Baylor at Arkansas

The 21^st ranked, 6-2 Baylor Bears of coach Grant Teaff traveled to Fayetteville to meet the 24^th ranked, 5-2 Arkansas Razorbacks of coach Jack Crowe.  In weather more befitting the Iditarod, Baylor won a defensive struggle 9-5.  The temperature never got above freezing, the wind was blowing 10 to 20 mph, & the final 11 minutes were played in a steady snowfall.  Baylor’s QB J.J. Joe scored the only touchdown of the game in the 1^st quarter on a 1-yard run.  Arkansas only offensive points came in the 3^rd quarter on a 35-yard field goal by PK Todd Wright.  When Baylor’s LB Curtis Hafford tackled Arkansas’ RB Tony Jeffery in the end zone for a safety, it looked like the 9-3 lead would be enough but the Razorbacks rallied.  With 3 minutes to play, Arkansas’ CB Kirk Collins returned a punt to the Baylor 23-yard line.  On 3^rd down, Razorbacks’ QB Wade Hill overthrew his receiver & Baylor’s CB Michael McFarland intercepted at the Bears’ 3-yard line.  Joe ran out of the end zone giving Arkansas a safety for their final points.  Joe finished with 149 yards passing but 2 interceptions.  Hill finished with 25 yards passing completing 3 of 12 pass attempts with 2 interceptions while back-up QB Jason Allen threw for 43 yards with an interception.  The teams combined for 7 turnovers & the Bears were only able to convert 1 of 12 third down attempts.  Baylor finished the season 8-4 while the Razorbacks finished 6-6 in Crowe’s final season.  Arkansas would play for The Belt again in 2005.

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Texas at Texas Tech

The top-ranked, 8-0 Texas Longhorns with coach Mack Brown traveled to Lubbock to meet the 6^th ranked, 8-0 Texas Tech Red Raiders of coach Mike Leach.  The Longhorns rallied, after trailing the entire game, behind QB Colt McCoy to take a lead late in the final quarter.  Texas Tech’s QB Graham Harrell brought then Red Raiders back with a 28-yard touchdown pass to All-Big XII WR Michael Crabtree with just 0:01 remaining as Texas Tech claimed their second Belt reign with a 39-33 upset of Texas.  The Red Raiders dominated from the outset.  After their opening drive ending with a punt that pinned the Longhorns at their own 2-yard line, Texas Tech’s DT Colby Whitlock tackled Texas’ RB Chris Ogbonnaya in the end zone for a safety.  The Red Raiders then turned the Longhorns’ free-kick into a 29-yard field goal by PK Matt Williams for a 5-0 Texas Tech lead.  Harrell’s short passing attack led to the Red Raiders their first touchdown of the game; a 3-yard touchdown run by RB Baron Batch as time expired in the opening quarter.  Texas Tech’s defense kept McCoy off balance throughout the 1^st half.  The Texas’ quarterback entered the game completing over 80% of his pass attempts but he was able to complete only 7 of his 16 pass attempts in the opening half.  Harrell led the Red Raiders’ opening drive of the 2^nd quarter that covered 83 yards in 8 plays connecting with WR Eric Morris on an 18-yard touchdown pass giving Texas Tech a 19-0 lead with 9:39 left in the half.  Texas’ CB Aaron Williams recovered a fumble by Crabtree that set-up the Longhorns first score; a 43-yard field goal by PK Hunter Lawrence.  The teams ended the 1st half trading field goals with Williams connecting from 31 yards for the Red Raiders & Lawerence kicking a 25-yard field goal as time expired in the half giving Texas Tech a 22-6 lead.  The 2^nd half appeared as if it would be a repeat of the opening half when McCoy was unable to move the Longhorns on their opening drive.  The punt was downed at the Red Raiders’ 1-yard line & after 3 short runs Texas Tech set for a punt of their own.  Earlier in the season, Texas’ WR Jordan Shipley ignited the Longhorns against Oklahoma with a kick-off return for a score when Texas trailed by 10 points, this time it was a punt return that got the Longhorns in the game.  Jordan returned the punt 45 yards for a touchdown & in spite of being dominated on the offensive & defensive sides, Texas trailed just 22-13 with 10:26 left in the 3^rd quarter.  The Longhorns stopped another Red Raiders’ drive & had the ball at their own 19-yard line.  After a 2 penalties pushed the ball back to the 7-yard line, McCoy made a critical mistake as Texas Tech’s S Dan Charbonnet intercepted the Texas quarterback & returned it 19 yards for a touchdown giving the Red Raiders a 29-13 edge.  As the 3^rd quarter ended, McCoy threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to WR Malcolm Williams leaving the Longhorns trailing by 10 points at 29-19.  Opening the 4th quarter, Texas Tech drove into field goal position but Williams’ 42-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Texas’ All-Big XII LB Sergio Kindle.  A penalty for the Longhorns put the ball at the Texas 9-yard line when McCoy dropped to pass.  His pump fake caught Red Raiders’ CB Brent Nickerson as Williams raced past.  Williams made the catch at his 47-yard line & ran untouched for a 91-yard touchdown reception leaving the Longhorns trailing just 29-26 with 11:00 to play.  Texas Tech’s PK Donnie Carona kicked a 42-yard field goal to push the lead to 32-26 with 5:45 left leaving McCoy plenty of time to lead a comeback.  The 80-yard drive took 11 plays & 4:16 off the clock with RB Vondrell McGee scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a 4-yard run but with 1:29 to play from their own 38-yard line, Harrell still had a chance to get the Red Raiders The Belt.  Four completions had the ball at the Texas 28-yard line with Texas Tech needing just a field goal for the win but Harrell tried for the touchdown as he fired a pass to Crabtree.  The receiver found a way to make the catch between 2 defenders at the 5-yard line, & amazingly stayed in bounds as he spun towards the end zone.  The home crowd erupted as Crabtree crossed the goal-line giving the Red Raiders the upset of the Longhorns.  Harrell finished with 474 yards passing with 2 touchdowns, WR Edward Britton had 7 catches for 139 yards while Crabtree added 10 catches for 127 yards to his touchdown.  McCoy threw for 294 yards with 2 touchdowns as well as a critical interception while Williams had 4 catches for 182 yards with 2 touchdowns.  Texas Tech finished the season 11-2, ranked 12^th nationally while the Longhorns finished 12-1, ranked 4^th nationally.  Texas would play for The Belt again in 2009.

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Southern Cal at Notre Dame

Coach John McKay’s 6^th ranked, 5-0-1 Southern Cal Trojans came to South Bend with a 23-game unbeaten streak for the annual battle with Notre Dame.  Coach Ara Parseghian had the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 5-0 & ranked 8^th in the nation but they had not defeated Southern Cal since 1966.  Notre Dame’s top-ranked defense had only allowed 2 touchdowns through the first 5 games & they held Southern Cal’s All-Pac 8 RB Anthony Davis to 50 yards rushing while the Notre Dame offense capitalized on 316 yards rushing including an 85-yard touchdown run by RB Eric Penick to gain a 23-14 victory claiming their first Belt reign.  Fighting Irish’ PK Bob Thomas hit a 32-yard field goal for a 3-0 Notre Dame lead after CB Tim Rudnick partially blocked a Southern Cal punt.  The Trojans got a 1-yard touchdown run from Davis for their only lead of the game at 7-3.  In the 2^nd quarter, Thomas hit a 32-yard field goal & QB Tom Clements scored on a 4^th down, 1-yard touchdown run with 0:30 left in the quarter for a 13-7 halftime lead.  Penick’s run came on Notre Dame’s first offensive play of the 3^rd quarter as the Fighting Irish pushed the lead to 20-7.  Southern Cal’s QB Pat Haden found All-American WR Lynn Swann for a 27-yard touchdown pass.  Swann’s catch came despite excellent defense by the Notre Dame defender & when he touched his toes in the end zone before going out-of-bounds, the Trojans had moved to within 6 points at 20-14.  Thomas hit his third field goal, this one from 32 yards, for a 23-14 Fighting Irish advantage.  Neither team was able to score in the 4^th quarter & the final Southern Cal effort ended when Notre Dame’s CB Luther Bradley intercepted Haden for the second time in the game at the Notre Dame 29-yard line with 2:36 to play.  The Fighting Irish held the ball for 39:36 of the game while Southern Cal managed to convert only 1 of 8 third downs.  Clements threw for 89 yards while rushing for 50 yards with a touchdown & Penick rushed for 118 yards with his touchdown while the Fighting Irish held the ball for 39:36 of the game.  Haden threw for 175 yards with a touchdown but 2 interceptions in the loss.  Southern Cal finished the season 9-2-1; Pac-8 Champions & ranked 8^th nationally while Notre Dame finished the season 11-0 & claimed the National Championship.  Southern Cal would play again for The Belt in 1977.

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Auburn at Louisiana State

The 18^th ranked, 5-2 Auburn Tigers of coach Tommy Tuberville traveled to Baton Rouge to meet the 5^th ranked, 6-1 Louisiana State Tigers with coach Les Miles.  Louisiana State’s QB Matt Flynn threw 3 touchdown passes including a 22-yard strike to WR Demetrius Byrd with 0:01 as Louisiana State overcame a 17-7 halftime deficit to claim The Belt with a 30-24 win.  Louisiana State came into the game having rallied to defeat previous Belt champion Florida before falling at Kentucky.  This game would go a long way to determining how their season would play out.  As Auburn took the opening drive, it appeared the last two games may have taken too much out of the Louisiana State defense.  Auburn drove 63 yards in 11 plays with QB Brandon Cox throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to WR Montez Billings that gave Auburn a 7-0 lead 4:50 into the game.  After the teams exchanged punts, Louisiana State tied the game as Flynn threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to WR Keiland Williams.  Midway through the 2^nd quarter, Louisiana State’s back-up QB Ryan Perrilloux entered the game to run the offense.  Miles has used this tactic many times during the season as Perrilloux is a bruising runner.  This time it backfired as Auburn’s S Zac Etheridge forced a fumble from Perrilloux that Auburn’s CB Jerraud Powers picked-up & carried to the Louisiana State 3-yard line.  Three plays later, Auburn’s RB Carl Stewart scored from a yard out & Auburn had a 14-7 lead.  Auburn’s PK Wes Byrum finished the 1^st half scoring with a 22-yard field goal.  Louisiana State was able to take the first drive of the 2^nd half 56 yards but had to settle for a 29-yard field goal by All-SEC PK Colt David that closed the gap to 7 points at 17-10.  Flynn’s 58-yard pass to Byrd set-up a 26-yard field goal by David that  pulled Louisiana State within 17-13 as the teams entered the final quarter.  Louisiana State capped an 8-play, 85-yard drive when Flynn connected with RB Jacob Hester on a 5-yard touchdown pass that gave Louisiana State their first lead of the game at 20-17.  Again the Louisiana State defense forced a punt from Auburn before the Louisiana State offense took 55 yards to set-up another field goal from David.  This one came from 33 yards & put Louisiana State ahead 23-17 with 8:12 to play.  Auburn’s offense finally put together another drive as they drove 83 yards in 9 plays with Cox finding WR Rodgeriqus Smith on a 3-yard touchdown pass.  Leading by a point, Auburn choose to squib kick rather than risk a big return.  The strategy gave Louisiana State the ball at their own 42-yard line with 3:13 to play.  Using mostly the ground game, Louisiana State drove to the Auburn 22-yard line as the clock continued to run.  As the clock passed 11 seconds, Flynn set-up for what most expected to be a spike to stop the clock & set-up for a winning field goal.  When the clock showed 0:09, Flynn snapped the ball & dropped to pass.  As the clock passed 0:07, he lofted the ball down the left sideline towards Byrd.  As the clock passed 0:02 the ball passed just over the shoulder of the Auburn’s Powers & at 0:01, Byrd made a diving catch for the spectacular win.  Flynn finished with 319 yards passing with 3 touchdowns as well as an interception.  Cox threw for 199 yards with 2 touchdowns in the loss.  The Tigers finished the season 9-4 ranked 15^th nationally while Louisiana State finished the season 12-2 as National Champions.  Auburn would play for The Belt again in 2010.

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Oregon State at Washington

First-year coach Dave Kragthorpe brought his undermanned, 2-4 Oregon State Beavers to meet the 4-2 Washington Huskies & coach Don James.  The Beavers had been shutout in their last 2 games against Southern Cal & Washington State by a combined score of 97-0 as well as losing to Division II Grambling 27-6.  The 38-point underdog Beavers started a freshman at quarterback, Rich Gonzales, after QB Eric Wilhelm had been injured while All-Pac 10 WR Reggie Bynum also missed the game due to injury.  The Oregon State defense intercepted Huskies’ QB Hugh Millen 3 times before the Beavers blocked a Washington punt & recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown with less than two minutes to play to claim The Belt with a stunning 21-20 upset over Washington.  The Huskies took the lead in the 1^st quarter when PK Jeff Jaeger hit a 28-yard field goal but the Beavers responded with a 43-yard touchdown pass from Gonzales to RB Darvin Malone giving Oregon State a 7-3 lead through the 1^st quarter.  Washington took the lead again when RB Vince Weathersby scored on a 2-yard touchdown run but the Beavers again responded with a 20-yard touchdown run by Gonzales giving Oregon State a 14-10 halftime lead.  The Huskies got the lead back in the 3^rd quarter when RB Tony Covington scored on a 14-yard touchdown run & early in the 4^th quarter, Jaeger hit a 43-yard field goal giving Washington a 20-14 lead.  It looked like Oregon State had missed their chance to win the game after they drove from their 19-yard line to the Washington 11-yard line but Gonzales’ 4^th down pass was knocked down by Washington’s CB Demouy Williams with 3:22 left in the game.  The Huskies moved to their own 30-yard line but had to punt when fate stepped in for the Beavers.  Oregon State’s DE Andre Todd broke through the Washington line untouched to block the punt from Huskies’ P Thane Cleland.  The ball bounced all the way to the end zone & the Beavers’ CB Lavance Northington recovered the ball for the touchdown with 1:46 to play.  The extra-point kick by PK Jim Nielsen gave the Beavers the lead at 21-20.  Washington’s final effort ended when Millen was held for no gain on a 4^th & 1 play at midfield with 1:15 to play.  ESPN ranked this game as the 19th biggest upset in college football history.  Gonzales finished with 298 yards passing with a touchdown as well as a rushing score.  Millen threw for 191 yards but was intercepted 3 times in the loss.  The Huskies finished the season 7-5 while the Beavers finished 3-8.  Washington would play for The Belt again in 1990.

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Purdue at Wisconsin

The 14^th ranked, 6-1 Wisconsin Badgers of coach Barry Alvarez, fresh off their upset of Ohio State, welcomed the 13^th ranked, 5-1 Purdue Boilermakers of coach Joe Tiller.  Purdue’s QB Kyle Orton starred as Purdue escaped Camp Randall with a 26-23 victory when PK Ben Jones hit a field goal with just 0:03 left in the game to claim The Belt for the Boilermakers.  The Boilermakers opened a 14-0, 1^st quarter lead when RB Jerod Void scored from 2 yards & Orton hit WR Taylor Stubblefield on a 6-yard touchdown pass.  The Badgers got a 28-yard touchdown run from RB Anthony Davis & LB Jeff Mack returned an Orton fumble 55 yards for a touchdown but PK Mike Allen missed the extra-point attempt leaving Wisconsin behind 14-13.  Jones added a 42-yard field goal as the teams went to halftime with Purdue leading 17-13.  Jones added a 20-yard field goal for the only points of the 3^rd quarter.  After Allen hit a field goal from 25 yards & Jones connected from 26 yards, the Boilermakers defense seemed to have the game in hand with a 23-16 advantage.  The Badgers got the spark they needed when All-Big Ten S Jim Leonhard returned a punt 63 yards for the tying score with 2:55 to play.  Orton then drove the Boilermakers inside the Wisconsin 5-yard line & Jones hit an 18-yard field goal with just 0:03 to play giving Purdue their first Belt title since 1974.  Orton finished with 411 yards passing, Stubblefield had 16 catches for 130 yards, & WR John Standeford had 14 catches for 184 yards in the win.  Wisconsin’s QB Jim Sorgi threw for 118 yards with an interception while All-Big Ten WR Lee Evans had 3 catches for 76 yards in the loss.  The Badgers finished the season 7-6 while the Boilermakers finished 9-4 & ranked 18^th nationally.  Wisconsin has not played for The Belt again.

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Iowa at Michigan

As the 1981 season opened, it appeared this game would be a Belt match-up but with preseason No. 1 Michigan as defending champion.  An opening day loss to Wisconsin changed that.  Now 5^th ranked at 4-1, the Michigan Wolverines of coach Bo Schembechler hosted the 12^th ranked, 4-1 Iowa Hawkeyes of coach Hayden Fry who were defending The Belt.  The Hawkeyes used 3 field goals from freshman PK Tom Nichol to claim a 9-7 win over the powerful Wolverines & retain The Belt.  Nichol connected on field goals of 20 & 36 yards in the 1^st quarter as the Hawkeyes took a 6-0 lead.  Midway through the 2^nd quarter, the Wolverines faced a 3^rd & 15 situation from the Iowa 17-yard line when QB Steve Smith found All-American WR Anthony Carter open in the corner of the end zone on a touchdown pass giving Michigan a 7-6 lead they held through halftime.  Iowa tried to establish momentum on their first drive of the 3^rd quarter as they attempted to converted a 4^th & 2 play from the Michigan 45-yard line but Iowa’s RB Phil Blatcher was hit by Michigan’s LB Ben Needham & a fumble followed.  Neither team recovered the ball before it rolled out of bounds at the Iowa 40-yard line but Michigan took over possession on downs.  Two plays later, Smith hit Carter for a 29-yard gain to the Iowa 10-yard line.  Three plays after that, Smith tried to connect with TE Dave Betts but Betts was hit trying to make the catch & the ball deflected into the hands of Iowa’s LB Mel Cole for the interception.  The Hawkeyes took the turnover & drove to field goal position before Nichol converted the 30-yard attempt giving Iowa a 9-7 lead.  Michigan got into Iowa territory once more in the game but that drive was stopped when Hawkeyes’ All-American DE Andre Tippett & All-Big Ten DT Mark Bortz tackled Carter short of the marker on a 4^th down reverse.  Iowa’s QB Gordy Bohannon threw for 127 yards while the Wolverines’ Smith threw for 108 yards with a touchdown but also an interception.  Michigan’s RB Butch Woolfolk, who entered the game as the nation’s 4^th leading rusher, was held to just 56 yards rushing as the Hawkeyes defeated the Wolverines for the first time since 1962.  Iowa finished the season 8-4; Big Ten Co-Champs & ranked 18^th nationally while the Wolverines finished 9-3 & ranked 12^th nationally.  Michigan would play for The Belt again in 2 weeks.

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Southern Cal at Arizona State

Arizona State’s first year as a member of the new Pac-10 was a memorable one.  Coach Frank Kush had his 4-1 Arizona State Sun Devils fired up to meet the 3^rd ranked, 4-0 Southern Cal Trojans of coach John Robinson.  Arizona State’s All-American DE Al Harris anchored the defense & QB Mark Malone guided the offense as the 13-point underdog Sun Devils surprised the Trojans & claimed their first Belt reign with a 20-7 victory.  Malone starred in the game as he rushed for a touchdown & threw for another.  Southern Cal’s QB Paul McDonald did not have as good a day as he fumbled 4 times & threw 2 interceptions.  Southern Cal had to play without starting C Chris Foote who was injury during practice & back-up C Brad Green was injured in the 1^st quarter.  The Trojans played the rest of the game with C Dave Anderson, who never got in-sync with McDonald, & Ray Peters who had been playing primarily nose guard.  Late in the 1^st quarter, Arizona State’s DE Bob Kohrs recovered one of McDonald’s fumbles which led to a 40-yard field goal by PK Steve Hicks just 11 seconds into the 2^nd quarter giving the Sun Devils the 3-0 lead they held through intermission.  In the 3^rd quarter, Kohrs recovered another McDonald fumble at the Southern Cal 34-yard line & five plays later, Malone used a 1-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown to give Arizona State a 10-0 lead.  Later in the quarter, Arizona State’s All-Pac 10 CB Kim Anderson intercepted McDonald giving the Sun Devils the ball at the Southern Cal 46-yard line.  It took the Sun Devils just 4 plays to get into the end zone again as Malone threw a 16-yard touchdown pass the WR John Mistler for a 17-0 lead.  The 3^rd quarter might have been a bigger rout after Malone broke off a 63-yard run early in the quarter but RB Newt Williams fumbled to end that threat.  Another McDonald fumble, this one recovered by Arizona State’s LB Jeff McIntyre, set-up a 28-yard field goal by Hicks which pushed the lead to 20-0.  Southern Cal finally got on the board on a 31-yard touchdown pass from McDonald to All-Pac 10 WR Kevin Williams with just 0:23 left in the game.  Malone threw for 167 yards with a touchdown as well as an interception & rushed for 139 yards with a touchdown.  McDonald finished with 180 yards passing with a touchdown but 2 interceptions to go with his 4 fumbles in the loss.  Southern Cal finished the season 12-1; Pac-10 Champions & ranked 2^nd nationally while the Sun Devils finished 9-3.  Southern Cal would play for The Belt again in 3 weeks.

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Florida State at Miami

The 9^th ranked, 5-1 Florida State Seminoles of coach Bobby Bowden provided the Homecoming opposition for the top-ranked, 5-0 Miami Hurricanes & coach Larry Coker.  Miami had taken The Belt from Florida State 2 years earlier in the game known as “Wide Right III” & had easily won the rematch last season but now the Seminoles hoped to end the 24-game Belt reign of the Hurricanes.  Florida State again suffered a missed field goal attempt that could have won the game as Miami held on for a 28-27 victory.  After a Florida State punt, Miami took their opening drive 89 yards with All-American RB Willis McGahee scoring from 4 yards giving the Hurricanes a 7-0 lead.  Neither team was able to score the rest of the 1^st quarter.  After recovering a fumble by Miami’s All-Big East QB Ken Dorsey at their 16-yard line, Florida State drove 84 yards in 4 plays with RB Nick Maddox scoring on a 30-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.  Seminoles’ PK Xavier Beitia’s 45-yard field goal gave Florida State a 10-7 lead & a 10-yard touchdown pass from QB Chris Rix to WR Talman Gardner put the Seminoles up 17-7.  Miami took their next possession 80 yards in 12 plays in 2:08 with Dorsey connecting with All-Big East TE Kellen Winslow, Jr. on a 5-yard touchdown pass as the teams went to intermission with Florida State leading 17-14.  The Seminoles got the only 3^rd quarter points on a 42-yard field goal by Beitia.  With 11:44 to play, Florida State’s RB Greg Jones scored on an 11-yard run & the Seminoles had a 27-14 advantage.  Miami’s belt reign was in jeopardy but the Hurricanes would not go away without a fight.  After exchanging punts, Dorsey lead a 70-yard drive hitting WR Kevin Beard for a 2-yard touchdown with 8:10 to play making the score Florida State 27, Miami 21.  Miami’s defense forced a Seminoles’ punt on their next possession & the Hurricanes went 79 yards in 2 plays – a 68-yard screen pass from Dorsey to McGahee & 11-yard touchdown run from RB Jason Geathers giving Miami a 28-27 lead.  Each team punted again & Florida State took possession at their own 46-yard line with 2:05 to play.  Seven plays later, the Seminoles set-up for the winning field goal at the Miami 25-yard line as time was expiring.  Beitia’s 43-yard field goal attempt was wide left & Miami had held on for a 28-27 victory.  Dorsey finished with 362 yards passing with 2 touchdowns & 2 interceptions.  For Florida State, Rix threw for just 83 yards with a touchdown while Jones finished with 189 yards rushing with a touchdown in the losing effort.  Miami finished the season 12-1; Big East Champions, ranked 2^nd nationally while the Seminoles finished 9-5, ACC Champions, & ranked 21^st nationally.  Florida State would play for The Belt again in 2009.

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Ohio State at Wisconsin

The 3^rd ranked, 5-0 Ohio State Buckeyes with coach Jim Tressel made their first road trip as Belt Champion to Camp Randall Stadium to meet the 23^rd ranked, 5-1 Wisconsin Badgers of coach Barry Alvarez.  The Buckeyes had shown little offense throughout the season except for a 44-point explosion in a triple overtime games against North Carolina State & it would surely cost them a game at some point.  Wisconsin would be the team to take advantage of that when a single mistake by All-Big Ten CB Chris Gamble cost the Buckeyes their Belt Championship in a 17-10 Wisconsin win.  In a driving rain storm, Wisconsin held the Buckeyes to 69 yards rushing & 3 of 12 on third down conversions while keeping the Buckeyes out of the end zone until the 4^th quarter.  The Badgers took a 7-0 lead on the first play of the 2^nd quarter when RB Booker Stanley scored on a 2-yard run.  Late in the half, Ohio State’s PK Mike Nugent connected on a 24-yard field goal attempt making the score Wisconsin 7 Ohio State 3.  Late in the 3rd quarter, the Badgers pushed their lead to 7 points as PK Mike Allen kicked a 38-yard field goal.  With 6:09 to play in the game, Buckeyes’ QB Craig Krenzel hit WR Michael Jenkins on a 6-yard touchdown that tied to score at 10-10 & it looked the Ohio State might pull out this game they way they had so many in the past 2 seasons but a single mistake would put Wisconsin in the driver’s seat.  Late in the 3^rd quarter, Badgers’ QB Jim Sorgi was knocked out of the game when Buckeyes’ LB Robert Reynolds shoved his fingers into his throat causing Sorgi breathing problems.  The play was not flagged but it cost Wisconsin their starting quarterback.  Back-up QB Matt Schabert had been unable to move the Badgers against the Ohio State defense & after the Buckeyes tied the score at 10-10 it seemed just another three & out by the Ohio State defense would give the Belt holders what they needed for a win.  With 5:30 left & Wisconsin facing a 2 & 9 from their own 21-yard line, Schabert dropped to pass as All-Big Ten WR Lee Evans ran an out pattern.  As Gamble tried to jump the out route, Evans turned up field & Schabert hit him in stride for his only catch of the day; a 79-yard touchdown giving the Badgers a 17-10 lead.  Wisconsin forced the Buckeyes to punt on their last possession & then ran out the clock to claim their second Belt Championship & first since 1981.  Krenzel finished with 202 yards passing with a touchdown, an interception, & was sacked 3 times.  Sorgi threw for 54 yards with an interception before leaving with the injury, Schabert completed 2 of his 3 pass attempts for 104 yards with a touchdown, & Stanley had 125 yards with a touchdown for the Badgers.  The Buckeyes finished the season 11-2; ranked 4^th nationally while the Badgers finished 7-6.  Ohio State would play for The Belt again in 6 weeks.

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