--- Here it was. The toughest game of the our season. A road trip to Columbus, Ohio to face off with the #21 Ohio State Buckeyes. We already knew from the day the series was agreed to, that we were going to face a massive challenge with Ohio State. Unfortunately the challenge would be even bigger than anticipated. During our surprisingly tough and challenging victory over Texas State, starting QB Casey Bishop was lost for three weeks with a pulled hamstring, which would keep him sideline through the Fresno State game. Already falling over the cliff from the stud QB that Brandon Booth was to what Casey Bishop is, that cliff became even higher, as backup QB and freshman Brad Stephens in his very first game of his college career. For an encore he’d have to take on the highly rated Ohio State defense. Being thrown to the wolves so early and so violently will definitely help to shape him up into a starting QB for his remaining three years after this season, but at what cost to our season? Ohio State won the coin toss and elected to kick.
No return on the opening kickoff got our offense on the field at our 25 yard line to start. Brandon Price got us started with a pair of rushes, picking up four yards before being stopped for only a one yard gain to leave third and 5. Brad Stephens showed signs of brilliance, leading a 16 yard pass to Hayden just out of reach of the linebacker’s outstretched arms for a first down at the 46 yard line. Price took the ball up the middle for a 9 yard gain on the first down carry, followed by a hard fought 6 yards and a new set of downs at the Ohio State 40 yard, our offense managing to find a smooth rhythm early on despite the deafening roaring of the Buckeye faithful. Another run by Price picked up four yards, before an attempt to bounce outside the left tackle went for no gain to leave us third and 6. Despite getting open over the middle, Stephens’ pass to Chad Fisher was behind him, Fisher having to come to a dead stop to haul in the pass to his back, enabling the linebacker to immediately tackle him for only a one yard gain. Left with fourth and 5 at the Buckeyes 35 yard line, the field goal unit came out. Pratt proved successful on his first boot of the game, splitting the uprights on his 52 yard boot to give us a 3-0 lead with 4:23 left in the first quarter. It wasn’t the early victory that we wanted, but it was an early victory nonetheless.
A touchback on the following kickoff got Ohio State started from their 25 yard line. Corey Sutton took the ball on first down, rushing ahead for 11 yards and an immediate first down at the 36. After an incomplete pass on first down, Jon Mason got to intimately know our defense, as he was sacked for a 7 yard loss to leave the shocked Buckeyes staring at third and 17 from their own 29. The entire stadium went quiet as Mason was helped off the field, suffering from hip bursitis. While he would return after a little while, it was enough to force Ohio State’s backup QB, redshirt freshman Ryan Fraser into the game. Fraser’s first pass of his college career fell incomplete over the middle, and a stunned Ohio State crowd watched as their offense was forced to punt away on fourth and 17.
A fair catch on the 44 yard punt got our offense back out at our 27 yard line. Price continued to be as dangerous as ever, taking it up the middle for a gain of 8 yards, followed be a second straight 8 yard rush to give us a first down at our 43, Ohio State’s defense scrambling for a way to shut Price down. Price continued to bend the Buckeye defense over, as a pair of blocks by the tight end allowed him to rush forward for a pickup of 11 yards and a first down at the OSU 46. Roy Smith came in to give Price a breather, but was quickly tackled for no gain, wasting that down. Hayden hauled in his second pass of the day on a slant route, as the pass from Stephens fell right into his hands for a 13 yard gain and the chains moved to the Buckeye 32 yard line. Taking a shot deep to the end zone, the pass intended for Hayden was broken up at the goal line, leaving us with second down. Going back to the air on the next play, we got some huge luck breaking our way, as the pass from Stephens to Fisher was woefully underthrown, a lame duck waiting to be picked off by the safety. The safety instead batted it down, down right into the hands of a passing Price, who snagged out of mid-air for a stupidly impossible 13 yard gain and a first down at the 19 yard line. Going back to the ground, Price never had a chance on first down, tackled for a loss of one yard. Taking the pitch on the next play, Price was able to find a gap between the left tackle and guard, fighting his way forward for a 9 yard gain to set up third and two at the 11 yard line. That was where the first quarter would come to an end, the final three seconds ticking off with our lead at 3-0 and driving for more points against a stunned Ohio State squad.
Opening up the second quarter, the Ohio State defense was more than ready for us, as Price was brought down for no gain. It was all or nothing here. A field goal here would only let us be losing by one point instead of four when Ohio State scored their first touchdown. A field goal was for quitters. We wanted blood. Price got the job done on his second try, plowing into the mass of bodies for a hard fought two yards and first and goal from the Ohio State 8 yard line. Price took it up the middle on first down, picking up 5 yards to leave second and goal from the three. Price tried to pound it ahead gain, but could only manage one yard to leave third and goal at the two. Living and dying by the run game, Smith was tackled at the two for no gain, and the drive was squandered as Pratt kicked a 19 yard field goal to make our lead 6-0 with 6:33 left in the second quarter, a sour taste in our mouths, and this time, NOT a victory.
A 20 yard kickoff return got Ohio State started at their 18 yard line. Mason, back under center for the Bucks, found Tommy Sherman through the air for a four yard gain, before Randall Day took it up the middle for a pickup of 8 yards and a first down at the 30 yard line. A two yard rush by Day was followed with a 25 yard deep strike to Rogers and Ohio State was suddenly at our 44 yard line with a new set of downs. After a two yard rush by Mason, he struck again, throwing deep to Jason Fountain for a gain of 26 yards to set Ohio State up at our 16 yard line. After a 7 yard rush by Day, Mason went right back to the air, connecting with Kyle White for the 9 yard touchdown pass to give Ohio State a 7-6 lead, driving 82 yards down the field in a mere two minutes. This could get ugly.
Fisher returned the kickoff out 25 yards to our 24 yard line for our next drive, 4:36 left in the half. Breaking off a pair of tackles, Price was able to fight his way forward for a gain of 6 yards on first down. Tackled forward by both the middle and outside linebacker, Price was able to fall forward enough to pick up three yards and leave us with third and inches from the 34. Price was just barely able to pick up the first down, fighting forward for one yard to the 35 yard line. Stephens put his speed to work on the next play, the halfback, fullback and pulling guard all able to seal in the entire right side, allowing Stephens to sprint towards the sideline and turn up the field for a gain of 14 yards before being run out of bounds at our 49 yard line. A strong toss to the left proved nothing but disaster, as Ohio State brought a blitz right through the rushing lane, leaving Price trapped for a loss of four yards. The second down pass from Stephens fell incomplete, leaving us third and 14. Another woeful pass by Stephens brought out our punt team.
A 5 yard return on the 45 yard punt left Ohio State starting from their 14 yard line with 2:28 to go. It would be a short drive, as three straight incomplete passes by Mason left the Buckeyes punting the ball right back. A 9 yard return by Price on the 49 yard punt got us back in action from our 46 yard line, like nothing ever happened, 2:09 remaining. A quick strike over the middle to Hayden went for a gain of 9 yards to get us into OSU territory. Max Thompson had to dive for it, but was able to haul in a wide thrown pass from Stephens for 8 yards and a first down at the 37. Price was able to get wide open running at the sideline on a smash route, but the pass from Stephens sailed way too high and way too long, the incomplete pass leaving us second down with 1:18 left. A pass intended for Nicholas Roberts again sailed too high and too long, leaving us looking at third down. Any hope we might have had for a long field goal attempt went down in flames when Stephens was sacked for a 12 yard loss, pushing us all the way back out to the Ohio State 49 and left with fourth and 22.
A failed fake punt resulted in a loss of two yards and Ohio State took over at midfield with 53 seconds still to go and all three timeouts. The Buckeyes wasted no time in moving the ball, as Mason hit Sutton for a 19 yard gain to our 31, their first timeout stopping the clock at 50 seconds. After an incomplete pass, Day rushed forward for a 10 yard gain, leaving Ohio State with third and inches at the 21 yard line, their second timeout stopping play with 41 seconds to go. Mason picked up the first down with a two yard rush, before bombing one through the air to Jermaine Davis for a 19 yard strike, giving Ohio State first and goal at our one yard line, 23 seconds to go. Mason would spike the ball to stop the clock at 12 seconds, and leave them a couple options to get a touchdown. They would choose the air it out option, as Mason threw to White in the corner of the end zone for the one yard touchdown pass and a 14-6 lead with 8 seconds left in the half. A 20 yard kickoff return would wipe out the remaining time on the clock, and we headed to halftime with Ohio State leading 14-6 and getting the ball back to open the third quarter.
The Buckeyes wouldn’t get such a short field this time, as the kickoff to open the third quarter went out for a touchback, leaving Ohio State at their 25 yard line. It wouldn’t make too much difference, as after an incomplete pass on first down, Mason hit Day over the middle for a gain 18 yards and a first down at the 43 yard line. Our defense would bite back with a vengeance, as Sutton was tackled for a loss of one yard, followed by a three yard loss by Day to leave third and 14. Mason would find Davis over the middle for an 8 yard gain, but the ball was stripped loose, Andy Malone diving on the fumble to recover it and give us possession at the 50 yard line.
A quick pass to Fisher on first down went for a gain of 7 yards to leave second and three. Going back to the ground, Price was only able to manage one yard on the ground, leaving third and two. A diving attempt to bat the ball away by the linebacker allowed Smith to haul in the pass on third down along the right sideline, breaking loose from a tackle attempt with a spin move away from the cornerback, and picking up 11 yards before being brought down at the 31 yard line by the safety. Hayden hauled in a pass from Stephens on the next play, taking advantage of a frozen middle linebacker to turn up field and turn what would have only been maybe a 5 yard gain into a 13 yard pickup and a first down at the 19 yard line. A quick strike to Smith on the next play sailed incomplete, leaving second down. Roberts briefly hauled in the 14 yard strike from Stephens on the smash route, but was unable to hold on as he fell to the turf, leaving us looking at third and 10. Lofting up a prayer, Stephens was able to complete a pass to Thompson, but he was driven out of bounds for only a 9 yard gain, leaving us fourth and one at the 9 yard line. Going for it all on the ground, Price never had a chance, tackled immediately for a loss of one yard, and we turned the ball over on downs at the Ohio State 11 yard line.
It wouldn’t get any better for the Buckeyes. Two straight dropped passes left Ohio State with third down, before a pass to Rogers seemingly picked up 5 yards, but the defense was able to jar the ball loose for a second time, and also for a second time, the defense recovered, Jonathan Chambers smothering the ball at the Ohio State 18 yard line to give our offense back possession. Price took the handoff on first down, picking up three yards after a diving tackled by the outside linebacker. The second down pass intended for Thompson was nearly picked off, thankfully not as it would have been an 85+ yard pick six. A pass to Smith coming out of the backfield left enough of a gap between the coverage for Smith to turn up the sideline and race the linebacker to the 7 yard line, an 8 yard gain to set up first and goal at the 7, a generous spot by the ref also helping to get the first down. The first down pass intended for Fisher was knocked incomplete, as the corner and safety closed between Fisher and the ball to completely block off any chance of making a play. Keeping the ball himself on second down, Stephens had hope, meeting both the middle linebacker and right outside linebacker in the backfield for a two yard loss to leave third and goal at the 9. As if that wasn’t already bad enough, Stephens was taken out of the game with bruised ribs, sidelined for at least the rest of this drive, forcing our third string QB, also a freshman, Erik Wallace into the game under center. Wallace was able to complete the first pass of his career, throwing to and connecting with Hayden. Unfortunately it only went for a one yard gain to leave fourth and goal at the 8. The 25 yard field goal by Pratt closed the gap to 14-9 with 3:56 left in the third quarter.
A touchback on the kickoff again left Ohio State starting from their 25 yard line. After throwing the ball away on first down, Mason found Fountain open for a 5 yard gain, followed by a 7 yard rush by Day to give the Buckeyes the first down. The third quarter would continue to bitchslap the Ohio State offense, as for the third straight drive, the Buckeyes turned the ball over, Mason getting intercepted by Allen Moore to give our offense the ball at the Ohio State 43 yard line. Going to the air on first down, Stephens was unable to find any open receivers, instead taking advantage of a gap along the right hash mark, tucking the ball and running for a four yard gain to the 38 yard line. Keeping the ball on the ground, Price used the momentum of the tackle by the middle linebacker to roll forward and fall ahead for a 6 yard pickup and a first down at the 32. The defense was more than ready on the next play, as Price was cracked instantly for only a two yard gain. Taking a shot through the air, Price made the defense pay through the air instead of on the ground, hauling in a pass from Stephens for an 18 yard gain to give us a first down at the 13 yard line. A pass to Hayden went for a gain of only four yards, leaving us second and 6 from the 10. A second down rush by Price wouldn’t be enough, only gaining one yard to leave third and 5, the clock ticking under a minute. The drive would end in complete and total disaster, as the blitz broke through, taking Stephens down, while simultaneously knocking the ball loose from his grip. Surrounded by nothing but red, Stephens never had a chance as the middle linebacker Cole Johnson dove on the loose ball, the Buckeyes recovering the fumble at their 21 yard line.
A pair of 7 yard rushes by Day out to the 34 yard line would bring the third quarter to an end, Ohio State leading 14-9 and our hopes of scoring a touchdown from inside the Ohio State 15 yard line once again dashed for the umpteenth time today.
Ohio State opened the fourth quarter with a one yard dump pass to White to leave second and 9. After throwing the ball way on second down, Mason found Sutton open over the middle for a 14 yard gain and a first down at midfield. Our defense wouldn’t make it easy, tackling Day for a one yard loss, before managing to sack Mason for a loss of 5 yards to leave third and 16. Mason’s third down pass sailed incomplete and the Buckeyes were forced to punt. A 7 yard return on the 46 yard punt got us back on offense at our 17 yard line and looking for answers.
We would find some answers, as Price rumbled ahead up the middle for a gain of 11 yards to the 28 yard line. Price continued to find space on the ground, rushing forward for a 17 yard pickup out to our 45 yard line. Despite fighting forward for a gain of three or four yards, the rush by Price would be wiped out as a penalty flag came out for holding, leaving us staring down the barrel on first and 20. The first down pass was nearly intercepted, leaving us second and very long. Thompson was able to haul in a pass from Stephens for a 13 yard gain along the left sideline, leaving third and 7. Hayden would keep our drive alive, hauling in the 9 yard pass on a slant route to get the first down at the Ohio State 44 yard line. Turning back to the ground, Price fought forward for a gain of 7 yards to the 37. Price would have no chance at the first down on the next play, gobbled up in the backfield by the blitzing cornerback for a loss of two yards to leave us with third and 5. Going into the air, Price was able to slip out of the backfield undetected, hauling in a pass from Stephens for a 17 yard pick up, giving us a first down at the 22 yard line and extending the life of the drive. Smith took the handoff on first down, finding a gap up the middle past the center and following it all the way down to the 8 yard line for a 13 yard gain to leave first and goal. It was nothing going on first down as Price was quickly swallowed up for a loss of one yard, the clock down to 3:18 and ticking. Price was able to fight forward through a small gap on second down, getting four yards up the middle to leave third and goal at the 5. The third down pass to Antoine Banks was very nearly intercepted, knocked down by the safety to leave fourth and goal. We decided to take a gamble, attempting the field goal and relying on our defense. The 22 yard kick by Pratt was good, cutting the score to 14-12 with 2:37 to play, and three timeouts to stop the clock.
No return left Ohio State starting from their 25 yard line, 2:29 showing. Day rushed ahead for a two yard gain, followed by a 5 yard pickup by Mason to leave third and two. Ohio State would get the first down as Mason rushed ahead for a four yard gain to the 37 yard line, our first timeout stopping the clock with 1:43. Day was quickly brought down for a loss of one yard on the next play, our second timeout stopping the clock at 1:39. Day would fight forward for a four yard rush, leaving Ohio State with third and 7 at the 40 yard line, our third and final timeout stopping the clock with 1:33 to go. The Buckeyes would give us some help, Mason trying to throw for the first down, but his pass sailing high out of bounds and incomplete, stopping the clock on fourth and 7 with 1:28 remaining. A 10 yard return by Price on the 50 yard punt gave our offense back the ball at our 19 yard line, 1:21 left in the game.
A first down pass to Banks was nearly as disastrous as turning the ball over, the pass only going for a 5 yard gain, the clock ticking down under a minute before we could get the next snap off. The second down pass intended for Fisher sailed high and out of bounds, stopping play with 54 seconds left and leaving us with third and 5. It would Thompson coming through huge for us, hauling in the pass from Stephens on an out route along the left sideline, breaking loose from the linebacker covering him, sprinting downfield, breaking loose from a tackle attempt by the cornerback, and picking up even more yards, before finally be brought down by the safety at the Ohio State 37 yard line for a 38 yard gain in total. Stephens quickly spiked the ball to stop the clock with 46 seconds remaining. The second down pass to Smith was batted incomplete, leaving us third down. The worst possible thing that could have happened, the offensive line collapsed fast on the following play, Stephens sacked for a two yard loss to leave us with fourth and 12 at the 40 yard line, our hopes resting in a 57 yard goal attempt by Pratt. The offensive line would fuck us, as the tackle was flagged for a false start, pushing up out to the 45 yard line and leaving fourth and 17, a field goal attempt now not even possible. Our only option to go through the air, the fourth down pass intended for Price was broken up by the safety and with that ended any hopes we had. Mason only needed but to take one knee and the game was over, Ohio State holds on for the 14-12 victory.
With the loss, we fall to 1-1. With the win, #21 Ohio State opens up their season at 1-0. Up next, it’s back on the road as our slaughterhouse road trip continues with a visit to Fresno State.
Final Score
#21 
14,
12
Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – Ended up being a fairly decent day for Stephens. Went 18-32 with 211 yards passing, through he did get sacked three times and was responsible for our only turnover of the game. Wallace tasted his first action of college football, going 1-1 with a 1 yard pass for his game. Price had a fair day, ending with 121 yards on 31 carries, though a huge letdown after his previous performance. 6 receivers caught a ball today, Thompson (67 yards on four receptions) and Hayden (65 yards on 7 catches) leading the way.
Tulsa Defense – Defense had a pretty outstanding day considering the team they were up against. Held an offense like that of Ohio State's to only 14 points and only 229 yards of offense. Unfortunately our own offense couldn't get the job done. Also had a huge day in the turnover department, intercepting one pass and forcing two fumbles, all on three consecutive drives in the third quarter.
Tulsa Kicking – Another perfect day for Pratt, going 4-4 in field goals with a long of 52. If only all those times we went for it on fourth down inside the Ohio State red zone, we had settled for even a single field goal attempt, Pratt might have had a chance to solely win the game for us. Just one more field goal would have potentially resulting in a 15-14 win rather than a 14-12 loss. Those decisions to go for it rather than kick the field goal would chew on the minds of the coaching staff for weeks.
Scoring Summary
| Team |
1st Quarter |
2nd Quarter |
3rd Quarter |
4th Quarter |
Final Score |
|
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
12 |
|
0 |
14 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
| Time |
Team |
Result |
Play |
Score |
| First Quarter |
| 4:23 |
|
Field Goal |
A. Pratt, 52 yard field goal |
3-0 |
|
| Second Quarter |
| 6:44 |
|
Field Goal |
A. Pratt, 19 yard field goal |
6-0 |
| 4:48 |
|
Touchdown |
K. White, 9 yard pass from J. Mason (W. Marquardt kick) |
7-6 |
| 0:08 |
|
Touchdown |
K. White, 1 yard pass from J. Mason (W. Marquardt kick) |
14-6 |
|
| Third Quarter |
| 3:59 |
|
Field Goal |
A. Pratt, 25 yard field goal |
14-9 |
|
| Fourth Quarter |
| 2:40 |
|
Field Goal |
A. Pratt, 22 yard field goal |
14-12 |
| Tulsa |
Stat |
Ohio State |
| 12 |
Score |
14 |
| 21 |
First Downs |
17 |
| 335 |
Total Offense |
229 |
| 41 - 123 - 0 |
Rushes - Yards - TD |
20 - 77 - 0 |
| 19 - 33 - 0 |
Comp - Att - TD |
12 - 27 - 2 |
| 212 |
Passing Yards |
152 |
| 3 |
Times Sacked |
2 |
| 7 - 17 (41%) |
3rd Down Conversion |
4 - 10 (40%) |
| 1 - 4 (25%) |
4th Down Conversion |
0 - 0 (0%) |
| 0 - 0 (0%) |
2-Point Conv |
0 - 1 (0%) |
| 6 - 0 - 3 (50%) |
Red Zone - TD - FG |
4 - 2 - 0 (50%) |
| 1 |
Turnovers |
3 |
| 1 |
Fumbles Lost |
2 |
| 0 |
Intercepted |
1 |
| 26 |
Punt Return Yards |
5 |
| 45 |
Kick Return Yards |
20 |
| 406 |
Total Yards |
254 |
| 1 – 46.0 |
Punts - Average |
4 - 48.0 |
| 2 - 15 |
Penalties |
0 - 0 |
| 21:55 |
Time of Possession |
14:05 |
| Fail Impact |
Goal |
Progress |
Pass Impact |
 |
21+ points per game in each season |
17 |
 |
|
Win 10 games in one season |
1 |
|
|
3300+ passing yards each season |
337 |
 |
|
65% pass completions over the entire contract |
54% |
|
 |
Win 6 games in one season |
1 |
|
|
15+ rushing TD in each season |
1 |
|
 |
3200+ total offensive yards each season |
702 |
 |
|
3400+ total offensive yards each season |
702 |
 |
#21
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