Same Place, Same Team, But Different Finish For Bucke

Ohio State got revenge against Penn State.

Stung by a 49-point loss to their Big Ten rival last year, the fifth-ranked Buckeyes rallied to beat the No. 12 Lions 28-25 Saturday on Eddie George’s 6-yard TD run with 1:42 left.

“It doesn’t get much better than that in Happy Valley,” Ohio State coach John Cooper, whose team was humiliated 63-14 at Penn State last year.

Penn State took a 25-21 lead on Jon Witman’s 1-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter and stayed in front until Ohio State’s 58-yard, six-play scoring drive in the closing minutes. The key plays in the drive were a 13-yard, third-down catch by Buster Tillman and a 32-yard catch in heavy traffic by Rickey Dudley.

“After that catch, there was no doubt we were going to score,” Dudley said. “We came in here and beat Penn State in a tough environment.”

Penn State had a final chance, but Wally Richardson’s long fourth-down pass for Bobby Engram was broken up with less than a minute left and Ohio State (1-0 Big Ten, 5-0) then ran out the clock.

“It’s tough when you have control of the game and let it slip out of your hands,” said Richardson, who was 12 of 27 for 173 yards.

It was the second straight home loss for Penn State (0-2, 3-2).