BIG TEN/MID-AMERICAN Buckeyes don’t miss a beat with backup
NO. 3 OHIO STATE 42, SAN DIEGO STATE 7
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sounding like a grizzled manager referring to his shutdown relief pitcher, Urban Meyer called Kenny Guiton “the old right-hander.”
Come to think of it, maybe Guiton is No. 3 Ohio State’s closer.
He took over when Braxton Miller left with a sprained left knee, running for one touchdown and passing for two on Saturday while keeping the Buckeyes right on task with a 42-7 victory over San Diego State.
The victory extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 14 in a row.
“The old right-hander steps in again,” Meyer said with a grin. “He really did a nice job. He’s too slow, not strong-enough armed and all he does is lead, manage, distribute and has an incredible knowledge of the game. And incredible leadership skills. “And our players respond.” Miller watched the last three quarters from the sideline after being sandwiched between two tacklers on the Buckeyes’ seventh offensive play. The Buckeyes (2-0) didn’t need him.
“I think I’ve heard Coach Meyer say he’s as good a backup quarterback as there is in the country,” said a frustrated Rocky Long, coach of the Aztecs (0-2). “I don’t know how they decide which one starts, to be honest with you. They’re both very good players.”
Meyer said Miller wasn’t hurt badly.
“We had a long discussion on the sideline. I think he could have [returned],” Meyer said. “But the things that make him dangerous are his wheels and I don’t think it would have been [the same]. So we decided it was best not to. I think there’s a chance he’ll be ready next week.”
The Buckeyes play at California in their first road game.
In other games involving Big Ten teams, Jake Rudock and Mark Weisman each ran for a pair of touchdowns and
Iowa (1-1) beat Missouri State 28-14 in Iowa City, Iowa. Weisman had 180 yards rushing for the Hawkeyes. … Ricardo Allen’s interception with 19 seconds remaining gave Purdue (1-1) a 20-14 victory over Indiana State (0-2) in West Lafayette, La. … Christian Hackenberg threw for 311 yards and a touchdown, and Zach Zwinak and Bill Belton each ran for a pair of scores, leading Penn
State (2-0) past Eastern Michigan (11) 45-7 in State College, Pa. … Nathan Scheelhaase passed for 312 yards and four touchdowns to lead Illinois (2-0) to a surprise 45-17 victory over visiting Cincinnati (1-1). … Shilique Calhoun scored on a fumble return and an interception return, enabling Michigan State (2-0) to overcome another poor offensive performance in a 21-6 victory over South Florida (0-2) in East Lansing, Mich. … Melvin Gordon ran for 140 yards and a score, and No. 21 Wisconsin (2-0) got its second consecutive shutout in a 48-0 victory over FCS school Tennessee Tech (1-1) in Madison, Wis. … Stanley Jean-Baptiste and Ciante Evans returned first-quarter interceptions for touchdowns and No. 22 Nebraska (2-0) made quick work of Southern Mississippi (0-2) in a 56-13 victory in Lincoln, Neb. The Golden Eagles lost their 14th in a row, the longest losing streak in the FBS. … Trevor Siemian threw for 259 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, Kain Colter passed for a touchdown and ran for one, and No. 19
Northwestern (2-0) pounded Syracuse (0-2) 48-27 in Evanston, Ill. … Keenan Reynolds rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns, leading Navy (1-0) to a 4135 season-opening victory at Indiana (1-1). ... Minnesota (2-0) had two return touchdowns for the second week in a row and Roddrick Williams Jr. rushed for 148 yards and 1 touchdown on 16 carries to lead a 44-21 victory at New
Mexico State (0-2).
MID-AMERICAN Bowling Green rolls KENT, Ohio — Matt Johnson’s 92-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Burbrink cemented Bowling Green’s 41-22 victory against Kent State in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams Saturday.
Johnson had a career-high 357 yards passing for the Falcons, throwing 19 for 25 and two touchdowns. Burbrink had a career-high 101 yards receiving and his 92-yard TD reception was the third-longest in school history for the Falcons (2-0, 1-0).
Kent State (1-1, 0-1) was without star running back Dri Archer, who suffered an ankle injury Thursday. Without him, the Golden Flashes running game was paced by quarterback Colin Reardon’s 58 yards. Reardon was 15 for 28 for 164 yards and two TD passes.
The Golden Flashes led 22-17 with five minutes to go in the second quarter, but the Falcons scored 24 unanswered points to finish the game.
In other games involving Mid-American Conference teams, Keith Wenning passed for two touchdowns and 325 yards on 23 of 32 passing and Ball
State (2-0) defeated Army 40-14 in Muncie, Ind. … Marcus Wasilewski threw for 267 yards and rushed for 76 more as Maine (2-0) scored 17 unanswered points to beat Massachusetts (0-2) 24-14 in Foxboro, Mass. Maine held Massachusetts to 265 yards of total offense. … Ron Coluzzi booted a 27-yard field goal as time expired to cap a fourth-quarter rally and give Central Michigan (1-1) a 24-21 over New Hampshire in Mount Pleasant, Mich. ... Quarterbacks Kyle Pohl and Nick Hirschman combined for four touchdowns, the defense stopped a final drive and Akron (1-1) beat James Madison (1-1) 35-33 in a down-to-the-wire thriller in Akron, Ohio. … Josh Dewey intercepted a pass at the goal line in the final minute to preserve a 27-23 victory for Nicholls State (1-1) over Western
Michigan (0-2) in Kalamazoo, Mich.