In a season where the No. 2 Ohio State football team has won by coming from behind, holding on late and blowing teams out, an overtime game was the only thing missing from the year.
That was until today.
For the first time in school history, the Buckeyes were forced into overtime and managed to keep their undefeated season alive with a 23-16 win over Illinois. The win also marked the first time an OSU football team has gone 12-0.
“We were definitely toeing the line and it is not something I am too excited about,” said tight end Ben Hartsock. “It definitely makes for an ESPN Classic, but it also makes for less years on your life.”
The Buckeyes held a 16-13 lead late in the fourth quarter, but Illinois quickly marched down the field. With only 1:07 left in the game and no timeouts, the Illini were able to move against the Buckeyes’ defense.
At first, it seemed as if OSU was going to be able to hold on late as Illinois moved only five yards on its first three plays in the final drive.
But on fourth down, Beutjer found wide receiver Greg Lewis on a seven-yard pass, giving the Illini a first down.
From then on, Beutjer was able to find the holes in the Buckeyes’ secondary. With just over 10 seconds left, Beutjer found wide receiver Aaron Moorehead on a 22-yard pass, bringing Illinois to the OSU 31-yard line.
With seven seconds left on the clock, Illinois kicker John Gockman attempted a 48-yard field goal with a strong wind at his back. After missing a potential game-tying try from 59 yards out earlier in the fourth quarter, Gockman made up for his miss as his kick went through the uprights as time ran out.
In overtime, the Buckeyes got the ball first. On his first two plays, OSU quarterback Craig Krenzel threw incompletions. Then on third down, Krenzel used his legs to pick up a first down with an 11-yard run.
“We were ready to play,” said wide receiver Michael Jenkins. “It was just like the beginning of the game. I had a smile on my face because I knew we were going to score.”
After a Krenzel three-yard run, tailback Maurice Hall, who split time with Lydell Ross in replacing the injured Maurice Clarett, was able to find the end zone from eight yards out. Mike Nugent added the extra point and OSU went up 23-17. Ross and Hall combined to rush for 120 yards on 32 carries.
“We feel that we need a number of tailbacks to win a game,” Tressel said. “Lydell and Maurice in the last two or three weeks have been called upon. They loved it and they worked hard at it.”
But the game was not over – in college football both teams each get a possession from the 25-yard line.
Illinois knew it had to go for the end zone and had a number of opportunities. After driving to the OSU nine-yard line, Beutjer again looked for Moorehead on second down on the right side of the end zone. Moorehead was able to make a leaping catch, but his momentum took him out of bounds before he could get a foot in.
On third down, Beutjer again went to the end zone, this time looking for his favorite receiver Walter Young. Young, who led all receivers with 10 catches for 144 yards, had a step on his defender, but bobbled the ball on his way out of the end zone.
Then on fourth down and a dream of a Fiesta Bowl berth hanging in the balance, the OSU defense came up huge. Beutjer dropped back to pass and the pocket quickly closed around him. He tried to step up to avoid OSU linebacker Cie Grant, but defensive tackle Tim Anderson was able to throw his right hand up and knock down Beutjer’s pass, cementing the OSU victory. Beutjer finished 27 of 45 for 305 yards.
“It was not like that play won the game,” Anderson said. “We won the game with every play throughout the game. It just so happens that I was able to get my arms up and knock it down.”
At the start of the game, it looked as if the OSU defense was going to have an easy time with the Big Ten Conference’s leading offense. On its first drive, Illinois managed only two yards before punter Steve Weatherford came out on the field. Punting into that strong wind, Weatherford could only muster a 21-yard kick.
However, the Buckeyes couldn’t take advantage of the good field position and punter Andy Groom pinned Illinois deep at its own eight-yard line.
Once again, the OSU defense held Illinois to a three-and-out and Weatherford got off a 25-yard punt.
The Buckeyes offense seemed to find its groove, thanks in large part to Ross. On five straight plays, Ross carried the ball, bringing OSU to the Illinois seven-yard line. On second down, Krenzel rolled out to his right. With no receivers open in the end zone, Krenzel decided to keep it himself. As he was heading out of bounds, Krenzel extended the ball past the goal line for an apparent touchdown. However, the official ruled Krenzel out at the one-yard line.
Then the mistakes began to pile up for the Buckeyes. A third-and-goal and the one-yard line quickly turned to third-and-goal from the 16-yard line after three straight false start penalties on the OSU offensive line.
Despite the added length, Mike Nugent connected on a 33-yard field goal, giving OSU a 3-0 lead.
The Illini again went three-and-out and Weatherford didn’t fare any better with a 17-yard punt.
This time, the OSU offense used the passing game to drive down the field. Krenzel opened up the drive with a 14-yard pass to receiver Chris Gamble, followed by a three-yard strike to Hartsock.
Hall then got his first carry of the game and went 16 yards, bringing the Buckeyes to the Illinois 25-yard line.
But the OSU drive stalled from there and Nugent hit a 47-yard field goal, extending the lead to 6-0.
Illinois finally picked up their first first down of the game with just under two minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Antoineo Harris ran four consecutive times for a combined 17 yards, ending the first quarter.
But like the OSU offense earlier, Illinois began to make mistakes. A holding penalty, followed by a personal foul set up the Illini for a second-and-33. Illinois kept going backwards when OSU defensive linemen Kenny Peterson and Will Smith combined to sack Beutjer on a nine-yard loss. This time, Weatherford was able to get a better punt away, and Gamble returned it to the Illinois 47-yard line.
The OSU offense again went to the running game, this time with Hall. On two carries, Hall brought the Buckeyes to the Illinois 39-yard line. Krenzel then found Jenkins on an 11-yard slant, followed by a three-yard run by Hall.
But Nugent couldn’t add to the scoreboard for the first time all season when he missed a 37-yard attempt wide left. The miss snapped the sophomore’s school record of 24 consecutive field goals.
However, the Illinois offense continued to struggle on another three-and-out.
For just the second time all game, the Buckeyes offense began in their own territory. Ross came back into the game, but after a six-yard run, emerged from the pile favoring his shoulder.
That brought Hall back on the field and on his first carry was stopped for a three-yard loss.
On third down, Jenkins, who had 147 yards on six catches, made a diving catch at the 49-yard line, giving OSU a first down.
“Michael is a great player,” Krenzel said. “There is no doubt about it. I love throwing the ball to Michael and I love throwing the ball down field like that.”
But the Buckeyes couldn’t move after that. Unlike his counterparts, Groom didn’t seem fazed by the wind in his face as he pinned the Illini at their own four-yard line.
Illinois finally began to show some signs of life with time running out in the first half. On a third-and-seven, Beutjer found a wide open Lewis on a 26-yard pass.
Then on another third down, Beutjer ran nine yards for a first down.
But Beutjer seemed to have made his fir
st mistake when OSU safety Mike Doss picked off Beutjer’s attempt. However, the Illini caught a break when cornerback Dustin Fox was flagged for pass interference.
The Illini’s drive finally stalled just outside the 20-yard line, and Gockman cut the Illini deficit when he nailed a 41-yard attempt to close out the half.
The Buckeyes got the ball to start the final half, but Krenzel threw two straight incompletions and was sacked on third down.
With the wind, Groom got a low punt away. Illinois returner Eugene Wilson took the ball at his own 35-yard line and ran immediately to his left. The Illini had the wall set up perfectly and Wilson raced down to the sidelines before being tackled at the OSU 23-yard line.
That was all the Illini needed to take the lead; on third down Beutjer found Young on a 19-yard fade pattern in the back of the end zone, giving Illinois a 10-6 lead. The score was the first second-half touchdown scored on the Buckeyes in five games.
But the Buckeye offense would answer back quickly. Two runs by Hall brought OSU to the 50-yard line. After an incompletion, Krenzel, with the wind, decided to go deep to his favorite target Jenkins.
Despite being held by the Illini defender, Jenkins was able to make an over-the-shoulder catch and walk into the end zone. Nugent added the extra point to give OSU a 13-10 lead.
“The thing was I couldn’t see the ball,” Jenkins said. “The lights were right there and it was dead center in the lights. I was jogging down the field talking to the guy – actually to myself – that I couldn’t see the ball and then it fell right in my hands. I was able to walk right in with it.”
The Illini offense again started to drive on the OSU defense. Beutjer used a variety of short passes, mostly to Young, to bring Illinois to the OSU 20-yard line.
But the OSU defense came up with its first big play when defensive end Will Smith knocked the ball out of Harris’ arms. Anderson pounced on the ball at the OSU 18-yard line.
After picking up a first down, Krenzel again tried to use the wind to go deep. This time, Gamble had more than two steps on his defender, but the pass was just out of Gamble’s reach.
Three plays later, Groom punted the ball 65 yards into the Illinois end zone.
Beutjer again looked to Young often on their next drive. After Harris’ 10-yard run, Beutjer connected with the former quarterback on two passes, bringing Illinois to the OSU 24-yard line.
But like so many times this season, the OSU defense held and kept the Illini out of the end zone. Illinois did manage to tie the game on Gockman’s 47-yard field goal into the wind.
Much like Beutjer looked for Young, Krenzel began to find Jenkins on almost every pass. On two consecutive passes, the Krenzel-to-Jenkins connection covered 36 yards, bringing the Buckeyes to the Illinois 24-yard line.
But the Illini defense held strong and OSU settled for Nugent’s 37-yard field goal, giving the Buckeyes a 16-13 lead.
The OSU defense was finally able to keep Illinois from crossing the 50-yard line, helped by a personal foul penalty on Illinois.
However, Weatherford’s punt drove Gamble back inside the 20-yard line. OSU was also called for an illegal block and the drive started at the OSU nine-yard line.
But that didn’t seem to bother Krenzel. After Hall gave the offense a little breathing room with a three-yard run, Krenzel again looked to Jenkins deep. Once again, Jenkins made the right adjustment in the air and was able to jump over the Illini defender for a 41-yard reception. A mix of both Krenzel and Hall on the ground brought OSU to the 35-yard line.
Krenzel’s biggest run came on a third-and-nine situation. With Krenzel dropping back to pass, two Illini defenders got their hands on Krenzel. But somehow, Krenzel escaped and broke contain on the left side and scampered 10 yards for the first down.
Once again, the OSU offense stalled and Nugent came out for a 41-yard field goal attempt. But with the wind in his face, Nugent’s kick went wide left and Illinois got the ball back down just 16-13.
Beutjer led the Illini down the field quickly. He completed three of his first four passes in the drive, bringing Illinois into OSU territory.
However, the OSU defense stepped up when needed. First was a sack of Beutjer, who also fumbled on the play but recovered his own fumble. On the very next play, Beutjer tried to go down the middle, but linebacker Matt Wilhelm got one hand on the ball and knocked it to the ground.
That brought out Gockman for a 59-yard field goal attempt with the wind. But even a strong gust couldn’t help Gockman as he came up just short on his attempt.
The OSU offense was unable to pick up a first down as Illinois used its three timeouts, giving themselves 1:04 for its final drive.
At first, it seemed like the Buckeyes were going to be able to hold the Illini again. On its first three plays from scrimmage, Illinois was only able to move five yards.
But on fourth down, Beutjer found Lewis on a seven-yard pass, giving the Illini a first down.
From then on, Beutjer was able to find the holes in the Buckeyes’ defense. With just over 10 seconds left, Beutjer found Moorehead on a 22-yard pass, bringing Illinois to the OSU 31-yard line and setting up Gockman’s tying kick.
“It was a great effort by a great bunch of kids,” said OSU football coach Jim Tressel. “Illinois came to play. We knew they would playing at home, playing for their bowl lives and playing great the last few weeks.”
