COLUMBUS: Where there was defense, there was no offense. That's about the only way to sum up the University of Akron's overall performance in Saturday's 20-2 loss to Ohio State at Ohio Stadium.

The UA defense didn't allow an Ohio State touchdown until 6:10 remained in the third quarter a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Todd Boeckman to Jamario O'Neal on third down. That put the Buckeyes ahead 13-2.

UA's defense scored the only points for the Zips, when linebacker Brion Stokes tackled Chris Wells (Garfield High) in the end zone on Ohio State's second possession of the game for a 2-0 UA lead. The Buckeyes' only score in the first half was a 37-yard field goal by Ryan Pretorius with 7:54 left in the second quarter.

''Our goal was to play a tight football game and have a chance to win it in the fourth quarter,'' UA coach J.D. Brookhart said. ''I think we were pretty close to doing it. But we didn't find a way to win it. I thought our defense played extremely well, and I was proud of their effort. I just thought they wore out in the end because of the number of plays and the special teams they were in.''

Senior cornerback Reggie Corner (Canton McKinley) picked off his second pass in as many games.

''There's definitely a feeling of frustration, but at the same time, it's a team game,'' said Corner, who moved into ninth place on UA's career interception list with 10. ''There's stuff we need to work on offensively and defensively, and it definitely will be worked on in practice this week.''

Safety Andre Jones led the Zips with 10 tackles, and rover John Mackey and cornerback Davanzo Tate had nine tackles apiece out of the unconventional 3-3-5 defensive scheme that UA employs.

''We like it (3-3-5) because we can recruit more linebackers than we can defensive linemen,'' Brookhart said. ''That's why we (play) that defense, and I thought it held its own.''

Meanwhile, Ohio State's defense was relentless and got stronger as the game progressed. UA totaled just three rushing yards and finished with 69 yards of offense.

''Offensively, we're young and inexperienced, and they're growing,'' Brookhart said. ''But we also played what I think is one of the better defenses in the nation, so I knew we were going to struggle. I don't know if we thought we would struggle that badly.''

Dubious distinction

UA punter John Stec didn't want to go into the record books this way. His 14 punts set a school record for most in a game. The record had been 13 in 1989.

''I felt a little tired, but in practice, I hit at least 40 or 50 balls, so I'm kind of used to that,'' Stec said. ''But out there (today), I punted more than I did my whole senior year (in high school). I think I had 10 punts my senior season.''

Stec's first punt of the game actually helped the Zips take the lead in the first quarter, when it was downed at Ohio State's 2. On the next play, the Zips registered the safety.

Confidence boost

Mackey said he expects his teammates to bounce back quickly from the loss. ''We played our hearts out,'' he said. ''We played to the last snap. It shows that we can hang with anybody. As long as we keep doing the things we're doing and eliminate the mistakes, I'm pretty confident that we can pretty much hang with everyone on the schedule.''

Safety dance

Stokes' safety was the first for the Zips since Oct. 20, 2001, against Bowling Green. ''With (Ohio State) being backed up, of course we were thinking run,'' said Stokes, who finished with six tackles. ''My instincts told me to run straight to the ball, and I saw (Wells) coming right at me.''