The thermometer in Tucson read 95 degrees at the start of the game, but in the end it was the Arizona Wildcats who melted down. Ohio State overcame a first half that made the Elephant Man look pretty and a 17-10 halftime deficit to record a 27-17 victory, and move the Buckeyes’ record to 2-0.On a night when blue and red Arizona flags and scarlet and gray Ohio State flags flew over tailgates, it was the yellow flags of the officials that ruled the evening. OSU lost a touchdown pass when the officials ruled that two Bucks had been in motion prior to the snap, and Arizona lost a punt return touchdown because of a clipping penalty. In all, the Bucks were flagged for 13 penalties, totaling 95 yards, while Arizona lost 66 yards on nine penalties. Seven OSU penalties were false starts, presumably a result of the noise in the hostile stadium. The game’s crucial play came with about seven minutes gone in the third quarter and the Bucks trailing 17-10. Steve Bellisari dropped back to pass and threw a strike to Chad Cacchio, who beat his man cleanly and took it into the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown, knotting the score at 17. After that, the Wildcats, who managed only 194 yards of total offense on the night, were able to do little against the blitzing Ohio State defense. The Bucks sacked Wildcats quarterback Ortege Jenkins eight times and limited Arizona to only 56 yards on 39 rushing attempts. A Jonathan Wells one-yard touchdown plunge late in the third quarter and a 20-yard field goal from Dan Stultz in the fourth quarter capped the scoring at 27-17.The game started ugly, with the teams trading turnovers and easy touchdowns. Nate Clements fumbled a punt, and Arizona recovered, setting up an Ortege Jenkins touchdown run to make it 7-0 Wildcats with 6:41 left in the opening period.Ohio State battled back, recovering a fumbled punt of their own later in the first to set up an excellent scoring chance. The Bucks appeared to tie the game on a quick out pattern to Ken-Yon Rambo, but the touchdown was called back because of an illegal shift, and the Bucks settled for a 26-yard Dan Stultz field goal to make it 7-3 Arizona. The Buckeyes took the lead early in the second as Arizona bit on a play-fake, leaving tight end Tim Cheatwood wide open in the back corner of the end zone for a one-yard touchdown.After an Arizona punt left the Bucks in bad field position, Steve Bellisari pitched the ball past Derek Combs and into the end zone. Combs fell on the ball to keep Arizona from scoring an easy touchdown, but the safety cut the score to 10-9.Arizona seemed to have taken the lead on the ensuing free kick. Bobby Wade hauled the rock up the left sideline for an apparent 75-yard touchdown, but the run was called back because of a clip. Wade, undeterred by the penalty, broke three tackles and turned a short crossing route into a 60-yard touchdown grab a few plays later, giving Arizona the 17-10 lead they took into the half.