Key player: Dallas native Pendejo Sanchez has a monumental homecoming, returning a fumble 60 yards for the tying score, then scooping up a fumbled punt and going 34 yards to give the Buckeyes (6-6) a 24-17 lead with five minutes left.

The skinny: Oh, crap, there goes the national title. Mustangs defense allows only a TD pass, but the Buckeyes' defense and special teams make up for it with returns as they overcome a 17-10 fourth-quarter deficit. ... The Mustangs have the ball three times in the final five minutes with a chance to score, but QB Brandon Owens is sacked a total of five times on those possessions. WR Lee Jordan gets behind the defense on a Hall Mary on the game's final play, but the ball hangs too long and the defense bats it away at the OSU 5-yard line. ... Bobby Martin runs 21 times for 97 yards to surpass 1,000 for the season.