OSU vs Iowa 1995

By Robert Stevenson

Hawkeyes get Blackeyes from Buckeyes

Ohio State football records fell faster than autumn leaves in a gale. The 56 points were the most ever scored by OSU in a half at the Horseshoe. Cooper’s Buckeyes appeared headed toward the most lopsided defeat since 1916, when Chic Harley led the team to a 128--zip romp over Oberlin. The second half was another story, but let’s first pause and reflect upon the good stuff.

Eddie George collected four touchdowns rushing and marked his second 1,000-yard season. Bobby Hoying scored three TD’s, one rushing and two passing, which tied and then broke Jim Karsatos’ 1986 record of 19 TD passes in a season. The entire offensive squad was named ‘Offensive Player of the Game,’ but receiver Terry ‘Gluefingers’ Glenn merits special attention. Playing with a flu virus and angry stomach, TG caught three passes for 149 yards and two TD’s. On the game’s first play from scrimmage, he beat the left cornerback on a 54-yard catch. It would have been six points if he hadn’t stumbled at the three yardline. Next series Terry beat the right cornerback on a 34-yard
TD grab. EG scored next, but on the fourth possession of the first quarter Glenn went up the middle and beat the safety on a 56-yard scoring pass. Both scoring catches were little 12 to 15 yards passes in which he outraced defenders to the endzone. Each TD pass just adds to his ongoing single-season record total.

When Gluefingers wasn’t pulling down passes he was making All-Pro blocks. Glenn blocked two different defenders on George’s second TD run, but is best remembered for the crushing block on Iowa free safety Damian Robinson during Hoying’s 15-yard TD run. Glenn looked more like Jack ‘They call me Assassin’ Tatum than a 180-pound flanker. The block resulted in a long injury time-out for the 205-pound Robinson.
Things were going ducky until Iowa hit paydirt as time expired in the second quarter. Everyone who saw the play agrees it was a bad call by the official. QB Matt Sherman was tackled at the two yardline, his knee touched the ground, and then he stretched forward with the ball in one hand. When the ball struck the ground at about the 18-inch line, it bounced out of his hand forward into the endzone where it was illegally recovered by Iowa running back Sedrick Shaw. Blown call ruins the shutout.

The bogus Iowa touchdown bode ill tidings for the second half. It seemed as if the players from the two teams swapped jerseys at half-time. The third and fourth quarters saw the Bucks held to zero points and some forty-odd yards, while Iowa racked-up another 21 points and produced more total yardage on the day. Coach Cooper cautiously held-out the starting offense, but truth is the first string defense was on the field when Iowa scored its next two touchdowns. Iowa played much better in the second half.
First time all season the Bucks lost to the point spread.

At the Columbus Quarterback Club Monday Cooper answered many quarterback
questions. Neither Tommy Hoying nor Stanley Jackson looked sharp, and Cooper said they just were not mentally prepared. Both did poor jobs of checking-off at the line, meaning they would run the play to the wrong side of the field, or passed when they should have run. On the bright side, Cooper noted the weak performances by both back-up
qb’s should make recruiting new quarterbacks easier. In particular, an unnamed junior college qb is thinking about transferring here. Don’t forget OSU’s number 7, Joe Germaine, a junior college qb who transferred here last year and is now red-shirted. Germaine dresses for games and helps warm-up the starters.

Cooper outlined the quarterback recruiting philosophy as follows. They always try to recruit the best Ohio qb, and they also try to recruit the best qb in the country. They’re working on a junior college qb to recruit as well, so as many as three new qb’s may sign next year. New qb coach Walt Harris, late of the New York Jets, has impressed everyone, and Cooper wouldn’t be surprised if Harris got a head coaching job someday. Coop said Harris prefers college to the NFL, adding that Harris bought a house in Upper Arlington and has been doing extensive remodeling. But it’s always a good idea for a football coach to get the house ready to sell as soon as possible.

Officiating problems continued in the 2nd half, with Iowa ’picking’ (illegal blocking) on pass crossing routes without being called, even though Cooper brought it to the ref’s attention many times. CB Shawn Springs had his ankle re-injured on such a pick play in the second half, with no flag thrown. Cooper said he graded the officiating very low in his weekly coach’s report to the NCAA.

The kicking game had some bright spots. Central McClellion was special team's player of the game for his three tackles. Andy Stamp, the walk-on kicker from Cincinnati’s Lokota high school, kicked it to the fifteen-yardline on average. HOWEVER, he was kicking with the wind most of the time, and put only one kick into the endzone all day. Other grim kicking stats follow. Punt receiver Dimitrius Stanley allowed several punts to hit the ground (one Iowa punt went 70-yards in the air). Buckeye freshman punter Brent Bartholomew averaged an anemic 33.3-yards on six kicks. After each punt Bret would hustle over to the sideline and try to get lost among the players. Cooper would then “go look him up” and ask about the short kicks. The explanation Brent gave was, “the ball is slick.” Cooper noted “The ball wasn’t slick for the Iowa punter.” Coop is well-aware of the punting problems and even made former punting star Tom Skladany the Honorary Captain of the week. Tom was a four-year letterman, (1973-76) All-America punter at Ohio State and then Pro-Bowl punter with the Detroit Lions. Tom seemed to have Brent all straightened-out Saturday morning before the game. Then, in the game, when it counted... ouch!

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