On this date in Ohio State football: Nov. 6, 1999

Taking a look back at a game Ohio State played on this date:

Michigan State 23, Ohio State 7

Setup: It was a dual-edged sword the Buckeyes packed for the trip to East Lansing. On the one hand, they sought revenge for the crushing defeat at home the season before, which knocked Ohio State from its perch at No. 1. And with a 6-3 record, OSU also needed one win among its final three games to become bowl-eligible. As they say, live by the sword, die by the sword.

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Stars: For 20th-ranked Ohio State, the bus driver ferried the team to and from the game without incident. And that was about it. The Buckeyes managed only four first downs and 79 total yards, their lowest total since 1964, and zero yards rushing, their lowest mark since '65.

Turning point: Michigan State led 10-0 in the final two minutes of the first half and was stopped short of the goal line by the Buckeyes on two straight point-blank runs. On fourth-and-goal, quarterback Bill Burke faked a handoff and flipped a pass to Chris Baker for the touchdown to make it 17-0. That was way too big a deficit for OSU on this day.

Impact: Ohio State improved its offense after the debacle but never did gain bowl eligibility. Illinois delivered a 46-20 spanking the next week in Ohio Stadium, and the Buckeyes put up a game effort in a 24-17 loss to Michigan in the season finale.

Quotable: "You just saw a good old-fashioned butt-kicking. The game wasn't as close as the score indicated. … We just got embarrassed." — Ohio State coach John Cooper

rstein@dispatch.com

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