Buckeyes win thriller

Golden Bears’ upset bid falls to late-game heroics.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s been 40 years since California and Ohio State met on a field. They had enough excitement in one game Saturday to make up for that long wait.

Braxton Miller lofted a 72-yard touchdown pass to an all-alone Devin Smith with 3:26 left and Christian Bryant snuffed out the Golden Bears’ last chance with an interception to power the 12thranked Buckeyes to a 3528 win on Saturday.

The Golden Bears (1-2) missed three field goals and had a touchdown called back by a penalty, while the Buckeyes (3- 0) gave up 512 yards and were manhandled for much of the second half.

After taking over at Ohio State’s 25 with the score knotted, Miller, on third-and-7, faked a run and instead threw deep to a wide-open Smith.

Bryant then picked off Zach Maynard’s pass and returned it 38 yards to end the Bears’ last threat with about a minute left.

Ohio State built a 207 lead at half but managed 25 yards and no first downs on 14 plays in the third quarter.

Cal’s brightest star was backup tailback Brendan Bigelow, who raced 81 yards on his first carry of the game — the longest run ever by an opposing back in 90-year-old Ohio Stadium. Maynard then kept on a 1-yard sneak to give Cal a 21-20 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Miller, who was 16 of 30 passing for 249 yards and four touchdowns with one interception, then guided the Buckeyes 75 yards in 11 plays, capping it by running a play that Ohio State coach Urban Meyer brought with him from his days at Florida with Tim Tebow.

Miller kept the ball, took a step forward, then stepped back and flipped a pass over the middle to Jake Stoneburner for the final 3 yards.

Two plays later, Bigelow, who finished with 160 yards on only four carries, burst through the Ohio State defense for a 16-yard run and then topped that on the next play with a 59-yarder to tie the game at 28.

The Bears later missed a field goal from the 25, opening the door for Miller’s game-winning throw.