Northwestern University Athletics
Football Falls to No. 1 Ohio State
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
October 24, 1998
An interception and ten points allowed Northwestern to stay within striking distance of No. 1 Ohio State today in the first half, but OSU responded with three unanswered touchdowns to win, 36-10.
Senior OSU quarterback Joe Germaine completed 19 of 35 passes for 342 yards for his third consecutive 300-yard passing game. Junior split end David Boston caught eight passes for 171 yards.
Northwestern's offense was led by senior wide receiver D'Wayne Bates, who caught seven passes for 95 yards. Bates' spectacular 60-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter pulled the 'Cats to within 17-7, marking his longest reception since he grabbed a 66-yarder against UNLV in NU's first game of the season. The play was the longest from scrimmage against Ohio State this season. NU sophomore Gavin Hoffman completed 15 of 39 passes for 173 yards.
Wildcat senior linebacker Barry Gardner led both teams in tackles with 16. He highlighted an outstanding team defensive performance that made eight tackles for losses and held Ohio State to only 3 of 17 on third down conversions. Offensively, Northwestern's seven first quarter points were more than the combined first quarter of all the Buckeyes' other opponents this season.
Today's attendance was 47,130, Northwestern's second sellout in two weeks.
