Columbus, OH - For nearly 3 and a half quarters last night in Columbus it looked like college football was bracing for an epic upset as the Michigan State Spartans 2-3(2-1) held a 14-7 lead over second ranked Ohio State 6-0(3-0). The final 2:49 of the game however saw just what kind of fireworks the Buckeyes possess this season. Following a 24 yard field goal by Rob Patterson to narrow the gap to 14-10, Ohio State turned it on. Heisman hopeful running back Greg Matthews had a 60 yard TD run followed 40 seconds later by a 16 yard run followed 10 seconds later by a scoop and score by Rob Sanders, and just like that, in the span of less than 2 minutes, the Buckeyes went from down 14-10 to up 31-14. 'We had them, no questions, they were on the ropes, but their talent eventually shined through. It was a disheartening yet magical 2 minutes there.' said Michigan State's head coach.
The Buckeyes were an embarrassment for the first 3 quarters, some for the entire game like starting quarterback Jared Gray who completed only 2 passes the entire night. Both were long gains however as he did have 102 yards passing, the big one being a 78 yard score to Tim Brown at the end of the first half. Greg Matthews was bottled up for all but one minute of the game. He finished with 122 yards and 2 scores on 11 carries, 76 of those yards coming on his two scores. 'It was ugly. We should be sitting at 6-1, no question about it. Greg saved us, if he's not the best player in the country I don't know who is...he's the most talented player I've coached in my lifetime.' said Jones.
The Buckeyes, who improved to 7-0(4-0) with the win travel to Happy Valley next weekend to face a formidable challenge in the seventh ranked Nittany Lions 6-1(4-1). On the recruiting front for Ohio State, the Buckeyes currently have the #1 rated class according to Scout.com with 8 five star commits, 4 four stars and 2 3 stars. Headlining the class to date is quarterback Dave Jackson, a 6'1" pocket passer from Texas, widely considered to be the best quarterback in the incoming class. Ohio State has 4 top 10 rated recruits according to the ESPN150 and 9 players overall on the list. 'We're looking really good for next season, I'm proud of what we've done so far, The Ohio State University is back on the national radar in these kids homes.' commented Jones.
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