HERSHEY - Bryan Williams intercepted a pass to stop one scoring threat and then knocked away a fourth-down pass at the goal line with 55 seconds remaining to help Ohio hold on for a 34-28 victory over Pennsylvania in the 48th annual Big 33 Football Classic on Saturday night at Hersheypark Stadium.

Williams led an Ohio defense that forced six turnovers and held Pennsylvania scoreless in the fourth quarter. Ohio won its third in a row before a crowd of 15,667 and now owns a 7-6 edge in the current series against Pennsylvania.

Butler graduate and offensive lineman Nate Hartung was one of the captains for the Pennsylvania squad.

Quarterback Robby Schoenhoft got Ohio out in front during a 28-point first quarter and the defense did the work from there. Schoenhoft, an Ohio State recruit from Saint Xavier High School, finished 11-for-20 for 267 yards and two touchdowns and was named most valuable player for the Ohio team.

"There's never a problem with scoring 28 points in the first quarter, but what it did was make the game extend so long," Ohio coach Steve Channell said. "Fatigue became a factor and they slowly worked their way back into the game."

Williams, a University of Pittsburgh recruit from John R. Buchtel High School in Akron, tipped one pass that was intercepted and returned 55 yards for a touchdown by Derrick Stewart. He intercepted a pass at the Ohio 20 with 5:29 left.

The deflection came five plays after an apparent Brad Jones interception was wiped out by a penalty. The game was delayed for more than 10 minutes while it was determined that Ohio had used an illegal defense.

"I was so nervous," Williams said. "It was like overtime to us when they told us we had to get back out there."

Pennsylvania scored on three pass plays of 70 yards or more in the first half. The two first-quarter touchdowns came on passes in the backfield.

Ed Collington turned a screen pass into a 70-yard touchdown from Shane Murray on the first play. LaRod Stephens-Howling, the Pennsylvania MVP, took a swing pass and broke for a 77-yard touchdown.

Between the two long Pennsylvania touchdowns, Ohio scored four times to take a 28-7 lead with 3:15 left in the first quarter.

Schoenhoft went 6-for-7 for 147 yards passing in the first 3:08. He stepped up to hit Mario Manningham on a post pattern for a 74-yard score and then found Brian Hartline from 23 yards.

Defense helped Ohio follow Schoenhoft's passes with two more touchdowns. Nick Simon's fumble recovery set up a 5-yard run by Dante Love. Stewart then ran in the interception.

Brad Dawson connected with Carmen Connolly for a 72-yard Pennsylvania touchdown in the second quarter.

Love threw a 48-yard halfback option pass to Jared Martin to make the Ohio lead 34-21 at halftime. Collington ran one yard for the only touchdown of the second half, midway through the third quarter.