ANAHEIM, Aug. 29 -- Joey Galloway and Eddie George each scored two touchdowns Monday night during a dominating offensive performance, leading No. 16 Ohio State to a 34-10 decision over Fresno State in the fifth annual Pigskin Classic. Galloway, a senior wide receiver, caught a 67-yard touchdown pass from Bobby Hoying in the first quarter and ran eight yards on an improvised reverse in the third quarter for another score. George, a junior running back, had 1-yard touchdown runs in the first and second quarters as the Buckeyes jumped to a 21-0 lead. The bigger Buckeyes overwhelmed Fresno State, controlling the line of scrimmage on offense and harassing Bulldogs sophomore quarterback Adrian Claiborne on defense. The left-handed Claiborne took over this season for Trent Dilfer, who left after his junior season and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was the first time the schools had ever met. Ohio State, which tied for the Big Ten conference title last season, has won eight straight openers and 25 of its last 27. Fresno State, which tied for the Western Athletic Conference last season, was facing a team from the Big Ten for the first time in school history. Western teams are 0-4-1 in the Kickoff Classic. The Buckeyes marched 79 yards following the opening kickoff. Galloway ran 11 yards on the first play from scrimmage and George finished the drive with seven straight carries for 35 yards and a score. With 2:03 left in the first quarter, Hoying stepped up in the pocket and found Galloway free up the right sideline.
The flanker jogged the final 10 yards into the end zone for a 14-0 advantage. Ohio State continued the onslaught in the second period. Galloway took in a 21-yard pass from Hoying and George carried eight times for 30 yards, banging over from the 1-yard line to make it 21-0 with 10:40 left in the half. With just two first downs to that point, the Bulldogs finally got untracked as Claiborne engineered a 63-yard drive, finding Mike Pittman with a 4-yard shovel pass for a touchdown with 4:52 left in the period. The teams traded field goals early in the second half before a 32- yard punt return by Shawn Springs gave Ohio State the ball just shy of midfield. A drive moved the ball inside the 10 and on second-and-goal from the 8, Galloway took a handoff moving left, reversed field when the play bogged down and outraced a pair of defenders to the right corner of the end zone for a 31-10 lead with three minutes left in the third quarter. Josh Jackson added a 34-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the Buckeyes.
