No. 3 Texas (12-1) 24 vs. No. 10 Ohio State (10-3) 21
The University of Phoenix Stadium
Glendale, Ariz.
Jan. 5, 2009
Attendance: 72,047 (sellout)
POSTGAME NOTES
• Ohio State ends its 119th season of play with an 808-307-53. The win total ranks fifth all-time in college football. The only other schools to have 800 or more wins are Michigan (872), Texas (832), Notre Dame (831), Nebraska (825), Ohio State (808) and Penn State (800).
• Jim Tressel’s record with the Buckeyes now is 83-19, he is 4-4 in post-season bowl games (and 4-1 in the Fiesta Bowl) and he has a career record of 218-76-2.
• Ohio State is 4-3 in BCS bowl games and 18-22 in all bowl games.
• Ohio State is 4-2 in Fiesta Bowls.
Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Results
| Dec. 26, 1980 |
Penn State 31, Ohio State 19 |
| Jan. 2, 1984 |
Ohio State 28, Pitt 23 |
| Jan. 3, 2003 |
Ohio State 31, Miami 24 (2OT) |
| Jan. 2, 2004 |
Ohio State 35, Kansas State 28 |
| Jan. 1, 2006 |
Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 20 |
| Jan. 5, 2009 |
Texas 24, Ohio State 21 |
SERIES NOTES
• Texas leads the all-time series, 2-1. All three games have been in the last four years. The Longhorns won the first meeting, 25-22, on Sept. 10, 2005, in Columbus, while the Buckeyes won the second meeting, Sept. 9, 2006 in Austin, 24-7.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Terrelle Pryor and Todd Boeckman were each in the starting lineup. Pryor split out wide as a receiver with Boeckman under the center. Boeckman completed a 14-yard pass play to Brian Robiskie to open the game.
• Using mostly Pryor but also Boeckman quarterback, Ohio State passed for 176 yards in the game.
• Chris “Beanie” Wells added 106 yards to his career rushing total and Ohio State’s fourth-leading rusher of all-time now totals 3,382 yards. The 100-yard game was his 17th.
• Texas’ defense came into the game ranked 21st nationally allowing 18.6 ppg.
• Ohio State rushed for 203 yards against Texas’ No. 2 rated rushing defense (73.5 ypg).
DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Ohio State came into the game ranked sixth in the nation in pass defense (164.33), seventh in scoring defense (13.08 and eighth in total defense (279.25). Texas came into the game ranked fifth nationally in scoring offense (43.9), ninth in total yards (476.4) and 11th in passing yards (299.5).
• Ohio State allowed 24 points tonight, 414 passing yards and 486 total yards to the Texas offense.
• The 414 passing yards by Texas was a season high against Ohio State. The previous high was 241 yards by Illinois.
• Doug Worthington’s first full sack of the year was a big one. The eight-yard sack of Colt McCoy came on a Texas first-and-goal play from the Ohio State 10. The Bucks held and Texas ended up kicking a field goal to tie the game at 3-all.
• Thaddeus’ Gibson’s sack late in the second quarter was rather large, too. It came on a fourth-and-7 from the Ohio State 37 and it was for a loss of seven yards. The sack was Gibson’s team-leading fifth of the year.
• But the biggest defensive play of the first half: Anderson Russell’s interception at the goal line with two seconds left in the first half that kept the Longhorns from a late TD pass or from kicking a sure game-tying field goal.
SPECIAL TEAMS
• Ohio State came into the game ranking sixth nationally in turnover margin at +1.25 per game. Against the Longhorns, the Buckeyes totaled one interception, that by Anderson Russell at the end of the first half.
• Aaron Pettrey’s 51-yard field goal in the first quarter was his second from 50 or more yards this season and the fourth of his career. His career long is 54 yards, set earlier this season against Youngstown State.
MISCELLANEOUS
• The 6-3 score at halftime was the second-lowest scoring first half in Fiesta Bowl history.
• The sellout crowd of 72,047 was the 24th sellout in the last 25 Fiesta Bowl games.
• Former Buckeyes Vernon Gholston and Larry Grant were on the sidelines cheering for the Buckeyes. There may have been others, but they just weren’t identified at press time.
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