BTN.com staff, September 24, 2011
(AP) In his first college start, Braxton Miller tossed two touchdown passes to Devin Smith as Ohio State rebounded for a 37-17 victory over error-prone Colorado on Saturday, extending the Buffaloes' school-record road losing skid to 19 in a row. Jordan Hall rushed for 84 yards and a TD and also had a 90-yard kickoff return to set up another score for the Buckeyes (3-1), who lost 24-6 last week at Miami to drop out of the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in almost seven years. Miller still hit on only 5 of 13 passes for 83 yards, just one more completion than Ohio State had in the punchless loss. But he threw scoring strikes covering 32 and 17 yards to Smith and also ran for 83 yards on 17 carries. Read the full AP recap, check out the box score and see our Big Ten scoreboard.
Check out our quarter-by-quarter recap, powered by Narrative Science:
FINAL: Braxton Miller found Devin Smith frequently, as both helped Ohio State notch a 37-17 victory over Colorado on Saturday at Ohio Stadium. The teammates combined for three completions for 64 yards. A lone bright spot for Colorado (1-3) was Tyler Hansen, who made enough good throws to finish with 237 passing yards. He was 22 for 39 on pass attempts and tossed two touchdowns. Miller threw for 83 yards while going 5-13 for Ohio State (3-1). He threw two touchdowns and no interceptions. Miller also ran for 83 yards on 17 attempts. The Buckeyes' offense finished the game having gained 336 yards, including 110 passing yards on seven completions. Ohio State's ground game balanced its offense, bringing 226 yards on 47 attempts. The Buffaloes racked up 314 total yards. Colorado's passing game had to do most of the work with the rushing attack contributing just 77 yards rushing on 16 attempts.
FOURTH QUARTER: Ohio State's Rod Smith led the offense in the fourth quarter. He ran for 18 yards and the Buckeyes kept the game out of reach for a 37-17 victory over Colorado. Ohio State opened up the lead, 37-10, after Drew Basil kicked a 47-yard field goal to end a nine-play, 50-yard drive. The Buckeyes plodded along, gaining no more than eight yards on every play. The Buffaloes made the score 37-17 after Tyler Hansen threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tyler McCulloch to finish off a 91-yard drive. The Buffaloes' Hansen reached the 200-yard passing mark for the game thanks to 92 in the quarter, and ended his day with 237 yards in all.
THIRD QUARTER: Ohio State is set to cruise control as the Buckeyes lead by a score of 34-10 at the end of the third quarter. Colorado made the score 27-10 after Will Oliver drilled a 47-yard field goal to finish off a 60-yard drive. Ohio State opened up the lead, 34-10, after Carlos Hyde pounded in a five-yard touchdown run to end a one-play, five-yard drive. Jordan Hall's big kickoff return set the Buckeyes up at the Colorado five-yard line to start the drive. Ohio State will start the fourth quarter with possession on the Buffaloes' 30-yard line.
SECOND QUARTER: Ohio State racked up 65 rushing yards in the second, and the Buckeyes now lead 20-7. Ohio State added to its advantage when Braxton Miller tossed a 32-yard touchdown to Devin Smith, capping off a six-play, 46-yard drive to give the Buckeyes the lead, 17-0. Jordan Hall's punt return set Ohio State up at the Colorado 46-yard line to start the drive. An 83-yard drive that ended when Tyler Hansen and Toney Clemons combined for an 11-yard touchdown helped Colorado narrow the deficit to 17-7. The Buffaloes relied on a run play just two times on that drive. The Buckeyes opened up the lead, 20-7, after Drew Basil made an 18-yard field goal to end a two-play drive. Despite driving to Colorado's one-yard line, Ohio State had to settle for a field goal. The Buffaloes are set to receive to start the second half.
FIRST QUARTER: Ohio State stifled Colorado's offense, giving up just 18 total yards in the first quarter and the Buckeyes lead 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. Ohio State held the Buffaloes to 16 yards through the air during the quarter. The Buckeyes took the game's first lead after Jordan Hall ran one yard to paydirt on the last play of a seven-play, 43-yard drive to give Ohio State the advantage, 7-0. The Buckeyes began the drive with good field position at the Colorado 43-yard line after Ohio State recovered a fumble. The ground game accounted for every yard on that drive. The Buckeyes added to their advantage when Drew Basil drilled a 28-yard field goal, capping off a five-play, 11-yard drive to give Ohio State the lead, 10-0. A fumble recovery by the Buckeyes set Ohio State up at Colorado's 22-yard line to start the drive. The Buckeyes have possession on their 43-yard line to start the second quarter.
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