Ohio State Defeats Arkansas 31-26 In An Instant Classic

There are some nights you feel more alive than others. Tonight was one of those nights. Ohio State jumped out to a roaring 28-10 lead over Arkansas in the first half, only to watch the Razorbacks claw their way back into the game in the second. After a blocked punt with less than two minutes to play, Arkansas held the ball at Ohio State's 18 yard line. Defensive coordinator Jim Heacock dialed up a blitz on 2nd and 10, and Ryan Mallett tossed an interception right into the chest of backpedaling defensive end Solomon Thomas. It was the exact blitz that Ohio State used on both Cam Heyward's interception against Miami earlier this season and the devastating touchdown by Quan Cosby against Texas in the Fiesta Bowl two seasons ago.

Lady luck not only smiled on Ohio State's last defensive play of the game, but also on their first offensive possession. On a second and 10 at midfield, Terrelle Pryor scrambled for 34 yards but fumbled near the Arkansas goal line. Two Razorback defenders immediately jumped on the ball, squirting it into the endzone. Dane Sanzenbacher, the most blessed man on the planet at that moment, jumped over both Arkansas defenders and landed on top of the ball for a touchdown.

On the ensuing kickoff, Jim Tressel called for an onside kick attempt that failed, setting up Arkansas with excellent field position. Ryan Mallett quickly took advantage of the situation, capping off a five play drive with a 17 yard pass to Joe Adams on a fade route in the corner of the endzone.

The immediate response to Mallett's touchdown pass came two plays after Pryor hooked up with Dane Sanzenbacher for a 31 yard gain. Dan "Boom" Herron ran untouched into the endzone from 14 yards out, putting the Bucks up 14-7. A penalty on the following kick return placed the Razorbacks on their own ten yard line, and the drive stalled out around midfield after Dexter Larrimore put their offense in a tough position by sacking Mallett on a second down play.The teams would trade punts over the next two possessions, with the Bucks getting the ball back on their own 30 yard line and twelve minutes on the clock in the second quarter.

Ohio State ran a play they hadn't shown all year-- a zone-read play fake pass to tight end Reid Fragel, who was streaking vertically on a seam route. The play was straight co-opted out of the Michigan playbook under Rich Rodriguez. In fact, Michigan even ran it against Ohio State this season. On a day where Rich Rodriguez was spared his job (if only temporarily), Ohio State used a play from his playbook to help win the Sugar Bowl. Truly, everything comes back to The Game. Fragel ran 42 yards downfield until an Arkansas defender finally stopped him, and Terrelle Pryor lasered a beautiful fifteen yard pass into Dane Sanzenbacher's hands for a touchdown five plays later.

Ohio State pressed the score to 28-7 on their final possession before halftime with a 43 yard pass from Pryor to DeVier Posey. Pryor threw the ball away from the eyes of the defender, and Posey adjusted in mid-air, displaying exceptional body control, and came down with the catch. Arkansas salvaged three points with a drive deep into Ohio State before halftime, leaving the score at 28-10 at the start of the third quarter.

Ohio State received the ball to start the second half, and after one first down, they were stopped and forced to punt.  Arkansas put together its second longest drive of the night, battling their way into field goal position, where freshman kicker Zach Hocker nailed a 46 yarder to move Arkansas three points closer. Ohio State responded with a field goal of their own, leaving the score at 31-13 with six minutes and change left to play in the third quarter.

Arkansas's passing offense went to work at this point, resulting in a 22 yard touchdown pass to Jairus Wright on another perfectly placed fade route. The Razorbacks went for the two point conversion, and got it on a pass to tight end D.J. Williams, who barely reached the ball over the goal line marker after being stood up by safety Jermale Hines.

With the score at 31-21, Ohio State needed to step up in the fourth quarter to stem the momentum wave the Razorbacks were riding. But things looked bleak after a punt led to poor field position within the Buckeyes' own five yard line. Dan Herron was ridden into the endzone, and Arkansas was rewarded with a safety on what was a questionable ruling. The Razorbacks continued their momentum after the free kick following the safety. Ryan Mallett threw a 24 yard bullet to Jairus Wright to put the Hogs in field goal position again, and after being stoned by the Buckeye defense, Zach Hocker nailed another long field goal, cutting the deficit to 31-26 with a shade under nine minutes to play.

One of the many climactic moments in the game took place on Ohio State's next drive. The Bucks picked up a first down on the legs of Pryor but came up one yard short on a 14 yard scramble on the next series of plays. Fourth and one at their own 37 yard line, Ohio State lined up in the I-formation and jammed it right down Arkansas' throat for the first down. But wait. What's that on the ground? The ball, you say. Oh, no.

Arkansas defensive back Tramain Thomas knocked the football out of Boom Herron's hands as he leaped for the first down, giving the Razorbacks possession on Ohio State's 37 yard line with less than three minutes to play.

Things looked bleak in Buckeyeland, but the Silver Bullets would not quit. They forced a three-and-out after a holding penalty sent Arkansas back ten yards, giving the Bucks possession within their own five yard line again, and less than two minutes on the clock.

The offense picked up a first down on a 17 yard Boom Herron run, and then another on a quarterback sneak on third down. Arkansas held the Bucks in check on the next three plays, and Ohio State turned to Ben Buchanan to punt away the ball with a tick over one minute left in the game. Working out of a spread punt formation to get more coverage men downfield, Buchanan's punt was blocked after Arkansas brought pressure directly up the middle.

All hope looked lost at this point, but Coach Heacock and the defense went to work. On 2nd and ten, they made the perfect call for the perfect situation, and Ohio State was saved by a man named Solomon.

Terrelle Pryor won the Sugar Bowl MVP award, and deservedly so. Pryor threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns on a 56% (14/25) completion percentage, and added 115 yards on the ground. In total, he accounted for 75% of Ohio State's yards, continuing the trend of the offense running almost entirely through him in big games. He has taken plenty of deserved heat for his role in the improper benefits situation, but he should never receive heat for his on-field play as a Buckeye. The offense runs entirely through his abilities, and we simply do not beat the Razorbacks tonight if he does not play. And we probably aren't in the Sugar Bowl if he is not a Buckeye today. He left everything he had on the field, and even suffered a major injury to his foot on a key quarterback sneak. But he toughed it out and led the Buckeyes to victory. He deserves our love and admiration for that, regardless of his screw up off the field.

Much more can and will be said about the great individual efforts over the next few days, but for now, I'll leave you with Solomon Thomas's first postgame interview after becoming a hero to Buckeye fans everywhere.

Thomas plays hero from Kevin Noon on Vimeo.