Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
Quarterback Braxton Miller takes off down the sidelines for a 55-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
COLUMBUS, Ohio-- After another game too close for comfort, the overriding emotion for Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was relief.
Braxton Miller lofted a 72-yard touchdown pass to an all-alone Devin Smith with 3:26 left and Christian Bryant snuffed out the Golden Bears' last chance with an interception to power the 12th-ranked Buckeyes to a 35-28 win on Saturday.
"Our guys found a way," said Meyer, now 3-0 in his first season back in his home state. "I've been in games before I thought we were going to lose. I just kept waiting, I thought someone would make a play. I really did."
The Golden Bears (1-2) missed three field goals and had a touchdown called back by a penalty, while the Buckeyes (3-0) gave up 512 yards and were manhandled for much of the second half.
Taking over at the Ohio State 25 with the score knotted, it took just three plays until on third-and-7 defensive back Alex Logan saw Miller start to scramble and ran toward him. The quarterback instead threw deep to a wide-open Smith.
"You see somebody open like that you at least have to put some air under it so they can run under it and get position," said Miller, who was 16 of 30 passing for 249 yards and a career-high four touchdowns with one interception. "You have to be careful with those type of throws."
Cal cornerback Marc Anthony had a succinct appraisal of the play: "We got caught getting nosey."
Now down by seven, the Bears still had a shot to tie. But Maynard, who was 26 of 37 passing for 280 yards and a touchdown, overthrew a receiver with 1:09 left and Bryant picked it off and returned it 38 yards.
"(Cornerback Bradley) Roby communicated to me before the play they were going to run the seam route and (linebacker Ryan) Shazier did a great job of re-routing their receiver and forcing the quarterback to overthrow it," he said.
Ohio State built a 20-7 lead at half but managed 25 yards and no first downs on 14 plays in the third quarter.
Unlike a week ago, when he blasted his team's mistakes in an up-and-down 31-16 victory over Central Florida, Meyer heaped praise on his receivers and defensive line - two areas he had verbally drilled just seven days earlier.
But he said bad tackling was the No. 1 problem for the Buckeyes.
"It's time to play Ohio State defense and that wasn't Ohio State defense at all," he said.
Jay LaPrete/AP
Ohio State's Garrett Goebel (l.) sacks Cal's Zach Maynard during the second quarter.
Cal's brightest star was undoubtedly backup tailback Brendan Bigelow, who raced 81 yards on his first carry of the game - the longest run ever by an opposing back in 90-year-old Ohio Stadium. Maynard then kept on a 1-yard sneak to give Cal a 21-20 lead early in the fourth quarter. Bigelow twice put his hand on the turf so he wouldn't go down, each time spinning free to stay upright.
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