SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 15, 2012

Ohio State 35, California 28: Braxton Miller passed for a career-high four touchdowns and rushed for another as host Ohio State held off California.

Miller found Devin Smith on the right side and dropped it perfectly behind the defense, allowing his receiver to race for a 72-yard touchdown and give the Buckeyes (3-0) the lead for good with 3:26 left in the game. Smith caught five passes for 145 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Jake Stoneburner caught the other two scoring passes as Miller completed 16 of 30 passes for 249 yards. Jordan Hall made his season debut and rushed for 87 yards on 17 carries for Ohio State, which won its 60th straight home game against an unranked non-conference opponent.

California (1-2) trailed by as much as 20-7 at the half but battled back as Brendan Bigelow provided the highlight of the day, breaking a pair of tackles and spinning toward the sideline before racing for an 81-yard touchdown. Bigelow added a 59-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to knot it at 28-28.

The Golden Bears had a chance to take the lead after Steve Williams jumped a route and picked off Miller, but Vincenzo D‘Amato missed his third field goal of the contest. Zach Maynard had one more chance to guide California down the field but was intercepted by Christian Bryant with 1:22 left.

GAME NOTEBOOK: California TE Spencer Hagan had to be taken off on a cart with an apparent leg injury late in the third quarter. … Ohio State coach Urban Meyer improved to 37-4 in September games. … Maynard completed 26 of 37 passes for 280 yards, one touchdown and one interception and rushed for a score.