Longhorns stun Buckeyes

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
COLUMBUS -- The biggest game in college football this season -- so far -- lived up to the hype. Unfortunately for Ohio State, so did Texas quarterback Vince Young.
Young, a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate, found sophomore wideout Limas Sweed for a 24-yard touchdown with 2:37 left and Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith was tackled for a safety in the closing seconds as the No. 2 Longhorns defeated the No. 4 Buckeyes 25-22 Saturday night at Ohio Stadium.
And the worst part was, the Buckeyes probably should have won.
Buckeye tight end Ryan Hamby dropped a sure touchdown pass late in the third quarter and kicker Josh Huston was wide right on a 50-yard field goal midway through the fourth, giving the Longhorns new life when Ohio State could have put the game away.
5 field goals not enough
Huston made five field goals, but it was his miss with five minutes remaining that loomed the largest. Texas got the ball back at the 33 and drove for the game-winning score.
Ohio State got the ball back, but quarterback Justin Zwick fumbled and Texas recovered, allowing the Longhorns to all but run out the clock.
Although Texas was in unfamiliar surroundings, it was Ohio State that looked jittery early, going three-and-out on its opening series as wideouts Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez dropped passes by Zwick.
Pregame buildup centered around who would start for the Buckeyes and Zwick, who started the last two games due to Troy Smith's suspension, played the first two series. The two alternated the rest of the way and the plan seemed to backfire as neither quarterback found a rhythm.
Texas took a 3-0 lead on its first drive as Young drove the Longhorns 64 yards in 11 plays to set up a 42-yard field goal by senior David Pino. Young had 52 yards rushing on the drive. The Longhorns struck again on their next drive, going 84 yards on 10 plays, capped by a 5-yard TD pass from Young to Billy Pittman.
Turnaround
Ohio State cut it to 10-3 on a 45-yard field goal by Huston, but failed to take advantage of good field position. Smith, playing his first series since last year's Michigan game, drove the Buckeyes just eight yards in five plays to set up the field goal.
Then the fireworks started.
On Ohio State's next possession, Smith floated a pass to Santonio Holmes in the corner of the end zone -- beating perfect coverage by Cedric Griffin -- to tie the game at 10.
On the next drive, Young committed one of the game's biggest boneheaded plays. While trying to wriggle out of a sure sack, Young threw the ball straight to linebacker A.J. Hawk, who returned it 24 yards to the Longhorns' 18. Four plays later, Huston hit a 36-yard field goal to make it 13-10.
On the next drive, Longhorns tailback Selvin Young fumbled and Hawk recovered the ball in mid-air at the Texas 30. (Young aggravated an ankle injury and did not return for the second half.) Hawk's recovery set up Huston's third field goal, a 25-yarder, with 35 seconds left in the half. Pino hit a 37-yard field goal just before halftime to make it 16-13.
More 3-pointers
Huston hit his fourth field goal, a 44-yarder, with 11:46 left in the third after Nate Salley intercepted Young at the Texas 47. Texas answered with a 37-yard field goal by Peon. Ohio State then answered with a 26-yard field goal by Huston. Ohio State nearly had a touchdown, but Hamby dropped a pass in the end zone on third down.
A record crowd of 105, 565 -- along with ESPN's GameDay crew -- attended the nationally-televised game, which many touted as the biggest regular season game of the decade. Before the game, Ohio State's band performed "Script Ohio" and afterward the crowd joined in to sing "Carmen Ohio" a cappella.
Texas has now won 22 of its last 23 road games. Ohio State had won 22 of 23 at home entering the game. The Buckeyes also had won their last 36 non-conference games at Ohio State and Tressel was 5-1 against top-10 opponents.
Before the game, some individual game tickets on ebay had an asking price of as much as $1,700, although most tickets were going for about $250-$300.
Many OSU fans bought "I hate Texas!" and "Beat Texas and the steer they rode in on!" T-shirts. And in the parking lot before the game, Texas fans were getting their pictures taken with (why not?) an Ohio State fan wearing a gorilla costume.