I had been looking forward to that game and it ended up just like a nightmare.” “We played the worst since I’ve been here. “I’m not over it by far,” center Kurt Murphy said. The Buckeyes had four turnovers, and just 220 yards of offense, and the defense surrendered five plays of 23 yards or longer.

Ohio State spent the last two weeks of practice correcting mistakes from the Miami game. Farmer is recovering from an ankle injury. UCLA could still be without receiver Danny Farmer, who caught 58 passes for 1,274 yards and nine TDs a year ago from Cade McNown. “If I go and stink it up, I’ll be out of there faster than usual,” said Moherman, a California native. Moherman and Bennett will start, but don’t be surprised if either gets a quick hook. Steve Bellisari comes on in relief of Moherman for Ohio State, with Drew Bennett splitting time with redshirt freshman Cory Paus for UCLA. Then again, we might have made Miami look better than they were.”īoth teams have a quarterback controversy. “I wouldn’t comment on that because I really don’t know,” he said. “In spite of the fact they’ve got some players suspended, they’ve still got a good team,” Cooper said.Īsked if UCLA was better than Miami, Cooper hedged. Without their four top linebackers and with 16 first-time starters, the Bruins nonetheless routed Boise State 38-7 last Saturday night. “Ohio State didn’t want to lose to Miami and they don’t want to lose to us, so you’ll have two teams out there fighting pretty hard.” “They’ve got a streak going,” Toledo said. Ohio State hasn’t lost its first two games since 1986 and hasn’tcdropped a home opener in 21 years. “So it’s definitely a must-win situation.” “No way we can start 0-2,” quarterback Austin Moherman said. The Buckeyes played “like they didn’t want to be there,” according to coach John Cooper. Meanwhile, 13th-ranked Ohio State is still smarting from a lethargic 23-12 loss to Miami in the Kickoff Classic.

“I want our players to feel good about themselves and I want them to play hard.” We’re going there to play our hearts out and to win,” he said. Seven starters and four backups were suspended for the Bruins’ first two games.Ĭoach Bob Toledo said his patchwork team isn’t in nothing-to-lose mode because of all the subs on the field. 14 UCLA hopes to distance itself from the humiliation of having 16 current and former players accused of illegally obtaining and displaying handicapped-parking permits. Now both teams are just trying to save face and escape with a win. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Not long ago, UCLA’s visit to Ohio State on Saturday night figured to be one of the season’s best matchups.

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