns 110 2 Wilson 0 2 0 2 Thompson 10 0 1 Renes 10 0 1 Askew 1 0 0 1 Bellamy 10 0 1 Foote 10 0 1 Patmon 10 0 1 Vj and compiling 368 in total offense. This was the same Ohio State team which didn't make a single yard rushing against Michigan State and made only one first down after flieir first possession of the pine. John Cooper, the beleaguered coach of the Buckeyes, must have had Woody Mayes sit in on a seance during the week and tell the players he would come back to talk to them in person if they didn't perform against "that team from up north." I mean, you had to give a lot of to get through the tough spots when you consider this is the toughest schedule in the country, you know why I am proud of this team," Carr said. "When you finish a season playing Penn State and Ohio State back-to-back and you find a way to win, you know how hard the guys fought." For senior linebacker Ian Gold, who had nine tackles and an interception, it was a fitting finish to his career. "What better way to end my senior season?" Gold said.

"I couldn't imagine going out my senior season with a loss against Ohio State in the Big House. I'm just glad I'm not a Buckeye right now. "It's been a long four years. I'm so thankful to have the opportunity and the God-given abilify to play at such a university. There's no place like Michigan.

No place like playing the Big House. I'll never play in front of ni.ooo fans again in my entire life. I'm so appreciative. I thank God every single day. It's been a great run." Back to roots Gold arrived at Michigan as a running back from nearby Belleville I ligh but became a linebacker.

For a few seconds on Saturday, Gold was a running back. half Saturday. Their only score came on a i-yard run by tailback Anthony Thomas, who carried 31 times for 111 yards, his fifth straight game of 100 yards or more. The Buckeyes led 14-7 and gained 130 yards rushing against the Big Ten's second-leading rush defense. U-M had allowed an average KK1.3 yards rushing coming into the game.

"We've had our backs against the wall," said U-M quarterback Tom Brady, who was i7-of-27 for 150 yards and two touchdowns. "When you do that, you can look at it two ways, You can say, 'Oh, it's too much pressure, we can't handle it' and fall apart. Or, you can tell yourself, 'OK, no more "At halftime, we knew we had some opportunities out there. When you come in as the favorite and you don't play up to the capabilities you probably should, you give the other team RUSHING Alt Yd Avg Lg TD Wiley 22 92 4.2 26 0 Wells 3 85 28.2 76 0 Martin 2 35 17.5 21 0 Bellisari 13 27 2.1 10 0 Keller 8 24 3,0 11 0 PASSING Art Cmp Yds TD Int Bellisari 20 8 84 2 2 Wiley 112100 RECEIVING No Yds Lg TD Rambo 2 37 21 0 Provitt 2 30 19 0 Germany 2 23 15 0 Wiley 18 8 0 Houser 16 6 1 Martin 1111 PUNTING No Yd Lg BL Stultz 4 161 45 0 PUNT RET. No Yds Lg TD Rambo 2 7 4 0 KICK RET.

No Yds Lg TD Rambo 3 93 53 0 Wiley 1 24 24 0 TACKLES Solo AstSacksTot Clements 9 0 0 9 Ott 7 0 0 7 Doss 6 10 7 Diggs 4 3 17 Berry 5 10 6 Collins 4 2 16 Cotton '4125 Plummer 2 10 3 Pickett 2 0 0 2 Bullard 110 2 Mitchell 10 0 1 Bailey 10 0 1 Walter 10 0 1 LaVrar 10 0 1 Wilhelm 10 0 1 Wiley 10 0 1 King 10 0 1 Cooper 10 0 1 Confused Buckeyes go home bowl-less By John Niyo The Detroit News ANN ARBOR The cheer it was a jeer, really began in the student section, gaining momentum as the seconds ticked away on both Michigan's victory and Ohio State's season. "Season's over! Season's over!" the fans bellowed, and the Buckeyes understood. A sign held up read: "No Bowl For You OSU" and that was understood; too. Tm just glad Tm not a Buckeye right now," said Ian Gold, Michigan's senior linebacker. Why? Because the Buck-' eyes' season really is over.

With a 6-6 record following Satur- day's 24-17 loss at Michigan Stadium, there is no bowl spot awaiting Coach John Cooper's team. Ohio State hasn't missed out on a bowl game in more than a decade, since Cooper's first season in 1988. "We'll bounce back next year," Cooper promised after Saturday's game. But his players were too. busy shaking their heads in disbelief to hear him.

"I can't really conceive it," said Rodney Bailey, a junior defensive end. No more so than Ohio State's season, though. The Buckeyes, having won at least 10 games each of the last four years, are not accustomed to mediocrity. That might explain the emotional effort Saturday "This comes from the heart," senior Ahmed Plummer said as Ohio State carried the momentum until the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes seemed to win the physical fights, too, ripping up the Michigan defense for 263 rushing yards the most since Notre Dame piled up 280 yards against the Wolverines last year.

The fullbacks did most of the damage, as Ohio State" continually faked sweep and ran a delay up the middle. Michigan's defense had no answer: "They bled us a little bit with that," Gold admitted. But the blood, sweat and" tears belonged to the Buckeyes afterward. The Wolverines were wondering where they're headed Miami? Ohio State players were wondering where they've been. "Had we played like that every game," said tailback Michael Wiley, "who knows where we'd be." five minutes left in the game.

"I looked out there and I knew they were coming with a blitz," Brady said. "I saw no one was covering Marquise. I tried not to stare over there to give it away. I kind of looked to my right and as soon as I got the ball, I tried to get it to Marquise as fast as I could." The Buckeyes finished the season with three straight losses, but they did not play a pxr game. At least not statistically.

Ohio State outgained Michigan in total offense, 368-252, and the Buckeyes' 296 yards rushing were the most Michigan has allowed all season. "Coming into this game, you knew it was going to be a dogfight," said senior safety Tommy Hendricks, who had nine tackles, including a sack. "We knew it wasn't going to be the same team that played the last few weeks. We were going to get their best." iimmum 1 1 1 i mil 1 It I I I Jii 1 I 1 more than enough. To have lost to Michigan State and Ohio State in my last year would be unbearable." Faking it The play that really hurt the Buckeyes back was a third-and-3 conversion on Michigan's winning fourth-quarter drive.

Brady hit tight end Shawn Thompson on a play-action pass for a 20-yard gain to midfield. "He was wide open," Ohio State Coach John Cooper said. "Our linebacker just didn't do a very good job covering him." Problem was, it was Ohio State's best linebacker Na'il Diggs that bit on Brady's fake. Man to man Ohio State's defensive back-field proved to be more than a match for Michigan's receivers Saturday the U-M wideouts caught just seven passes on the afternoon. Marcus Knight was held without a reception; David Terrell caught only two passes.

Ahmed Plummer hounded Terrell in single coverage for most of the game, but stopped short of declaring a personal victory afterward. "I'll let you all decide that," he said, smiling. Howard initially slowed when it kx)ked as though Gito June who had a team-high 10 tickles had knocked Wells out of bounds. "I relaxed for a little bit, but after I did that I thought, 'I've got to stop Howard said. Amazingly, Ohio State failed to score on that drive, missing a 30-yard field goal.

On the Buckeyes next drive, linebacker Ian Gold intercepted a Bellisari pass and returned it to the OSU 8. Tight end Shawn Thompson scored on an 8-yard pass from Brady to tie the game at 17. Michigan got its winning score off the Buckeyes, third turnover. James Whitley slammed Vanness Provitt as he tried to make a catch and forced the fumble that Cato June recovered. The Wolverines drove 77 yards in 10 plays and scored on a 10-yard pass from Brady to Marquise Walker with in Gold intercepted Steve Bellisari and returned it 17 yards to the OSU 8 with 44 seconds left in the third quarter.

One play later, Michigan tied the game at 17 on an eight-yard pass from Brady to Shawn Thompson. "It felt like old school a little bit, like back in the Belleville High school days," Gold said of his return. Making adjustments The Wolverines were burned in the first half by Ohio State's running game, which found yardage up the middle more than once. OSU fullback Jamar Martin surprised Michigan a few times, gaining 35 yards on two plays. "They ran some plays we weren't ready for," Gold said.

"It was the fullback who was hurting us. He was just shooting up in there so quick. That was a play we hadn't work on. They were faking the sweep to (tailback Michael) Wiley, and the fullback would just sit there and he would shoot up the middle as fast as we could. That caught us off guard and it hurt us." Quotable Rob Renes on the fear of losing: "I have to live with a Michigan State loss and that's a lot of confidence." So the Wolverines came out in the second half to make something happen, and it became a wild third quarter.

Ohio State quarterback Steve Bellisari was intercepted by DeWayne Patmon four plays into the opening drive. U-M's Hayden Epstein made a 42-yard field goal to pull within 14-10. The Buckeyes went ahead 17-10 on their next possession after Ken-Yon Rambo got them good field position with 53-yard kickoff return. The crazy third quarter continued when the Wolverines drove to the Ohio State 13 on the next drive. But Brady fumbled.

On the first play of OSUs ensuing drive Jonathan Wells went 76 yards. Cornerback Todd I toward, however, sprinted from the left side of the field, for the touchdown-saving tackle at the Michigan 6. By Angelique S. Chengelis and John Niyo The Detroit News ANN ARBOR There were no tears, no sentimental moments, and there was no time to reflect. Ohio State made sure of that in this final game at Michigan Stadium for the Michigan seniors.

The seniors said they were exhausted more than anything after the Wolverines came from behind to beat the Buckeyes, 24-17, on Saturday. "It's a sense of relief that we've accomplished a lot of the things we set out to accomplish at the beginning of the year," said fifth-year senior quarterback Tom Brady, 19-5 as a starter. "It really hasn't set in, to tell you the truth, Maybe it will (today), or Monday or Tuesday. I think everyone is just glad we got this victory." For Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr, it was the perfect send-off for his seniors, The Wolverines came back from a 10-point deficit to beat Penn State 31-27 last week, then came back after trailing the whole game by as much as a touchdown to beat OSU. "To be able to come in to their senior season with the leadership, toughness and poise U-M Continued from Page iD "We didn't give the effort that was needed to win against a good team," Cooper said.

While the Buckeyes spend the winter in Ohio, Michigan will play in a prestigious Bowl Championship Seriesgarne. The Wolverines, who will be going for their third-straight 10-victory season, likely will be invited to the.Orange Bowl in Miami on Jan. 1 or the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, on Jan. 2. Representatives from both bowls attended Saturday's game, but the BCS situation will not be sorted out until Dec.

5. "As long as the sun is shining," Carr said, "it doesn't matter where we go." Very little appeared to be shining on the Wolverines in the first U-M Report Packing 'em in: The Michi-" gan Stadium crowd for Saturday's Michigan-Ohio State game set an NCAA single-game record. There were 111,575, breaking the previous record set this season against Notre Dame when 111,523 packed in the Big House. Michigan's six-game home schedule drew 666,049 for an NCAA-record average 111,008. Last season, Michigan set the record for average attendance of 110,965 after drawing 665,787.

Renes gives up No. 58: Senior co-captain Rob Renes said last week he would probably wear his Michigan uniform through the weekend and would consider taking it off Monday. Shortly aftecthe game, Renes was in street clothes. What happened? 'They held me down and stripped it off," Renes said, joking. "We did go back on the field, some of the seniors, to enjoy the band.

I tell you what, after that hard-fought win the smell of my uniform was so bad, I had to take it off." Jackson backs Thomas: Michigan assistant head coach Fred Jackson was pleased with junior tailback Anthony Thomas' 111 yards on 31 carries. Thomas carried for 100 yards or more his final five games. "Everybody was criticizing, saying, 'You've got to develop this and develop said Jackson, who coaches the running backs. "This kid has durability. He played in 11 straight games and carried the ball 30-40 times a game.

I've never had a back that durable." A little bit Michigan fans were serenading their Ohio State friends with the chant, 'No bowl, no bowl' after the game, but the Wolverines say they aren't thrilled to see the Buckeyes finish 6-6 and out of a bowl for the first time in 11 years. "Ohio State is a great rival," Renes said. "We've had great matchups all my five years. But, they're still part of the Big Ten and any time the Big Ten can be represented by a quality team like Ohio State, you're pushing for that. They were a quality football team." Quotable: Ohio State linebacker Na'il Diggs on the game: "It's mind-boggling.

I can't say what went wrong. We went into halftime with the lead (14-7). We knew what they were going to run and felt confident with the situation." Cooper on the game: John Cooper is now 2-9-1 against the Wolverines. "We didn't give the effort that was needed to win against a good team. At critical times, we held the ball too long.

We didn't get rid of it when we should. But I can say that we lost a good game today." Extra points: With the victory, Michigan finished the 1990s with a 50-12-1 record at Michigan Stadium. Tom Brady threw a touchdown pass in all 16 of his Big Ten starts the last two years. Redshirt freshman Shawn Thompson caught his first career touchdown, an eight -yard reception with 37 seconds left in the third quarter. Thompson had three catches for 37 yards.

i Angclique S. Chcngelis.