Ohio State holds on down the stretch, outlasts Arkansas, 31-26, for Sugar Bowl victory
Published: Wednesday, January 05, 2011, 12:31 AM Updated: Wednesday, January 05, 2011, 12:41 AM
By Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer 
View full sizeConstantly outrunning and outplaying the Arkansas defenders, Terrelle Pryor threw for 221 yards and ran for 115 as the Buckeyes built a 28-10 halftime lead and then had to hang on in a wobbly fourth quarter for the 31-26 victory over the Razorbacks Tuesday night at the Superdome.NEW ORLEANS -- The Ohio State Buckeyes seized the Sugar Bowl so quickly and so emphatically Tuesday night, for four hours there wasn't time to think or talk about anything but football.
Not sanctions nor tattoos, not SEC domination nor Big Ten stumbles. There was just time for Ohio State fans to get nervous, and for the Buckeyes suspended for the start of next season to save Ohio State on this night.
Nearly blowing a 21-point lead, the Buckeyes scrambled to hang on to a 31-26 win over Arkansas that wasn't easy, but it was official.
There were fumbles and deep passes and dropped passes and injuries and Terrelle Pryor rolling up yards and Cameron Heyward chasing down Razorbacks and when the Buckeyes climbed on their charter back to Columbus from New Orleans after their night in the Superdome, the zero was gone.
Repelling the Razorbacks' rally in the second half, with the overwhelming Arkansas crowd making the dome Fayetteville South, the No. 6 Buckeyes (12-1) beat the SEC in a bowl game for the first time, now 1-9 all-time, which seems impressive only when compared to 0-9. But after the last two weeks, including the Big Ten's 0-5 bowl performance on New Year's Day that included three losses to the SEC, Ohio State fans have something to hold on to.
The victory was finished by an interception in the final seconds from defensive end Solomon Thomas, the least-known of the five Buckeyes hit with five-game suspensions from the NCAA. Before him, the other suspended Buckeyes -- Pryor, running back Dan Herron, receiver DeVier Posey and left tackle Mike Adams -- led the way, and it was just enough.
The fans still face those five-game suspensions at the start of next season and what might be a nervous two weeks wondering if the suspended Buckeyes will live up to their promises of not leaving for the NFL.
But on this night, all the players involved played. The Buckeyes won. On a team led by 24 seniors, some veteran Buckeyes went out with some of the best games, including a dominating night from Heyward and the evolution into a sack monster of Dexter Larimore.
Luck helped, too.
Arkansas receiver Joe Adams dropped what could have been a touchdown strike on the Razorbacks' first play of the game. Then on Ohio State's first drive, the Buckeyes scored on ... a fumble?
The Buckeyes attacked No. 8 Arkansas (10-3) with a no-huddle offense and converted two third downs on their opening drive. The final third down was a third-and-9 run by Pryor that ended with a fumble that Dane Sanzenbacher fell on in the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
Not a bad sign for a team looking for something good to happen.
The OSU fans were outnumbered by the Arkansas faithful, with the Razorbacks in a can't-miss game for their fans in their first BCS appearance, while the Buckeyes faced a been-there, done-that with their eighth BCS game in Tressel's 10 years. Hog calls ruled the pregame.
But the Buckeyes took control, even after a stunning and failed onside kick after their first score. Arkansas turned that into a 17-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Mallett to Adams to tie the game, but the Buckeyes rolled off three straight touchdowns without an answer, with one that even led to a flying chest bump between Pryor and Jim Tressel.
Herron scored on a nine-yard run, Sanzenbacher caught a 15-yard TD pass from Pryor and then Posey hauled in a 43-yard deep ball from Pryor for a 28-7 lead with 1:59 left in the first half. Coming in, Ohio State was concerned about getting pressure on Mallett, and Arkansas was concerned about Ohio State's power.
Both were valid. Getting in the face of Mallett worked for the Buckeyes, and the OSU offensive line was controlling the game on both sides. Then, like with the December investigation that led to the discovery that he five Buckeyes had sold memorabilia in violation of NCAA rules, things started to fall apart for Ohio State.
Senior cornerback Chimdi Chekwa was lost with a wrist or hand injury that will require surgery. Safety Jermale Hines battled a toe injury. After not practicing on Sunday in the interest of saving their legs, the Buckeyes still saw players sidelined by cramps. As the defense sagged, Mallett and the Arkansas offense struck, outscoring the Buckeyes, 16-3, in the second half, helped by the Arkansas defense tackling Herron in the end zone for a safety that cut the OSU lead to 31-26.
A game that had been looking like the 2010 Rose Bowl, when the Buckeyes knocked off Oregon with an offensive show, was starting to look more like the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, when the Ohio State defense gave up a last-minute touchdown to lose a close game.
With just over one minute to play, a Razorback jumped over the top of the OSU upbacks to block a Ben Buchanan punt, giving Arkansas the ball at the 18 with no timeouts. Just 18 yards from keeping the zero. Just 18 yards from Ohio State living through what should already be a complicated off-season with this collapse.
Then they were very glad that Solomon Thomas was there.
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