The words from the voice of Brent Musburger “Germaine, gonna throw it, wide open, got him, Buckeyes lead it” still resonate in my mind from the game winning drive of the 1997 Rose Bowl between Ohio State and Arizona State. It was the first time in my life as a Buckeye fan that I had an opportunity to watch the team play in the Rose Bowl. At the time I was 15 years old and in those years the Buckeyes had never been to the Rose Bowl. Needless to say, I was anxious to watch the game and I desperately wanted the Buckeyes to win. In the weeks prior to the game, much of the hype was geared towards the quarterback of Arizona State, Jake Plummer, who would go onto to play in the NFL for the Cardinals and the Broncos. During that particular season, Plummer seemingly did something spectacular in every game that propelled Arizona State to victory. As a result of these heroic plays by Plummer, Arizona State would have a chance at a National Title if they could defeat Ohio State. Ohio State was coming off from yet another loss to arch rival Michigan, and so it appeared as if the stage was set for another Jake Plummer triumph.
The game was a seesaw battle with Ohio State scoring first with 5:04 left in the first quarter as quarterback Stanley Jackson hit David Boston in the end zone for a four yard touchdown pass. It would remain a 7-0 game until the 10:04 mark in the second quarter when Plummer hit Rick Boyer with a 25 yard touchdown pass to tie the game. Arizona State would then take the lead in the third quarter with a field goal. This lead only lasted 49 seconds, as Ohio State quarterback Joe Germaine threw a 72 yard touchdown pass to Dimitrious Stanley to give the Buckeyes a 14-10 lead. With a 1:40 left in the fourth quarter it appeared as if Jake Plummer would pull off yet miracle win as he scrambled for the go ahead touchdown. With the Buckeye offense struggling most of the game, Arizona State seemed to be in a prime position to win the game and position themselves for a possible national title; however, Joe Germaine and the Buckeye offense would have the final say. Aided by two Arizona State pass interference penalties, Joe Germaine drove the Buckeyes down the field and with 19 seconds left, Germaine threw a five yard touchdown pass to David Boston to give the Buckeyes the lead.
The question is why was this my favorite holiday sports moment? The answer is simple, it was the first time I was able to witness a Rose Bowl win by Ohio State, a team I had cheered for my entire life. Furthermore, Ohio State fans had to listen to all of the hype surrounding Jake Plummer prior to the game, and how great of a quarterback he was. Needless to say, with all of the hype surrounding Jake Plummer, not many people were giving Ohio State a chance to win. Honestly, would you have given the Buckeyes a chance to win this game? Ohio State was coming off another loss to Michigan and if my memory serves me correct, the Buckeyes had lost six of seven bowl games under the tenure of head coach John Cooper. This is why this bowl was special and why it is one of my favorite holiday sports moments; the Buckeyes won a game that many people did not think the Buckeyes had a prayer at winning.
