COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Buckeyes Don’t Stop, but Smell Roses : Big Ten: Ohio State dominates Penn State, 24-6, and closes in on Pasadena berth.

COLUMBUS, Ohio â€”  After years of using Coach John Cooper as their personal pinata, Buckeye bashers are having a hard time finding fault with his Ohio State team these days. They certainly can’t find defeats, what with the Buckeyes’ surprisingly easy 24-6 victory against Penn State on Saturday at snow-covered Ohio Stadium.

A near-record crowd of 95,060, the third-largest in school history, sat happily in the 34-degree, 15-m.p.h. conditions and watched as Ohio State strengthened its grip on a trip to Pasadena. Afterward, they serenaded the third-ranked Buckeyes with chants of “Rose-Bowl� and swayed to the music of “California, Here We Come,� which came courtesy of the school band.

Suddenly everyone has warm and fuzzy feelings about Ohio State and the oft-beleaguered Cooper. Of course, that happens when you’re 8-0 and haven’t played hated Michigan yet.

“It’s a 180-degree turnaround,� said defensive end Jason Simmons, who helped the Buckeyes force four Penn State interceptions and one fumble. “The atmosphere couldn’t be any different. I haven’t heard a critical word about our program in . . . weeks.�

Usually by now, Cooper and the Buckeyes are embroiled in some sort of controversy. In fact, it wouldn’t be Columbus if someone wasn’t spreading a rumor about Cooper’s job status, or bemoaning Ohio State’s recent 0-4-1 record against Michigan. After all, second-guessing is an art form here.

But even the die-hard Cooper critics are finding it difficult to complain. Saturday against No. 12 Penn State (5-2), the Buckeyes rushed for 224 yards, passed for 156 and generally dominated the Nittany Lions. They did all this and more on a wet field that eventually looked as if there had been a tractor pull competition.

Not that Cooper minded. Once the Buckeyes got the lead early in the first quarter--and kept it for the remainder of the game--he was rooting for crummy conditions. The worse the weather, the more difficult it would be for Penn State to recover.

And anyway, Cooper was too busy being happy. Fresh from a postgame celebration with his team, the Ohio State coach walked into a room packed with reporters and gushed away.

“There’s a lot of love on this football team between the players and players, and the players and coaches, and the coaches and coaches,� Cooper said. “It just feels good to win the football game.�

So important was the victory, that Cooper said that he hasn’t recorded a bigger one during his six seasons at Ohio State.

“This stage of the season . . . everything on the line . . . Penn State . . . no, probably not,� he said.

Cooper and the Buckeyes have a right to be giddy. If Ohio State beats second-place Wisconsin at Madison next week and then defeats Indiana on Nov. 13, a Rose Bowl bid belongs to the Buckeyes. They can even lose to Michigan in the regular-season finale--though, it isn’t recommended--and still get the invitation to Pasadena.

“No one’s been 8-0 here in a long time,� guard Jason Winfrow said. “It’s going to be even sweeter next week when we go 9-0. I’m not fighting the temptation. We smell the roses out there. That’s why we’re getting fired up.�

Ohio State’s Raymont Harris gained a career-high 151 yards in 32 carries and scored once. His performance overshadowed 126 yards gained by Penn State’s Ki-Jana Carter, who played at nearby Westerville South High before choosing the Nittany Lions over the Buckeyes.

Then there was the quarterback tag team of Bob Hoying, who started the game, and Bret Powers, who helped finish it. Hoying was only four of 11 and Powers only four of eight, but they made few mistakes on day when Penn State quarterback Kerry Collins completed only 13 of 39 attempts--17 completions, if you count the four passes to Ohio State defenders.

“We didn’t let the elements affect us,� Powers said.

Now the Buckeyes ready themselves for Wisconsin. Cooper promised that there wouldn’t be a letdown, which is music to the ears of Buckeye followers.

As for the Buckeyes themselves, they’re enjoying the sounds of silence from the bashers.

“Yeah, finally,� said Simmons, a senior. “Now we have to keep them from finding something else to criticize.�