COLUMBUS, Ohio (Sports Network) - Terrelle Pryor passed for 233 yards and a score, while adding 113 yards and a touchdown on the ground, leading second-ranked Ohio State to a 36-24 win over No. 12 Miami at the Horseshoe.
Pryor completed 12-of-27 passes for the Buckeyes (2-0), who intercepted Miami
quarterback Jacory Harris four times in taking the victory in the rematch of
the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, which served as the BCS National Championship Game
that year.
Dan Herron added 66 rushing yards and a score for Ohio State, while DeVier
Posey had four catches for 105 yards. Devin Barclay made five of his
six field goal attempts.
Harris threw for 232 yards and a touchdown on 22-of-39 passing, but his four
interceptions thwarted potential scoring chances for the Hurricanes (1-1).
Damien Berry ran for 94 yards in the loss, while Leonard Hankerson caught
seven passes for 90 yards.
Harris' first interception occurred in the first quarter, when Nathan Williams
made the pick at the Miami 32-yard line and returned it to the 10. However,
penalties kept the Buckeyes from cracking the goal line, and they settled for
a 24-yarder from Barclay with 5:57 left.
But on the ensuing kickoff, Lamar Miller returned the ball 88 yards for a
score to put Miami in front. The Hurricanes went up 10-3 after Matt Bosher
kicked a 51-yard field goal about two minutes into the second quarter.
However, Ohio State took control after that, scoring 23 points in the frame.
On the drive following Bosher's field goal, Pryor connected with Posey on a
62-yard gain, then found Brandon Saine for an 18-yard scoring strike to tie
the game.
After a Miami punt, Ohio State got a 41-yard kick from Barclay, then increased
its lead following another interception of Harris. Like the first, it happened
deep in Miami territory, as Chimdi Chekwa made the grab at the 26. A completed
pass preceded Herron's four-yard run across the goal line, which made it a
20-10 game.
Bosher missed a field goal on the Hurricanes' next possession, but Miami got
another big return to stay close. Travis Benjamin ran a punt back 79 yards for
a touchdown with 3:04 left in the half.
Barclay kicked a 21-yarder through the uprights with 1:01 on the clock, and
Harris' third interception allowed Ohio State to add more points before the
half was through. Barclay's 24-yard kick with time expiring gave the Buckeyes
a 26-17 edge going into the break.
Miami began the second half with the ball and went on a promising drive. A 42-
yard run by Berry got the ball into the red zone, but on 3rd-and-goal, Harris'
pass over the middle was intercepted by defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, who
had dropped back into coverage.
Heyward ran the ball 80 yards to the Miami 15, and it took Ohio State just two
plays to get back into the end zone. Pryor's 13-yard run put the Buckeyes
ahead 33-17 less than five minutes into the half.
A banged-up and limping Harris led Miami back onto the field, but the
Hurricanes' drive once again ended in a missed Bosher field goal -- the 39-
yarder was blocked.
Ohio State then drove to the other end of the field, where Barclay
successfully kicked a 24-yarder.
Harris capped Miami's next drive with a nine-yard TD pass to Chase Ford, but
the Hurricanes got just one more possession. It ended when Harris' fourth-down
pass fell incomplete, and Ohio State ran out the final 7:31 on the clock.