Ohio State gets incredible comeback win behind little-used backup Kenny Guiton
Kenny Guiton probably didn't figure, when he woke up Saturday, that he would be a hero in Columbus by the time the day was over.
The backup quarterback may have etched his name in Buckeyes lore, especially if Ohio State completes the season without a loss, with his heroics on Saturday.
Guiton came in for injured starting quarterback Braxton Miller against Purdue and delivered a dramatic touchdown and game-tying 2-point conversion with three seconds left in regulation, and then led a touchdown drive in overtime. The Buckeyes, whose chances of staying undefeated were on life support with about a minute remaining, improved to 8-0 with the 29-22 win.
Guiton, a redshirt junior, had thrown 12 career passes when he was pressed into duty. He had two pass attempts as a redshirt freshman (his first college pass was interception) and played in only one game last year. Even though he is in his fourth season with the program, there was very little reason to believe he was going to pull off a miracle when the Buckeyes took over on its 39-yard line, down 22-14 and less than a minute to play.
Guiton rallied the team downfield. A pass-interference penalty put the ball at the 4-yard line. On the next play, Guiton rolled left and hit Chris Fields for a diving touchdown. That was nice, Guiton was far from being done. Ohio State needed a 2-point conversion to keep its undefeated dreams alive, and the play call was perfect. Guiton rolled right, stopped and threw back to tight end Jeff Heuerman, who slipped behind the defense and was wide open for the tying score.
In overtime, Guiton calmly led his team to a touchdown - remember, this was a intense pressure situation and he had 12 career passes before Saturday - and then the Buckeyes' defense held for the 29-22 win.
Hopefully Guiton will be back on the bench for Ohio State's next game, because that would mean Miller's scary looking injury wasn't as bad as it appeared. If that's the case, Guiton has a pretty sweet memory that he can tell his grandchildren about.
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