Ohio State scored first on a 47 yard field goal by Rich Spangler, giving the Buckeyes a 3-0 first quarter lead. In the second quarter, BYU quarterback Steve Young threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Neil Balholm giving BYU a 7-3 lead. Ohio State running back Tim Spencer scored on a 61-yard touchdown run, giving the Buckeyes a 10-7 lead. Buckeye quarterback Mike Tomczak later scored on a 3 -ard run making it 17-7 in favor of the Buckeyes. BYU's Kurt Gunther kicked a 39 yard field goal before halftime to make it 17-10 Ohio State.
In the third quarter, Ohio State's Vaughn Broadnax scored on a 1-yard touchdown run giving OSU a 24-10 lead. Tim Spencer added an 18 yard touchdown run, and Rich Spangler a 37-yard field goal to give Ohio State a 34-10 lead at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Ohio State scored a 1-yard touchdown run going up 41-10. Steve Young fired a 13 yard touchdown pass to Gordon Hudson narrowing the lead to 41-17. However, Gayle scored on a 5 yard touchdown run to make the final score Ohio State 48, BYU 17.