OSU bowl destination unclear

By LARRY PHILLIPS

NNCO

 

COLUMBUS — Ohio State’s 42-7 thrashing of Michigan clinched a share of the Big Ten championship Saturday but didn’t clear up the Buckeyes postseason plans.

 

Penn State’s 49-18 dismantling of Michigan State sends the Nittany Lions to the Rose Bowl. They tied the Buckeyes for the league title, but won the tiebreaker by virtue of their head-to-head win in Columbus.

 

That leaves Ohio State’s Bowl Championship Series bid in the hands of other teams, including but not limited to Oregon State, Utah and Boise State. Should the Beavers win out, including a game next week with archrival Oregon, they will win the Pac 10 and likely push USC to an at-large spot in the BCS.

 

That would almost certainly nudge the Buckeyes toward the Capital One Bowl in Orlando with either Utah or Boise State earning the final at-large berth in the 10-team BCS field. Should Ohio State land in the BCS, the Sugar and Fiesta bowls are considered the most likely destination.

 

Amid the postgame locker room glee, junior receiver Brian Hartline said the bowl’s outcome, not the location, is the priority.

 

“No more bowl losses,” said Hartline, who caught two passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns against the Wolverines. “We need to finish this season off right.”

 

WEDDING PARTY: Hartline is engaged to be married May 23. One of his groomsmen will be backup quarterback Todd Boeckman.

 

A year ago, Boeckman led Ohio State to an outright conference crown and an appearance in the national championship game. He established a rhythm with both of his receivers, including Hartline and Brian Robiskie.

 

However, Boeckman got off to a slow start this season and was benched in favor of freshman Terrelle Pryor. Boeckman was a good soldier all season and got back into action Saturday, hitting on all three of his passes for 64 yards. One toss was a 46-yard strike to Robiskie. Another was a fitting, 18-yard touchdown strike to Hartline.

 

“Todd is a great friend and when you see a friend (get benched), you feel for them,” Hartline said. “So it meant a lot to me and I think to him to get that touchdown.”

 

FIRST AGAIN: In his first rivalry game, Pryor didn’t play particularly well, but he was effective. The Pennsylvania native tossed a pick on his first series, but made a touchdown saving tackle that loomed even bigger when Michigan failed to score off the break.

 

Pryor wound up 5-of-13 passing for 120 yards and two scores.

 

“This is why I came here to play in games like this against Michigan,” Pryor said. “You hate them, but you respect them.”

 

BY THE NUMBERS: This is the first time Ohio State has beaten Michigan five consecutive years.

 

The Buckeyes won four straight from 1934 to 1937 before future Heisman winner Tom Harmon put an end to the streak enjoyed by coach Francis Schmidt.

 

From 1960 to 1963, Woody Hayes won four straight before a stifling Michigan defense controlled the Buckeyes in a 10-0 shutout for the Big Ten title in 1964. Jim Tressel now is 7-1 against the Wolverines.

 

PANTS GALORE: Boeckman is one of 28 seniors (including fifth-year seniors) on the Ohio State roster. He now has five pairs of gold pants trinkets, which are awarded for every victory against Michigan.

 

“My mom has a couple, and I think my sister has a couple,” Boeckman said. “It never gets old getting them.”

 

GROUND DOWN: Ohio State outgained Michigan 416 to 198, including a 232 to 111 margin on the ground.

 

“I thought we tackled pretty well for the most part,” Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said. “I didn’t think (big running plays) were something that surprised us, one was a power and one was a sweep, we just didn’t execute.”

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