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TEMPE, Ariz. (AP)- For three quarters, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a
perfectly good, if not memorable, college football championship game. By
the end of the fourth quarter, with Ohio State and Miami tied at 17, it
was a classic. After two overtimes, and the Buckeyes' 31-24 victory, it
was one of the greatest ever.
"It was just like two great heavyweights slugging it out,'' winning
coach Jim Tressel said Friday night. No one wanted to be No. 2.
In a shocking, thrilling season-ender, Ohio State ripped the national
title from the confident Canes who, at one point, rushed onto the field
thinking they had won. That's the kind of game it was. It changed minute
by minute, down by down.
In the end, Maurice Clarett ran 5 yards for the winning touchdown (video), and
Ohio State's defense turned back one final bid by No. 1 Miami to tie it.
With that, the Buckeyes completed an unlikely, unbeaten run to their
first national title in 34 years. The second-ranked Buckeyes, 11½-point
underdogs, ended the Hurricanes' try for a second straight title and
their winning streak at 34.
But it would have never happened if not for a late pass interference
call at the end of the first overtime. Instead, the fourth-down call
gave Ohio State the chance it needed to tie the game and send it into
the second overtime. By then, it already was an all-timer, the first
national championship game to go into overtime, in a matchup of the
nation's last two undefeated teams, both fighting staying to stay
perfect.
Miami's Todd Sievers sent the game into overtime with his 40-yard field
goal on the final play of the fourth quarter.
The Buckeyes' punishing defense had rattled and pounded Miami
quarterback Ken Dorsey all night. And on the last play of the game, on
fourth-and-goal at the 1, Cie Grant blitzed and forced Dorsey to heave a
desperation pass that linebacker Matt Wilhelm batted to the ground. A
few plays earlier, Wilhelm hit Dorsey with such force it sent the
quarterback to the sideline for one play. He came back in, but the
Buckeyes would not be denied against a team trying to secure its place
in history as one of college football's great dynasties.
While Miami coach Larry Coker lost for the first time in 25 games,
Tressel now has a major college title to add to the four he won in
Division I-AA at Youngstown State. Nine times since Woody Hayes coached
the Buckeyes to the 1968 title, Ohio State lost a late-season game that
cost it a possible championship. But the Buckeyes finally brought the
title back to Columbus with a conservative offense and fierce defense
that Hayes would have loved.
The fantastic finish was nothing new for Ohio State this season. The
Buckeyes won six games by seven points or fewer, including their last
three to make it to the title game; 10-6 over Purdue, 23-16 over
Illinois in overtime and 14-9 over Michigan.
Miami (12-1) nearly had its 35th straight victory in the first overtime
after scoring a touchdown on its first possession. Trailing 24-17, Ohio
State (14-0) converted a fourth-and-14 on a pass by Krenzel. But the
Buckeyes then faced a fourth-and-3 at the 5 when Krenzel threw to the
right corner of the end zone for Chris Gamble, who was being covered
Glenn Sharpe. As Gamble reached back for the ball, he got his hands on
it but couldn't hold on. Seconds later, field judge Terry Porter threw a
flag from the back of the end zone indicating pass interference even as
Miami players and fans spilled onto the field (video).
"He was holding me. He was in my facemask and my shoulder pads,'' Gamble
said. "I was waiting for the flag, but he kind of hesitated. I didn't
see him going for the flag and I thought, `He ain't going to throw it.'
Luckily, he did, and I'm like, "whew.'''
Porter said: "I saw the guy holding the guy prior to the ball being in
the air. He was still holding him, pulling him down while the ball was
in the air.''
Order was restored quickly, and three plays later Krenzel scored from
the 1 to send the game to a second OT.
After losing All-American running back Willis McGahee to an injured left
knee early in the fourth quarter (video),
Miami had the ball first in overtime. The Hurricanes went ahead on
Dorsey's 7-yard TD pass to Kellen Winslow Jr., but the Buckeyes answered
with Krenzel's 1-yard score (video).
In the second OT, the Buckeyes went first from the 25 and Clarett capped
off a five-play drive with his spinning, slithering cutback through the
Miami defense.
Dorsey, a Heisman Trophy finalist, finished off his career with just his
second loss in 40 starts. Even though he was groggy from Wilhelm's hit,
he came back into the game to try and pull the 'Canes even.
The Associated Press poll of sports writers and broadcasters was to be
released early Saturday, with the second-ranked Buckeyes a lock to move
up to No. 1. Ohio State didn't have to wait to pick up the trophy
awarded by the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll, which automatically goes to
the Fiesta winner, this season's designated Bowl Championship Series
title game.
 Ohio State led 14-7 at the half, and extended the margin to 10 points on
Mike Nugent's 44-yard field goal. The 'Canes closed to 17-14 on
McGahee's 9-yard scoring run with 2:11 left in the third quarter. And
that set the stage for Sievers' kick, leaving the Sun Devil Stadium
crowd of 77,502 breathless. When the game ended, players and red-clad
Buckeyes fans converged on the field to celebrate their first national
title since 1968.
The Buckeyes' ferocious defense had Dorsey in trouble from the opening
series with two sacks. Although Ohio State fell behind 7-0, the constant
pressure paid huge dividends in the second quarter as the Buckeyes took
a 14-7 halftime lead, turning two turnovers into touchdowns in a
78-second span.
Ohio State failed to capitalize on Dorsey's first interception, an
overthrown pass right into the arms of cornerback Dustin Fox near
midfield, but a second led to the Buckeyes' first score. All-American
safety Mike Doss picked off a pass that went off the hands of intended
receiver Andre Johnson and raced 35 yards up the right sideline to the
Miami 17. From there, it took seven plays before Krenzel fought his way
into the end zone on fourth down from the 1 with 2:28 left in the half.
Two Miami defenders, Roger McIntosh and Jamaal Green, hit Krenzel at the
2, but he twisted his way in for the score.
The Buckeyes were back in business on the next play. Dorsey dropped back
to pass, but defensive tackle Kenny Peterson came around from the right
side and spun him to the ground as the ball came loose. Darrion Scott
recovered at the Miami 14. Two runs and an offsides call later, Clarett
finally broke free for a 7-yard touchdown run with 1:10 left and just
like that the Buckeyes were ahead, fireworks were shot off and the
Buckeyes fans rocked the stadium.
Dorsey threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Roscoe Parrish in the first
quarter, thanks to a block by McGahee on blitzing safety Donnie Nickey.
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