January 4, 1998

Box score

David Boston had yet another huge game in leading the Buckeyes to the VCS crown.

By Matt Schulz
FANSonly.com

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Let them shout it from the rooftops in Columbus: Ohio State is the real 1999 national college football champion.

The Buckeyes nipped Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl, 17-10, to win the Virtual Championship Series and the title of undisputed national champs. The title is OSU's first since winning the 1969 Rose Bowl over USC to complete a perfect 10-0 season.

The final game was a defensive struggle throughout. Each team punted eight times. Neither team passed the other's 40-yard line in the fourth quarter. And Ohio State's vaunted passing attack was held 107 yards. But late in the third quarter, Joe Germaine and David Boston -- co-Most Valuable Players of the VCS -- finally connected on a 36-yard TD strike to give Ohio State the lead it would never lose.

Germaine (11-of-26, 107 yds., 1 TD, 1 INT) had vastly inferior numbers to those of FSU's Marcus Outzen (26-of-39, 276 yds, 1 TD, 0 INTs) and the Seminoles outgained the Buckeyes (333-230) by over 100 yards. But Germaine engineered two third-quarter TD drives to bring OSU the crown.

MVP Numbers Co-MVP David Boston and Joe Germaine's stats for the four-game VCS Germaine: 80-of-124, 995 yds., 9 TDs, 2 INTs Boston 27 recs, 491 yds, 18.2 avg., 2 TDs

The first of those drives ended with 26-yard scamper by Joe Montgomery to tie the game at 10-10 with 6:51 left in the third.

Next, just more than five minutes later, Boston's catch put Ohio State ahead. The junior receiver, who may have played his last game for the Buckeyes before he enters the NFL Draft, barely managed to get a foot down in the end zone before falling out of bounds.

Then, Ohio State's defense took over. The Seminoles got just four first downs and minus-12 rushing yards after the Buckeyes' final score.

OSU's offense stalled in the final quarter as well, but didn't turn the ball over and gained key first downs to keep possession away from the Seminoles.

In the four-game tournament, Boston caught 27 balls for 491 yards (18.2 yds. per catch) and two TDs to take co-MVP honors. The man with whom he shated the award -- Germaine -- completed 80-of-124 passes for 995 yards with 9 TDs and two INTs.

The Buckeyes knocked off No. 13 Arkansas (41-0), No. 12 Virginia (45-21) and No. 1 Tennessee (24-23) en route to the national title game. Florida State had beaten No. 15 Syracuse (45-24), No. 7 Arizona (20-14) and No. 3 K-State (36-29) to reach the finals.