The Mighty Buckeyes Pounce the Wolverines
10/29/05 - Columbus, OH
This past Saturday Michigan headed south to play the Buckeyes on their home field. Before the game started head coach, Tom Rooney, told the Bucks that this was a must-win game. If they lose this game they are out of the hunt for the national championship. With that said the Buckeyes came out hot and never cooled down.
At the onset of the game the Bucks tested Michigan with several plays to examine their response. The Bucks saw a weakness and “Bubba” Bleakmore was able to score a try in the sixth minute. Ohio State countered a Michigan kick and Bleakmore received a pass on a dead sprint to the try line. By the next minute the elusive Doug Olson took the ball off another counter from a Michigan kick. Olson juked a Michigan defender leaving the Wolverine stunned in his tracks. Three minutes later in the 10th minute the Bucks were able to score another try yet again. This time scrumhalf Cody Albright picked up the ball up from a 5-meter scrum and dove in for a try. The following minutes showed the Bucks committing multiple penalties and errors which continuously gave Michigan possession. However, that changed when the Bucks scored in the 18th minute. The Bucks took a lineout and there was a low pass to fullback Olson. He was able to scoop up the ball and get it out wide to winger Nick Bell who ran along the touch line for his first try. The Bucks kept on the gas and drove down the field. By the 20th minute flyhalf Tonderai Kambarami took a drop goal from the 22 and nailed it between the posts for another three points. At the 23rd minute outside center Alex Moller was able to score his first of two tries in five minutes. The Bucks were able to counter a Michigan kick and play two phases. On the third phase Albright passed the ball off to Kambarami who was able to slide and dice several defenders. Kambarami passed the ball to 8-man Jake Legros who made a nice pass to lock Erik Shulte. Shulte was able to hit Moller in the open play for a try. Moller’s second try came in the 28th minute which stemmed from yet another great counter by the Bucks. This time Olsen was able to put a beautiful kick back at the Wolverines where Moller came flying up and recovered the ball. He was able take the ball in for a score. The Bucks held strong and put tremendous pressure on the Wolverines. The Bucks forced Michigan to kick the ball away but Ohio State was able to counter the ball in attack. Winger Andrew Kender was able to pass the ball to Olson who dished the ball off to Bell just before being tackled. Bell outran the defenders and scored his second try in the 33rd minute. The rest of the half Ohio State made several penalties but kept Michigan from seeing the try line. Ohio State made several personnel changes at the half to experiment with several positions. One such change was moving Olson from fullback to flyhalf. Olson was able to capitalize on this switch by scoring in the 47th minute off a dribble kick. Olson recovered the ball and sped his was for a try. Neither team was able to sustain any drives for a while until the 65th minute. Kender raced his way along the touch line for five more points. The rest of the game showed the Buckeyes making several plays but were unable to score anymore. Much credit goes to the Buckeyes for playing superb defense and not letting Michigan score; even though they were close a couple times. The Bucks committed 14 penalties in the game compared to a stout 2 from Michigan and Andrew Kender converted three of his kicks. The final score was Ohio State 54 and Michigan 0.
Man of the Match: Nick Bell (Alex Moller honorable mention)
Hit of the Match: Freshman Tony Dieppa (Jake Legros and Nick Bell honorable mention)
1. Huston 2. Mastroberti 3. Stuck 4. Schulte 5. Jewett 6. Adler 7. Bleakmore 8. J.Legros 9. Albright 10. Kambarami 11. Bell 12. Nightengale 13. Moller 14. Kender 15. Olson
The C-side played against Michigan’s B-side following the A game. The young Bucks fought hard but were just barely beat out by Michigan. Inside center Chris M’ski was like a bulldozer demolishing several defenders every time he touched the ball. Also, out center Mike Hassey was worth mentioning for his hard runs. Winger “Krazy” Kyle had some nice breakaways during the game as well. The Bucks lost a close one 25-19.
The B-side played a league match against Ohio Northern. At the 5th minute Ohio Northern capitalized on a Buckeye mistake and scored 5 points. Four minutes later lock Gramlich picked the ball off a ruck and scored five more points. At the 15th minute flyhalf Dean Panik converted a penalty kick for three more points for the Bucks. The half came to a close with neither team able to mount any attack. After the half in the 48th minute Dean Panik was able to convert an extremely far penalty kick knocking it smack-dab in the middle. Four minutes later Will Kindel was able to block a kick deep in ONU’s territory. Scrumhalf Little passed the ball off the ensuing ruck out to Panik who ran it in for a try. By the 58th minute 8-man Bill Meyers picked the ball off the scrum and took it in for a try. The Bucks made many nice plays including several breakaways by out center Dieppa and flanker Altieri. Lock Childers hit people with a vengeance and Panik was all over the place. The Bucks were able to score once more in the 71st minute by winger Magee. This came from a breakaway from Panik who passed the ball off to Dieppa. Dieppa ran down the field and was able to pass the ball to Magee before being tackled.
Ohio State has a huge weekend this Friday and Saturday playing in the Midwest Tournament. They will be hosting the final four teams in the Midwest (OSU, Purdue, Indiana, and Minnesota). The Bucks play their first game at 6:00 pm Friday at Beekman Park (Lane and Kenny). Depending on Friday’s game, if the Bucks win, they play at 7:00 pm Saturday, if not the game is at 5:30 pm Saturday. All are encouraged to attend as this is the last game for Ohio State for the fall season. Ohio State has won the championship 3 of the last 4 years and this year will prove quite challenging. Each team in the final four has had a strong season and is setting their eyes on the Midwest prize.
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