Sunday, November 07, 1999
Michigan State 23, Ohio State 7
79 total yards worst in 35 years
BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer
EAST LANSING, Mich. — It was just before halftime, and Steve Bellisari was on his knees on the hard Astroturf, doubled over in disappointment, his hands clutching each side of his silver helmet. Ohio State had just let a scoring chance slip away — receiver Ken-Yon Rambo dropped a Bellisari bomb that would have been a 67-yard touchdown — and the Buckeyes weren't going to get many more.
That moment of frustration seemed to typify the desperation of a team that began backsliding again in a 23-7 loss Saturday at Michigan State with its worst offensive performance in 35 years.
“I was shocked,” center Kurt Murphy said. “It was a nightmare out there.”
The defeat, which coach John Cooper termed a “good old-fashioned butt kicking,” leaves 20th-ranked Ohio State at 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes need one win in their final two games to qualify for a bowl. Had the Bucks won, they would still be in the running for a Jan. 1 bowl. Now, the Dec. 28 Alamo Bowl may be a long shot.
Scoring chances were almost non-existent for the battered Bucks Saturday. So were yards, momentum, big plays, blocks, cohesiveness and a sense that Ohio State could do anything when it had the ball.
One stat said it all. Ohio State, total offense: 79 yards. When Purdue beat the Spartans three weeks ago, it had 568.
It was Ohio State's worst offensive output since Woody Hayes' Buckeyes produced just 63 yards in a 27-0 loss at Penn State almost 35 years ago to the day, on Nov. 7, 1964.
The Buckeyes had 33 rushing yards in that one. Saturday, they had zero (41 gained, 41 lost, counting six sacks). The last time they had less than zero on the ground was 1965 at Spartan Stadium, when they had minus-22 in a 32-7 loss.
“I don't think there's a new problem. It's just the same old same old,” offensive tackle Tyson Walter said. “That's not a good thing.”
The Buckeyes moved the ball decently on their game-opening drive, netting three of the four first downs they earned the entire day. But the drive stalled when Bellisari was sacked twice, and Ohio State wouldn't get another first down until the fourth quarter.
OSU's most egregious problems were a lack of a running game early and an inability to pick up Michigan State's heavy blitz. But there were more. Rambo dropped three catchable passes, including that potential game-breaker. The offensive line and running backs didn't hold blocks. The quarterbacks had no time, and couldn't make decent throws.
“We didn't block anybody, our receivers didn't get open, our (punting) game was awful, we didn't tackle very good,” Cooper said. “We got embarrassed.”
“It's everything,” said backup quarterback Austin Moherman, who played in the second half after Bellisari threw an in terception.
OSU's only score came on a 3-yard pass from Bellisari to Michael Wiley in the third quarter. The drive was set up by cornerback Ahmed Plummer's 37-yard interception return, the Bucks' only big play of the day.
Plummer's 37 yards on that one return were more than the day's total for any Buckeye receiver or running back.
No.19 Michigan State (7-2, 4-2) didn't look spectacular either, but the Spartans managed to break their two-game losing streak by taking a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter on two Bill Burke touchdown passes.
And this was the game Ohio State players had been pointing to after Michigan State ruined their perfect season last year. Yeah, so much for revenge.
“You get accustomed to a certain level the last couple years, averaging 500 yards a game,” Walter said, “and now we're just not showing up to the game at all.”
Ohio St ....... 0 0 7 0— 7
Michigan St ....... 0 17 3 3—23
Second Quarter
MSU—FG Edinger 35, 10:45.
MSU—Burress 17 pass from Burke (Edinger kick), 6:43.
MSU—Baker 1 pass from Burke (Edinger kick), 1:17.
Third Quarter
OSU—Wiley 4 pass from Bellisari (Stultz kick), 7:27.
MSU—FG Edinger 33, 2:00.
Fourth Quarter
MSU—FG Edinger 33, 14:56.
A—47,639
OSU MSU
First downs ....... 4 17
Rushes-yards ....... 22-0 50-120
Passing ....... 79 181
Comp-Att-Int ....... 8-23-1 16-25-1
Return Yards ....... 37 56
Punts-Avg. ....... 10-32.9 5-45.2
Fumbles-Lost ....... 0-0 1-0
Penalties-Yards ....... 3-20 5-40
Time of Possession ....... 21:40 38:20
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Ohio St, Wiley 12-23, Keller 2-4, Wells 1-2, Moherman 2-(minus 11), Bellisari 5-(minus 18). Michigan St, Clemons 20-91, Duckett 19-49, Foster 2-10, Moss 2-5, Flowers 1-(minus 1), Burke 6-(minus 34).
PASSING—Ohio St, Bellisari 7-16-1-61, Moherman 1-7-0-18. Michigan St, Burke 15-24-1-174, Burress 1-1-0-7.
RECEIVING—Ohio St, Germany 4-28, Wiley 2-22, Rambo 1-24, Keller 1-5. Michigan St, Burress 7-81, Scott 3-50, Baker 3-21, Duckett 1-23, Burke 1-7, Moss 1-(minus 1).
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