2000 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

The 2000 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented the Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their 13th and final year under head coach John Cooper, the Buckeyes compiled an 8–4 record (5–3 in conference games), finished in fourth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 324 to 198. Against ranked opponents, the Buckeyes defeated No. 24 Wisconsin and lost to No. 16 Purdue and No. 19 Michigan. They concluded the season with a 24–7 loss to unranked South Carolina in the 2001 Outback Bowl. Cooper was fired two days after the Buckeyes' loss in the Outback Bowl; he had compiled a 2-10-1 record against rival Michigan and a 3–8 record in bowl games.

2000 Ohio State Buckeyes football

Outback Bowl, L 7–24 vs. South Carolina
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	8–4 (5–3 Big Ten)
Head coach	John Cooper (13th season)
Offensive coordinator	Chuck Stobart (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Jon Tenuta (1st season)
MVP	Derek Combs
Captains	Rodney Bailey Steve Bellisari Joe Cooper Ken-Yon Rambo
Home stadium	Ohio Stadium
Seasons ← 1999 2001 →

2000 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 11 Michigan +	6	–	2	9	–	3
Northwestern +	6	–	2	8	–	4
No. 13 Purdue $+	6	–	2	8	–	4
Ohio State	5	–	3	8	–	4
No. 23 Wisconsin	4	–	4	9	–	4
Minnesota	4	–	4	6	–	6
Penn State	4	–	4	5	–	7
Iowa	3	–	5	3	–	9
Illinois	2	–	6	5	–	6
Michigan State	2	–	6	5	–	6
Indiana	2	–	6	3	–	8

$ – BCS representative as conference champion + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The Buckeyes gained an average of 161.9 rushing yards and 208.4 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up 91.6 rushing yards and 227.7 passing yards per game. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Steve Bellisari (2,162 passing yards, 52.3% completion percentage), running back Derek Combs (863 rushing yards, 5.2 yards per carry), wide receiver Ken-Yon Rambo (51 receptions for 729 yards), and kicker Dan Stultz (91 points scored, 33 of 36 extra points, 19 of 23 field goals). Four Ohio State players received first-team honors on the 2000 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Stultz; linebacker Joe Cooper; and defensive backs Nate Clements and Mike Doss.

The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	12:00 p.m.	Fresno State*	No. 16	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	ESPN Plus	W 43–10	96,583
September 9	10:10 p.m.	at Arizona*	No. 18	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	FSN	W 27–17	57,367
September 16	12:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)*	No. 17	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	ESPN Plus	W 27–16	96,721
September 23	12:00 p.m.	Penn State	No. 14	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	ABC	W 45–6	98,144
October 7	3:30 p.m.	at No. 24 Wisconsin	No. 8	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	ABC	W 23–7	79,045
October 14	12:00 p.m.	Minnesota	No. 6	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	ESPN2	L 17–29	98,120
October 21	12:00 p.m.	at Iowa	No. 14	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ESPN Plus	W 38–10	60,495
October 28	3:30 p.m.	at No. 16 Purdue	No. 12	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	ABC	L 27–31	68,666
November 4	12:00 p.m.	Michigan State	No. 16	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	ESPN	W 27–13	98,406
November 11	4:00 p.m.	at Illinois	No. 13	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (Illibuck)	ESPN	W 24–21	61,207
November 18	12:00 p.m.	No. 19 Michigan	No. 12	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (rivalry)	ABC	L 26–38	98,681
January 1, 2001	11:00 a.m.	vs. No. 14 South Carolina*	No. 22	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL (Outback Bowl)	ESPN	L 7–24	65,229
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	16	16	18	17	14	12	8	6	14	12	16	11	12	21	20	19	—
Coaches Poll	15	16	16	15	12	10	7	5	13	13	19	14	12	20	19	18	—
BCS	Not released									11	—	13	13	—	—	—	Not released

Game summaries

Fresno State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Fresno State	0	0	3	7	10
• No. 16 Ohio State	13	7	7	16	43

Date: September 2
Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
Game attendance: 96,583
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jim Barbar (Play-by-play), Al Harris (Color) & Jim Lachey (Sideline)

Arizona

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 18 Ohio State	3	7	14	3	27
Arizona	7	10	0	0	17

Date: September 9
Location: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
Game attendance: 57,367
TV announcers (FSN): Steve Physioc (Play-by-play) & Tom Ramsey (Color)

Miami (OH)

Penn State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Penn State	0	0	6	0	6
• No. 14 Ohio State	14	3	21	7	45

Date: September 23
Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
Game attendance: 98,144
TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Color) & Jack Arute (Sideline)

Wisconsin

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 8 Ohio State	13	7	3	0	23
No. 24 Wisconsin	0	0	7	0	7

Date: October 7
Location: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI
Game attendance: 79,045
TV announcers (ABC): Brad Nessler (Play-by-play), Bob Griese (Color) & Lynn Swann (Sideline)

Minnesota

Iowa

Purdue

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 12 Ohio State	0	3	17	7	27
• No. 16 Purdue	0	7	3	21	31

Date: October 28
Location: Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, IN
Game start: 2:34 p.m. EST
Elapsed time: 3:34
Game attendance: 68,666
Game weather: Fair / Mostly sunny, 57 F, wind 15 E
Referee: Steve Newman
TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Color) & Jack Arute (Sideline)

Michigan State

Illinois

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 13 Ohio State	3	9	6	6	24
Illinois	7	7	0	7	21

Date: November 11
Location: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL
Game attendance: 61,207
Television network: ESPN

Source: USA Today

Michigan

Outback Bowl

Personnel

Coaching staff

John Cooper - Head Coach - 13th year
George Belu – Offensive line (1st year)
Bill Conley - Tight ends / recruiting Coordinator (14th year)
Jim Heacock – Defensive line (5th year)
Fred Pagac – Assistant head coach (19th year)
Tim Salem – Quarterbacks / wide receivers (4th year)
Shawn Simms – Defensive ends (4th year)
Tim Spencer – Running backs (7th year)
Chuck Strobart – Offensive coordinator (6th year)
Jon Tenuta – Defensive coordinator / Defensive Backs (5th year)
Bob Tucker - Director of football operations (6th year)
Brian Williams - Defense / Special Teams (1st year)

Roster

2000 Ohio State Buckeyes football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`4`	Ken-Yon Rambo	Sr
QB	`8`	Steve Bellisari	Jr
WR	`9`	Ricky Bryant	Fr
WR	`14`	Mike DeMaria	Fr
QB	`15`	Scott McMullen	Fr
QB	`16`	Craig Krenzel	Fr
QB	`17`	Rick McFadden	Fr
RB	`28`	Jonathan Wells	Jr
FB	`39`	Jamar Martin	Jr
C	`68`	LeCharles Bentley	Jr
C	`77`	Tyson Walter	Jr
WR	`80`	Reggie Germany	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
S	`2`	Mike Doss	So
LB	`6`	Cie Grant	So
DB	`7`	Derek Ross	So
CB	`20`	Nate Clements	Jr
LB	`58`	Courtland Bullard	Jr
DT	`73`	Joe Brown	Sr
DT	`79`	Ryan Pickett	Jr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class

Head coach

John Cooper

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2001-02-14

2001 NFL draftees

Player	Round	Pick	Position	NFL club
Nate Clements	1	21	Defensive back	Buffalo Bills
Ryan Pickett	1	29	Defensive tackle	St. Louis Rams
Rodney Bailey	6	181	Defensive end	Pittsburgh Steelers
Reggie Germany	7	214	Wide receiver	Buffalo Bills
Derek Combs	7	228	Defensive back	Oakland Raiders
Ken-Yon Rambo	7	229	Wide receiver	Oakland Raiders


Q1	1:52	OHST	Doss 1 yard fumble return (kick failed)	OHST 6–0

Q1	1:37	OHST	Mitchell 34 yard fumble return (Stultz kick)	OHST 13–0

Q2	8:59	OHST	Cacchio 23 yard pass from Bellisari (Stultz kick)	OHST 20–0

Q3	10:54	OHST	Mitchell 51 yard interception return (Stultz kick)	OHST 27–0

Q3	9:41	FRES	Asparuhov 25 yard field goal	OHST 27–3

Q4	11:20	OHST	Stultz 34 yard field goal	OHST 30–3

Q4	4:56	OHST	Wilhelm 25 yard interception return (Stultz kick)	OHST 37–3

Q4	:05	FRES	Davis 9 yard pass from Grady (Asparuhov kick)	OHST 37–10

Q4	:00	OHST	Bryant 44 yard pass from McMullen	OHST 43–10


Q1	6:41	ARIZ	Jenkins 10 yard run (Keel kick)	ARIZ 7–0

Q1	3:09	OHST	Stultz 26 yard field goal	ARIZ 7–3

Q2	14:11	OHST	Cheatwood 1 yard pass from Bellisari (Stultz kick)	OHST 10–7

Q2	7:29	ARIZ	Safety	OHST 10–9

Q2	6:11	ARIZ	Wade 60 yard pass from Jenkins (Jenkins run)	ARIZ 17–10

Q3	7:53	OHST	Cacchio 60 yard pass from Bellisari (Stultz kick)	Tie 17–17

Q3	2:44	OHST	Wells 1 yard run (Stultz kick)	OHST 24–17

Q4	12:52	OHST	Stultz 20 yard field goal	OHST 27–17


Q1	OHST	Martin 1 yard run (Stultz kick)	OHST 7–0

Q1	OHST	Sanders 18 yard pass from Bellisari (Stultz kick)	OHST 14–0

Q2	OHST	Stultz 31 yard field goal	OHST 17–0

Q3	PSU	McCoo 2 yard run (kick failed)	OHST 17–6

Q3	OHST	Combs 1 yard run (Stultz kick)	OHST 24–6

Q3	OHST	Westbrooks 3 yard run (Stultz kick)	OHST 31–6

Q3	OHST	Collins 11 yard fumble return (Stultz kick)	OHST 38–6

Q4	OHST	Maldonado 7 yard run (Stultz kick)	OHST 45–6


1	11:51	OHST	Derek Combs 80 yard run (Dan Stultz kick)	Ohio St 7–0

1	6:08	OHST	Derek Combs 21 yard run (kick failed)	Ohio St 13–0

2	1:12	OHST	Darnell Sanders 20 yard pass from Steve Bellisari (Dan Stultz kick)	Ohio St 20–0

3	5:25	WIS	Michael Bennett 35 yard run (Vitaly Pisetsky kick)	Ohio St 20–7

3	2:32	OHST	Dan Stultz 24 yard field goal	Ohio St 23–7


2	9:02	OSU	Dan Stultz 35-yard field goal	OSU 3–0

2	3:41	PUR	Steve Ennis 2-yard run (Travis Dorsch kick)	PUR 7–3

3	12:40	PUR	Travis Dorsch 34-yard field goal	PUR 10–3

3	8:52	OSU	Dan Stultz 45-yard field goal	PUR 10–6

3	3:41	OSU	Jamar Martin 1-yard run (Stultz kick)	OSU 13–10

3	1:53	OSU	Nate Clements 83-yard punt return (Stultz kick)	OSU 20–10

4	12:46	PUR	John Standeford 5-yard pass from Drew Brees (Dorsch kick)	OSU 20–17

4	5:59	PUR	Vinny Sutherland 19-yard pass from Brees (Dorsch kick)	PUR 24–20

4	2:16	OSU	Westbrooks 2-yard run (Stultz kick)	OSU 27–24

4	1:55	PUR	Seth Morales 64-yard pass from Brees (Dorsch kick)	PUR 31–27


1	13:25	Illinois	Rocky Harvey 29-yard run (JJ Tubbs kick)	Illinois 7-0

1	8:33	Ohio St	Dan Stultz 19-yard field goal	Illinois 7-3

2	14:42	Ohio St	Dan Stultz 41-yard field goal	Illinois 7-6

2	12:44	Illinois	Antoineo Harris 25-yard run (JJ Tubbs kick)	Illinois 14-6

2	:23	Ohio St	Darnell Sanders 1-yard pass from Steve Bellisari (kick failed)	Illinois 14-12

3	8:21	Ohio St	Darnell Sanders 7-yard pass from Steve Bellisari (two-point conversion failed)	Ohio St 18-14

4	14:17	Illinois	Jameel Cook 1-yard pass from Dustin Ward (JJ Tubbs kick)	Illinois 21-18

4	6:05	Ohio St	Dan Stultz 17-yard field goal	Tie 21-21

4	:00	Ohio St	Dan Stultz 34-yard field goal	Ohio St 24-21