Germaine Stars In Rose Bowl -1996-
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Joe Germaine's long journey from No. 3 quarterback to bloodied second-half Rose Bowl
starter ended in victory Wednesday when No. 4 Ohio State beat No. 2 Arizona State 20-17.
Germaine wasn't born in 1974 when the Buckeyes' last celebrated in Pasadena. They would lose four straight Rose
Bowls over the next 22 years before the youthful-looking Germaine directed the winning drive with 19 seconds
remaining.
But Germaine's success was far from assured. The sophomore began fall workouts as the third-rated quarterback.
He moved up to No. 2 after Mark Garcia was hurt in August.
Germaine was a reserve in the Buckeyes' first 10 games, and didn't earn his first career start until Nov. 23 against
Michigan. It was memorable for one thing - a loss.
Starter Stanley Jackson played well in the first half, when the teams were tied 7-7. But he gave way to Germaine
for the final 30 minutes, when Ohio State came from behind to win.
Gathered in the huddle before the winning drive began, the Buckeyes had confidence in the quarterback known
for his soft throwing touch.
"Joe was really calm,'' offensive lineman Orlando Pace said. "You can just look by his eyes. You can see the
determination. He knew we were going to win this game.''
The plain-spoken Germaine didn't attempt to fire up his teammates.
"We knew what we had to do,'' he said. "Fortunately enough, we went down the field and were able to score.''
