It was close. It was won on the last play of the game. It featured some ferocious, timely defense and some... well, some offense.

    But Michigan's 16-13 victory over Ohio State yesterday in Ohio Stadium was no classic. At least not from Ohio State's point of view.

    It was a tragedy.

    When quarterback Greg Frey was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-18 inches option keeper with 1:38 left at his 29-- that was devastating.
 
    Whe Michigan kicker J.D. Carlson kicked his third field goal of the day, a 37-yarder as time expired to win it, that was depressing.

    But when Minnesota knocked off Big Ten leader Iowa 31-24 an hour later...

    "I don't even want to know the score," Ohio State senior center Dan Beatty said.

    A fan had just presented him a bottle of champaghne intended for the celebration that was to follow victories by Ohio State and Minnesota. The parlay would have given the Buckeyes the outright Big Ten championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl.

    What happened yesterday simply left Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, and Michigan State in a four-way tie for the conference title.

    It sent Iowa (8-3, 6-2) which beat the other three, to the Rose Bowl and Michigan (9-3, 6-2) to the Gator Bowl. Illinois (8-3, 6-2) is going to the Hall of Fame Bowl and Michigan State (7-3-1, 6-2) to the John Hancock Bowl.

    As for the Buckeyes (7-3-1, 5-2-1), as Carlson's kick floated toward victorym OSU senior cornerback Vinnie Clark-- his block attempt in vain-- was sprawled on the grass.

    "I'm laying there thinking, it's over," Clark said, "We lost by three points. My last game."

    "The Rose Bowl's gone. The Gator Bowl's gone. The Liberty Bowl."

    That's where the Buckeyes are headed, December 27th against Air Force.

     "I'm not looking forward to it at all," OSU split end Bobby Olive said.
 
    He thought he was headed anywhere but Memphis when he took a pass on a deep crossing route and gained 15 yards with just over two minutes left. It came on third-and-1 from the OSU 29, and the pass, from Frey, seemed to send the Buckeyes well on their way to at least a winning field goal attempt.
 
    But at the end of the play, senior flanker Jeff Graham was called for a clip on Michigan strong safety Otis Williams.

    Instead of first down at their 44, the Buckeyes faced third-and-1 again from their 29.

    A half-yard gain by Raymont Harris left them with the call of the day. They took their last timeout with 1:47 left.

    There was no doubt the Buckeyes would go for it, OSU coach John Cooper said.

    "I've been telling this football team ever since the Indiana game that I really felt like we had a chance to go ahead and win and go to the Rose Bowl," Cooper said, "So why not go for broke?"

    The Buckeyes played for a tie against Indiana. Yesterday, though a tie would have sent them to the Gator, they needed a win for the Roses.
 
    Thus, when the returned to the field, they returned with 'Four Base'.

    "It's a play that should work against any front," Frey said.

    Simply, Frey was to fake to fullback Scottie Graham, and either pitch the Butler By'not'e or cut up for the first down.

    After Michigan defensive tackle Chris Hutchinson cut him off and T.J. Osman grabbed his legs, Frey could do neither. No gain.

    Five plays later, Carlson-- who had missed from 38 yards with 4:18 left-- drilled the 37-yarder.

    "I'm very pleased and very proud of this team," Moeller said, "They showed their real character today. And, needless to say, it's good to win that kind of game."

    Just what kind of game was it?

    Despite outgaining the Wolverines 284-248 in total yards, the Buckeyes were penalized 8 times for 66 yards, compared with Michigan's two for 15.

    Twice Michigan picked off passes deflected by intended receivers.

    The tone was set almost from the outset, though.

    Tim Williams made the first of his two field goals after OSU's Mark Pelini forced a fumble from Jarrod Bunchon Michigan's opening drive. The Buckeyes seemed on their way to another score on their next possession before a holding call, an illegal formation, and a delay call forced them to punt.

    Michigan reached the OSU 3 on its next possession, with freshman tailback Ricky Powers ripping for 43 of his 128 yards. But on third-and-2 at the 3, Alonzo Spellman and Mark Williams nailed him for a 6-yard loss, and the Wolverines settled for a Carlson field goal.

    The defense forced another field goal minutes later after the first deflection interception, by Michigan's Lance Dottin, gave the Wolverines the bal at the OSU 20.

    The OSU offense made a snappy 13-play, 78-yard drive, capped by a 12-yard slant pass to Jeff Graham from Frey, to take a 10-6 lead just before the half.

    And to start the second half, passes to Olive and Robert Smith moved the Buckeyes quickly into scoring territory again. On that second pass, Smith left with a leg bruise.

    Three plays later, Harris dropped what would have been a drive-sustaining pass from Frey and the Buckeyes settled for Williams' second field goal, a 43-yarder.

    Then, on what referee Tom Quinn determined was an unfair wave of home-field sound, the rose bouquet started drifting away.

    After Derrick Alexander returned the kickoff 48 yards to the OSU 37, the Wolverines faced a dourth-and-1 at the 28. Twice, Michigan quarterback Elvis Grbac turned for relief and twice it was granted.

    Powers gained the first down, then on the next play, Grbac was granted relief again. That time, a timeout was taken from the Buckeyes.

    "We went to Iowa two weeks ago and didn't get any help from the refs at all," Frey said. "Then they do this here. That makes it a neutral game. It shouldn't be that way. It's our home game, just like it was theirs up ther elast year, and we didn't get any help."

    Six plays later, Grbac hooked up with Desmond Howard on a 12-yard touchdown pass that tied the score at 13.

    What followed was a series of plays that left the fourth quarter being played primarily in OSU territory.

• Instead of getting the ball at the OSU 48 after a short Michigan punt, OSU was called for running into the kicker. On the next punt, a clip on the runback moved the ball back to the OSU 25.
• When Clark fought off Alexander for an interception at the OSU goal line, it was ruled he made the play at the 3. Despite the fact that he fell into the endzone, the ball was spotted at the 3 with 10:42 to play.
• After an OSU punt from the 9 with 7:04 left, the Wolverines drove to Carlson's missed field goal attempt.

    "Real funny," he said as he walked off. "Real, real funny."