Defense Scores 4 Times in Rout of Bulldogs

43

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Last game: Michigan 24, Ohio State 17

Next game: Sept. 9th - at Arizona

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Both David Mitchell and Michael Doss tallied defensive scores, as the Bucks set a school record with 4 defensive TD's.

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Last year was a year to forget for Ohio State football. The team finished 6-6, missed a bowl game for the first time in some 12 years, and dropped out of the polls. The offense was uncapable of producing any points all season (and in some cases, even had trouble gaining yardage). The defense played well, but no where close to it's level the season before.

Enter the 2000 season...Coach Cooper rebuilt the coaching staff and everybody stressed erasing the bad memories of the 6-6 year. They started that turn around against Fresno State.

Before a record crowd in the newly renovated Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes started off the 2000 season on a high note. They defeated the Bulldogs 43-10, due mostly to four defensive touchdowns. The offense played well, but the story of the day was the defense, which held the Bulldogs in check and provided most of the big plays.

It might just be the first game of the season, but the offense still has a lot of questions to answer. Despite the win, the first string offense was only able to score one touchdown. Even that was due to a mistake in Fresno State's coverage which left Chad Cacchio wide open in the endzone. The Buckeyes once again seemed unable to produce anything on offense. They failed to score on five start plays from the Fresno 1 yard line (that lead to a defensive TD...but that's beside the point).

Bellisari completed 8 of 14 passes for 95 yards and 1 touchdown; a 23 yard pass to Cacchio. He also gained 66 yards on 10 carries. The question with Bellisari isn't his athletic ability, but rather his arm. He showed he can run the ball as he constantly eluded tacklers and picked up big chunks of yardage. But when it came to throwing the ball, he threw a couple of passes that skipped on the ground before they got to the receiver. If Rambo and Germany hadn't made some good, leaping catches, chances are Bellisari's stats wouldn't have been that good.

Now it is only the first game, but these problems will linger in the back of everyone's mind. The offense can't rely on the defense to score 4 touchdowns every game. They need to get their act together and start putting points on the board.

The defense really made a statement against Fresno State. They forced 6 Bulldog turnovers, scoring on 4 of those. The defensive barrage began when Rodney Bailey blocked a Fresno State field goal attempt. When the Buckeyes failed to score on four start plays from the 3 yard line, Micheal Doss recovered a fumble in the endzone for the first score. 21 seconds later, David Mitchell scooped up a fumble and raced 34 yards for another score. Mitchell again scored in the third quarter when he intercepted a David Carr pass and returned it 51 yards for a score. The final defensive score came when Matt Wilhelm, making his first start, picked off a pass and scored from 25 yards out.

Fans showered the field with boos after OSU was flagged twice for excessive celebration in the endzone following the Doss and first Mitchell touchdown. The penalties resulted in one missed extra point. Franly that rule is stupid. Players are excited when they score a TD...and for a defensive player a TD is an even rarer occasion. Let the players celebrate...