This victory was characterized by one of the most thrilling finishes in OSU bowl game history. The Buckeyes trailed 23-21 before taking over with slightly more than two minutes remaining. Quarterback Mike Tomczak engineered an 89-yard drive, culminating in a 39-yard scoring strike to Thad Jemison with just 39 seconds to play.

Still, Pitt drove deep into OSU territory but two incompletions stopped them as time expired with the ball at the Buckeye 24.

Keith Byars torched the Panthers with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, 73 yards rushing and an 11-yard scoring run. Tomczak was 15-of-32 for 226 yards and a TD. Jemison was selected the game’s MVP after hauling in eight passes for 131 yards and the game-winning touchdown.